California Travel Guide

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2026 2026 Fodor’s Go List Destination

California's endless wonders, from Yosemite National Park to Disneyland, are both natural and man-made. Soul-satisfying wilderness often lies close to urbane civilization. With the iconic Big Sur coast, dramatic Mojave Desert, and majestic Sierra Nevada mountains, sunny California indulges those in search of great surfing, hiking, and golfing. Other pleasures await, too: superb food in San Francisco, studio tours in Los Angeles, winery visits and spas in Napa and Sonoma. Follow a beach picnic with a city stroll and live the California dream.

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Fodor's California: with the Best Road Trips

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Fodor's Southern California: with Los Angeles, San Diego, the Central Coast & the Best Road Trips

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Fodor's Northern California: With Napa & Sonoma, Yosemite, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe & The Best Road Trips

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Fodor's San Francisco: with the best of Napa & Sonoma

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Fodor's Los Angeles: with Disneyland & Orange County

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Fodor's San Diego: with North County

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Fodor's Napa & Sonoma

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Fodor's Complete Guide to the National Parks of the USA: All 63 parks from Maine to American Samoa

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Fodor's American Spirits: Exploring the Best Wineries, Breweries, and Distilleries in the USA

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Compass American Guides: Yosemite & Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks

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Fodor's The Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West: with the Best Scenic Road Trips

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Fodor's Best Weekend Road Trips

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West Coast National Parks

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Guidebooks for Every Journey

Fodor's California: with the Best Road Trips

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Fodor's Southern California: with Los Angeles, San Diego, the Central Coast & the Best Road Trips

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Fodor's Northern California: With Napa & Sonoma, Yosemite, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe & The Best Road Trips

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Fodor's San Francisco: with the best of Napa & Sonoma

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Fodor's Los Angeles: with Disneyland & Orange County

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Fodor's San Diego: with North County

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Fodor's Napa & Sonoma

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Fodor's Complete Guide to the National Parks of the USA: All 63 parks from Maine to American Samoa

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Fodor's American Spirits: Exploring the Best Wineries, Breweries, and Distilleries in the USA

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Compass American Guides: Yosemite & Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks

Scenic Drives
Best Hikes
Natural Wonders

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Fodor's The Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West: with the Best Scenic Road Trips

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Fodor's Best Weekend Road Trips

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Top Destinations

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San Francisco

With its myriad hills and spectacular bay, San Francisco beguiles with natural beauty, vibrant neighborhoods, and contagious energy. From the hipster Mission District to the...

Napa and Sonoma

In California's premier wine region, the pleasures of eating and drinking are celebrated daily. It's easy to join in at famous wineries and rising newcomers...

Los Angeles

One of the glitziest places on the planet, the City of Angels combines the people-watching of Rodeo Drive, the nonstop nightlife of the Sunset Strip...

San Diego

San Diego is a vacationer's paradise, with year-round temperatures in the seventies and near-constant sunshine. One of America's most family-friendly cities, San Diego is home...

The Bay Area

It's rare for a metropolis to compete with its suburbs for visitors, but the view from any of San Francisco's hilltops shows that the Bay...

The Central Coast

Balmy weather, glorious beaches, crystal-clear air, and serene landscapes have lured people to the Central Coast since prehistoric times. Today it’s also known for its...

The Monterey Bay Area

North of Big Sur, the coastline softens into lower bluffs, windswept dunes, pristine estuaries, and long, sandy beaches bordering one of the world’s most amazing...

Sacramento and the Gold Country

The Gold Country is one of California's less expensive yet still sublime destinations, a region of the Sierra Nevada foothills filled with natural and cultural...

Orange County and Catalina Island

With its tropical flowers and palm trees, the stretch of coast between Seal Beach and San Clemente is often called the Southern California Riviera. Upscale...

Palm Springs and the Desert Resorts

With the Palm Springs area’s year-round sunshine, luxurious spas, chef-driven restaurants, and see-and-be-seen pool parties, it's no wonder that Hollywood A-listers and weekend warriors make...

Napa

After many years as a blue-collar burg detached from the Wine Country scene, the Napa Valley's largest town (population about 80,000) has evolved into its...

