Day Trippin' › California › From Fresno › Angel Island State Park
The drive from Fresno to Angel Island State Park takes about 4 hr (northwest of Fresno), by real roads from ZIP 93721. Along the way we found 97 stops within a short detour: 22 coffee shops, 6 bakeries, 21 ice cream and treats and 28 places to eat.
The list below is the best few of each kind, in driving order, with how far into the drive you reach each one (counted from Fresno) and the detour it adds. Stops marked Our pick are chosen by us; the rest come from OpenStreetMap listings, so confirm hours before you count on them.
Photo: Taras Bobrovytsky, CC0
Island
Ferry to a bay island with a loop road, hiking, bike rentals and old military sites.
Heads-up: Ferry needs advance tickets. No ferry on Thanksgiving or Christmas. Last boat leaves early afternoon in winter (confirm before you go).
First third Middle third Last third Angel Island State Park
About 4 hr by road, heading northwest from the middle of ZIP 93721. Traffic and weather change that.
Good ones to start with: Fentons Creamery (Oakland). The page lists 30 in all, in driving order.
Cake Shop by Jill & Jill in Madera, Cornaggia's Bakery in Chowchilla, Starbucks in Merced and Starbucks in Merced. Check hours first; they come from OpenStreetMap listings.
El Botanero Mariscos in Fresno, Di Ciccos in Madera, The Vineyard in Madera and Farnesi's Steakhouse in Chowchilla.
Palm and Pine in Irrigosa, Madera County Fairgrounds in Madera, Livingston Historic Museum in Livingston and Lammersville Pioneer School in Tracy.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP <class 'zip'> (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Stops come from our own picks and OpenStreetMap listings; hours and detours change, so check before you go. We do not store anyone's location.