Day Trippin' › Northern California
86 places worth the drive, from the redwoods and Mount Shasta to Lake Tahoe and Gold Country, region by region. Want to know what's within 2 hours of home?
Enter your ZIPWildlife · Humboldt County
Flat trails loop through marshes built on treated wastewater, one of the best birding spots on the West Coast.
Scenic drive · Humboldt County
A 31-mile old highway beside US 101 through Humboldt Redwoods, with pullouts and short grove walks along the way.
Landmark
An 1856 lighthouse on a small tidal island at Crescent City that you can only walk out to at low tide.
Beach · Humboldt County
A dark pebbly beach where the Lost Coast Trail begins, with the rugged King Range dropping straight into the sea.
Canyon · Humboldt County
Walk up a creek between 50-foot walls covered in ferns, a place that looks prehistoric.
Town · Humboldt County
A dairy town with ornate Victorian storefronts, a California Historical Landmark and the gateway to the Lost Coast.
Trail · Humboldt County
A flat, easy loop past the Founders Tree and a fallen giant that shows just how big these trees are.
Beach · Humboldt County
A long, wild beach under eroded golden bluffs where Roosevelt elk often graze near the dunes.
Scenic drive · Del Norte County
A narrow, mostly unpaved road that winds between huge redwoods in Jedediah Smith, one of the region's most beautiful slow drives.
Viewpoint · Del Norte County
A clifftop view 650 feet above where the Klamath River meets the Pacific, and a good place to watch for whales.
Trail · Humboldt County
An easy loop on a ridgetop through old redwoods and fog, a good first redwood walk for families.
Town · Humboldt County
Blocks of restored Victorian buildings along the waterfront boardwalk, with galleries, murals and the famous Carson Mansion seen from the street.
State park · Humboldt County
Old-growth groves along the Newton B. Drury Parkway, Big Tree Wayside and elk in the meadow by the visitor center: the heart of the redwood parks.
Landmark · Humboldt County
An elevated walkway up to about 100 feet high in the redwood canopy at Eureka's Sequoia Park Zoo.
State park · Humboldt County
US 101 squeezes right between giant redwoods here, with short trails along the Eel River.
Trail · Humboldt County
The largest old-growth redwood forest left anywhere, with quiet loops along Bull Creek, much less busy than the Avenue.
Beach · Humboldt County
Big dunes and beach at the mouth of Humboldt Bay for surf watching, beachcombing and an off-highway vehicle area.
Trail · Del Norte County
A short, flat loop through one of the densest stands of big redwoods, on the banks of the Smith River.
State park · Humboldt County
Rocky headlands, Agate Beach for agate hunting and a rebuilt Yurok village in a mossy coastal forest north of Trinidad.
Trail · Humboldt County
A steep hike drops into a grove on Redwood Creek where some of the world's tallest redwoods stand; few people get there because entry is capped each day.
Town · Humboldt County
A tiny fishing village on a cove with sea stacks, a lighthouse replica and some of the best tide pools and views on the coast.
Trail · Shasta County
A boardwalk across the park's largest geothermal basin of hissing vents, bubbling pools and blue-green water.
Scenic drive · Siskiyou County
Drive the Everitt Memorial Highway up to about 7,000 feet for close-up views of Mount Shasta, with snow play in winter and trailheads in summer.
Waterfall · Shasta County
A 129-foot curtain of spring-fed water pours over mossy basalt all year; many call it California's most beautiful waterfall.
State park · Shasta County
Granite spires shoot up above I-5: stop for an easy view, or take the hard Crags Trail to the base of Castle Dome.
Waterfall · Siskiyou County
A short walk in Dunsmuir to a 30-foot waterfall you can stand behind, with a view of the Sacramento River and Mount Shasta.
Cave · Shasta County
A guided trip with a boat ride across Shasta Lake and a bus up the mountain to big limestone caverns full of formations.
Trail · Shasta County
Steep switchbacks to the top of an active volcano, with Mount Shasta in view on clear days.