Lake Tahoe

Whether you swim, fish, sail, or simply rest on its shores, you’ll be wowed by the overwhelming beauty of Lake Tahoe, which is famous for...

Yosemite National Park

By merely standing in Yosemite Valley and turning in a circle, you can see more natural wonders in a minute than you could in a...

St. Helena

Downtown St. Helena is the very picture of good living in the Wine Country: sycamore trees arch over Main Street (Highway 29), where visitors flit...

Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara has long been an oasis for Los Angelenos seeking respite from big-city life. The attractions begin at the ocean and end in the...

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

The word “exceptional” best describes these two parks, which offer some of the nation’s greatest escapes. Drives along their byways deliver stunning vistas at nearly...

Sonoma

One of the few towns in the valley with multiple attractions unrelated to food and wine, Sonoma has plenty to keep you busy for a...

Calistoga

The false-fronted shops, 19th-century buildings, and unpretentious tasting rooms lining the main drag of Lincoln Avenue give Calistoga a slightly rough-and-tumble feel that's unique in...

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree teems with fascinating landscapes and life-forms, including its namesake trees. Dagger-like tufts grace the branches of the Yucca brevifolia, which grows in vast...

Oakland

In contrast to San Francisco's buzz and beauty and Berkeley's storied counterculture, Oakland's allure lies in its amazing diversity. Here you can find a Nigerian...

Berkeley

Berkeley is the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement, the radical hub of the 1960s, the home of arguably the nation's top public university, and...

Redwood National and State Parks

Soaring more than 375 feet high, California's coastal redwoods are miracles of efficiency—some have survived hundreds of years, a few more than two millennia. These...

Death Valley National Park

The natural riches of Death Valley—the largest national park outside Alaska—are overwhelming: rolling waves of sand dunes, black cinder cones thrusting up hundreds of feet...

The Mojave Desert

Dust and desolation, tumbleweeds and rattlesnakes, barren landscapes and failed dreams—these are the bleak images that come to mind when most people hear the word...

Sequoia National Park

Sequoia National Park is all about the trees, and to understand the scale of these giants you must walk among them. If you do nothing...

Kings Canyon National Park

Kings Canyon National Park consists of two sections that adjoin the northern boundary of Sequoia National Park. The western portion, covered with sequoia and pine...

Sebastopol

A stroll through downtown Sebastopol—a town formerly known more for Gravenstein apples than for grapes but these days a burgeoning wine hub—reveals glimpses of the...

Lassen Volcanic National Park

Lassen Peak, a plug dome, is the most famous feature of this 166-square-mile tract of coniferous forests and alpine meadows. Its most spectacular outburst occurred...

Half Moon Bay

It may be the largest and most visited of the coastal communities, but Half Moon Bay is still by all measures a small town. Turn...

South Lake Tahoe

The city of South Lake Tahoe's raison d'être is tourism: the casinos of adjacent Stateline, Nevada; the ski slopes at Heavenly Mountain; the beaches, docks...

Mill Valley

Chic and woodsy Mill Valley has a dual personality. Here, as elsewhere in the county, the foundation is a superb natural setting. Virtually surrounded by...

Paso Robles

In the 1860s, tourists began flocking to this ranching outpost to "take the cure" in a bathhouse fed by underground mineral hot springs. An Old...

Sausalito

Bougainvillea-covered hillsides and an expansive yacht harbor give Sausalito the feel of an Adriatic resort. The town sits on the northwestern edge of San Francisco...

Channel Islands National Park

On crystal-clear days, the craggy peaks of Channel Islands are easy to see from the mainland, jutting from the Pacific in sharp detail. Sometimes called...

Truckee

Formerly a decrepit railroad town in the mountains, Truckee is now the trendy first stop for many Tahoe visitors. The town was officially established around...

Catalina Island

Just 22 miles out from the L.A. coastline, across from Newport Beach and Long Beach, Catalina has virtually unspoiled mountains, canyons, coves, and beaches; best...

Pinnacles National Park

President Theodore Roosevelt recognized the uniqueness of the Pinnacles Volcanic Formation—its jagged spires and monoliths thrusting upward from chaparral-covered mountains—when he made it a national...