National park · Tehama County
Boiling mud pots, steam vents, lava peaks and clear lakes along one scenic highway in one of the least crowded national parks.
National monument · Siskiyou County
More than 700 lava tube caves to explore on your own, plus Modoc War history and wide open volcanic views.
Lake · Shasta County
A flat loop around a lake that mirrors Lassen Peak, good for kayaking and spotting wildlife.
Waterfall · Siskiyou County
Three waterfalls on one river trail: a swimming hole at Lower Falls, a wide 50-foot drop at Middle Falls and a narrow chute at Upper Falls.
Town · Siskiyou County
A small mountain town under the 14,000-foot volcano, where you can fill a bottle at the headwaters of the Sacramento River in City Park.
Dam · Shasta County
The second-largest concrete dam in the US: walk the crest or take a free guided tour inside, with Mount Shasta behind the lake.
Historic site · Shasta County
The brick ruins of a Gold Rush boomtown and a restored 1861 courthouse museum with jail cells and a gallows.
Cave · Shasta County
A self-guided walk through a lava tube about a third of a mile long, cool and pitch dark.
Viewpoint · Shasta County
A roadside area of steaming, bubbling mud pots and sulfur vents, the easiest geothermal spot in the park to reach.
Landmark · Shasta County
A glass-decked footbridge over the Sacramento River in Redding that works as a giant sundial, linked to miles of river trails.
Wildlife · Siskiyou County
A driving tour along marshes that fill with huge flocks of waterfowl in migration, with bald eagles in winter.
Historic site · Trinity County
The oldest Chinese temple still in use in California, built by Gold Rush miners, in a charming mountain town.
Waterfall · Shasta County
A 220-foot cascade that was largely unknown until 2004, reached by a steep forest trail.
Lake · Shasta County
A clear mountain lake ringed by green hills, with swimming beaches, kayaking and paddleboarding just west of Redding.
State park · El Dorado County
Clear water and granite-boulder coves at Lester Beach, where the Rubicon Trail starts along the cliffs to Emerald Bay.
State park · Nevada County
A museum on the Donner Party and the building of the transcontinental railroad, beside the Pioneer Monument and the shore of Donner Lake.
Viewpoint · Nevada County
The 1926 Rainbow Bridge on old Highway 40 looks down on Donner Lake, with old railroad snow sheds and climbing walls nearby.
Town · Sierra County
A tiny Gold Rush town where two rivers meet, with old brick buildings and summer swimming holes.
Waterfall · El Dorado County
A short rocky climb to a cascade above Emerald Bay; fit hikers can go on to Eagle Lake in Desolation Wilderness.
State park · El Dorado County
Tahoe's most photographed view: a deep green bay with tiny Fannette Island, seen from the roadside overlooks on Highway 89.
Historic site · Nevada County
One of California's richest hard-rock gold mines, with a stone owner's cottage, formal gardens and the old mine yard.
Lake · El Dorado County
A quiet glacial lake just south of Tahoe, framed by Mount Tallac, for shoreline walks and paddling.
Hot spring · Alpine County
A mountain meadow park near Markleeville with a hot-spring-fed soaking pool and short trails through the pines.
Scenic drive · Alpine County
A high meadow on Highway 88 below Carson Pass, with the Carson River winding through and aspen groves that turn gold in fall.
Lake · Sierra County
A cluster of small granite lakes off the Gold Lake Highway with easy trails, including the short walk to Frazier Falls.
State park · Nevada County
Hydraulic miners washed away a mountainside here, leaving eroded cliffs of red and white beside the North Bloomfield ghost town.
Town · Nevada County
The best-preserved Gold Rush downtown in the foothills, with gaslit streets and historic buildings, and Grass Valley next door.
Ski area · Placer County
A large cable car climbs 2,000 feet to High Camp at 8,200 feet, with big Sierra and lake views and a free Olympic museum.
Trail · Sierra County
A steep climb to a lookout reached by exposed metal stairs, with views from Lassen to the Tahoe peaks.