Laguna Beach

Driving in along Laguna Canyon Road from the Interstate 405 freeway gives you the chance to cruise through a gorgeous coastal canyon, large stretches of...

San Luis Obispo

About halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo spreads out below gentle hills and rocky extinct volcanoes. Its main appeal lies in...

Big Sur Coastline

Long a retreat of artists and writers, Big Sur is a place of ancient forests and rugged shoreline, stretching 90 miles from San Simeon to...

Ventura

Ventura Harbor is home to myriad fishing boats, restaurants, and water-activity centers where you can rent boats and take harbor cruises. The city is also...

Geyserville

Several high-profile Alexander Valley AVA wineries, including the splashy Francis Ford Coppola Winery, can be found in the town of Geyserville, a small part of...

Disneyland Resort and Anaheim

The snowcapped Matterhorn, the centerpiece of Disneyland, punctuates the skyline of Anaheim. Since 1955, when Walt Disney chose this once-quiet farming community for the site...

Rancho Mirage

The rich and famous of Rancho Mirage live in beautiful estates and patronize elegant resorts and expensive restaurants. Although many mansions here are concealed behind...

Big Bear Lake

When Angelenos say they're going to the mountains, they usually mean Big Bear, where alpine-style villages surround the 7-mile-long lake. The south shore has ski...

Morro Bay

Commercial fishermen slog around Morro Bay in galoshes, and beat-up fishing boats bob in the bay's protected waters. Nature-oriented activities take center stage here: kayaking...

Ojai

The Ojai Valley, which director Frank Capra used as a backdrop for his 1936 film Lost Horizon, sizzles in the summer when temperatures routinely reach...

Mendocino

A flourishing logging town in the late-19th century, Mendocino seduces 21st-century travelers with windswept cliffs, phenomenal Pacific Ocean views, and boomtown-era New England–style architecture. Following...

Cambria

Cambria, set on piney hills above the sea, was settled by Welsh miners in the 1890s. In the 1970s the isolated setting attracted artists and...

Carnelian Bay to Kings Beach

The small lakeside commercial districts of Carnelian Bay and Tahoe Vista service the thousand or so locals who live in the area year-round and the...

Tahoe City

Tahoe City is the only lakeside town with a charming downtown area good for strolling and window-shopping. Stores and restaurants are all within walking distance...

Borrego Springs

The permanent population of Borrego Springs, set squarely in the middle of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, hovers around 2,500. From September through June, when temperatures...

Pismo Beach

About 20 miles of sandy shoreline—nicknamed the Bakersfield Riviera for the throngs of vacationers who come here from the Central Valley—begins at the town of...

Olympic Valley

Olympic Valley got its moniker in 1960, when its ski resort, Palisades Tahoe, hosted the Winter Olympics. Snow sports remain the primary activity, but once...

Avila Beach

Because the village of Avila Beach and the sandy, cove-front shoreline for which it's named face south into the Pacific Ocean, they get more sun...

Santa Ynez

Founded in 1882, the tiny town of Santa Ynez still has many of its original frontier buildings. You can walk through its three-block downtown in...

Solvang

You'll know you've reached the town of Solvang when the architecture suddenly changes to half-timber buildings and windmills. Danish educators settled the town in 1911—the...

Los Olivos

This pretty village was once on Spanish-built El Camino Real (Royal Road) and later a stop on major stagecoach and rail routes. Tasting rooms, art...

San Simeon

Whalers founded San Simeon in the 1850s, but had virtually abandoned it by 1865, when Senator George Hearst began purchasing most of the surrounding ranch...

Stinson Beach

This laid-back hamlet is all about the beach, and folks come from all over the Bay Area to walk its sandy, often windswept shore. An...

The Marin Headlands

The term "Golden Gate" has become synonymous with the world-famous bridge, but it was first given to the narrow waterway that connects the Pacific and...

Twentynine Palms

...

Jackson

Jackson wasn't the Gold Country's rowdiest town, but the party lasted longer here than most anywhere else: "girls' dormitories" (aka brothels) and nickel slot machines...

Emerald Bay

You can hike, bike, swim, camp, scuba dive, kayak, or tour a look-alike Viking castle at this state park. Or you can simply enjoy the...