River · Nevada County
The longest single-span covered bridge in the West, at Bridgeport, among clear green river pools and gold-panning bars.
State park · El Dorado County
An old-growth pine forest on the west shore with the Ehrman Mansion, a lakefront pier and beach, and groomed ski trails in winter.
Town · Placer County
A lakeside village where the Truckee River leaves the lake at Fanny Bridge, with the Gatekeeper's Museum and a paved lakeshore bike path.
Wildlife · El Dorado County
A flat half-mile Rainbow Trail through meadow to an underground window into the creek, where red kokanee salmon spawn each fall.
Town · Nevada County
An old railroad and logging town whose Commercial Row is lined with Old West buildings, under Donner Summit.
Historic site · El Dorado County
A 1929 Scandinavian-style mansion right on the shore of Emerald Bay, reached on a steep walk down through the forest.
Winery · Amador County
Rolling foothills near Plymouth in the Shenandoah Valley with dozens of tasting rooms, known for old-vine Zinfandel.
Park · Sacramento County
About 23 miles of riverside greenway through Sacramento with a paved bike trail, river access and fall salmon runs.
River · El Dorado County
Canyon trails and swimming holes where the North and Middle forks of the American River meet, under the soaring Foresthill Bridge.
Park · Butte County
One of the largest city parks in the US, along Big Chico Creek, with creek swimming holes and basalt canyons in Upper Park.
State park · Calaveras County
Giant sequoias in the North Grove on an easy, mostly flat loop, where the big trees first became famous in the 1850s.
Landmark · Sacramento County
A domed 1874 Capitol with restored historic offices and free tours, in a large tree-filled park.
Museum · Sacramento County
Restored steam locomotives and railcars fill big halls in one of the top railroad museums in the country.
Historic site · Tuolumne County
A whole Gold Rush town kept as it was, with stagecoach rides, gold panning, old saloons and costumed shopkeepers.
Lake · Placer County
A big reservoir with beaches, bike paths and boating close to Sacramento; Beals Point and Granite Bay are the main beaches.
Historic site · Sacramento County
An 1895 hydroelectric plant that sent power to Sacramento over long-distance lines, with its original generators still in place.
Wildlife · Butte County
A Butte County wetland where the Sutter Buttes rise behind winter waterfowl, with a 3-mile auto loop and a raised viewing platform.
Historic site · Amador County
A huge flat marble outcrop pitted with more than a thousand Miwok grinding holes, with a rebuilt roundhouse village and a museum.
Historic site · El Dorado County
The place in Coloma where the 1848 gold find set off the Gold Rush, with a replica sawmill, a museum and gold panning on the American River.
Cave · Calaveras County
California's biggest public cave chamber, reached by a spiral staircase that drops 16 stories.
Town · Calaveras County
A Gold Rush Main Street lined with tasting rooms and old stone buildings, a short drive from the caves and Big Trees.
Historic site · Sacramento County
A riverfront district of Gold Rush and railroad-era buildings with wooden sidewalks, under Tower Bridge.
Dam · Butte County
The tallest dam in the US, with a walk across the top and a visitor center tower at Kelly Ridge overlooking Lake Oroville.
Town · El Dorado County
"Old Hangtown," a Gold Rush Main Street with Gold Bug Park mine tours and the Apple Hill orchards just up the ridge.
Train · Tuolumne County
A working steam railroad roundhouse in Jamestown that has appeared in many Western films, with seasonal steam excursions.
Wildlife · Glenn County
Huge winter flocks of snow geese, ducks and raptors seen from a drive-and-stop auto tour through the wetlands.
Town · Amador County
A small, well-kept Gold Rush town with balconied buildings, antique shops and wine tasting along Highway 49.
Historic site · Sacramento County
A rebuilt 1840s adobe fort that was the end of the trail for many overland pioneers, including Donner Party survivors.
Wildlife · Yolo County
Seasonal wetlands between Sacramento and Davis with a gravel auto tour loop, and summer dusk bat flights under the causeway.
Facts checked against official sites; each spot shows when. Passes and hours change, so check before you go.