Knott's Berry Farm

Once an actual farm, Knott's Berry Farm now offers a non-Disney theme park option for anyone with a love of roller coasters and boysenberries...

Mojave National Preserve

The 1.6 million acres of the Mojave National Preserve hold a surprising abundance of plant and animal life—especially considering their elevation (nearly 8,000 feet in...

Salton Sea

The Salton Sea, one of the largest inland seas on Earth, is the product of both natural and artificial forces. The sea occupies the Salton...

Tahoma

With its rustic waterfront vacation cottages, Tahoma exemplifies life on the lake in its quiet early days before bright-lights casinos and huge crowds proliferated. In...

Año Nuevo State Reserve

A beautiful park year-round, Año Nuevo State Reserve bustles during elephant seal mating season, from mid-December through March...

Mt. Tamalpais State Park

The view of Mt. Tamalpais from all around the bay can be a beauty, but that’s nothing compared to the views from the mountain, which...

Muir Woods National Monument

Climbing hundreds of feet into the sky, Sequoia sempervirens are the tallest living things on Earth—some are more than 1,800 years old. One of the...

Lompoc

Known as the flower-seed capital of the world, Lompoc is blanketed with vast fields of brightly colored flowers that bloom from May through August. Also...

Bodega Bay

Pockets of modernity notwithstanding, this commercial fishing town retains the workaday vibe of its cinematic turn in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963). Little from the...

Victorville

At the southwest corner of the Mojave is sprawling Victorville, a town with a rich Route 66 heritage and a museum dedicated to the Mother...

Pacific Grove

This picturesque town, which began as a summer retreat for church groups more than a century ago, recalls its prim and proper Victorian heritage in...

Redlands

Redlands lies at the center of what once was the largest navel orange–producing region in the world. Orange groves are still plentiful throughout the area...

Manzanar National Historic Site

...

Amador City

The history of tiny Amador City (population less than 200) mirrors the boom-bust-boom cycle of many Gold Country towns. With an output of $42 million...

Claremont

The seven Claremont Colleges are among the most prestigious in the nation, lending the town an ambitious and creative energy. The campuses are all laid...

Grass Valley

More than half of California's total gold production was extracted from mines around Grass Valley, including the Empire Mine, among the Gold Country's most fascinating...

San Juan Capistrano

San Juan Capistrano is best known for its historic mission, where the swallows traditionally return each year, migrating from their winter haven in Argentina, but...

Columbia

Columbia is the gateway for Columbia State Historic Park, one of the Gold Country's most visited sites. It's a great place for families to participate...

Davis

Davis began as a rich agricultural area and remains one, but it doesn't feel like a cow town. It's home to the University of California...

Coloma

The California gold rush started in Coloma when James W. Marshall discovered flecks of metal in the bottom of a ditch. “Boys, I believe I’ve...

Auburn

Halfway between San Francisco and Reno, Auburn is convenient to gold-rush sites, outdoor recreation opportunities, and wineries. The self-proclaimed "endurance capital of the world" is...

Angels Camp

Angels Camp is famous chiefly for its May jumping-frog contest, based on Mark Twain's short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." The writer...

Bodie State Historic Park

Bodie State Historic Park's scenery is spectacular, with craggy, snowcapped peaks looming over vast prairies. The town of Bridgeport is the gateway to the park...

Jamestown

Jamestown supplies a touristy view of life during the two gold rushes in these parts. The first took place in the 1850s, the second in...

Mariposa

Mariposa marks the southern end of the Mother Lode. Much of the land in this area was part of a 44,000-acre land grant Colonel John...

Lodi

With about 100,000 acres of mostly rich alluvial soils planted to more than six-dozen grape varietals—more types than in any other California viticultural area—Lodi is...

Shasta Lake

The city of Shasta Lake, population about 10,000, is a portal to water, wilderness, and dazzling stalagmites, with the monolithic Shasta Dam in the midst...

Murphys

A well-preserved hamlet of white-picket fences and Victorian houses, compact Murphys has an upscale yet unpretentious vibe. Shops and restaurants line several blocks of Main...

Oak Glen

More than 60 varieties of apples are grown in Oak Glen. This rustic village in the foothills above Yucaipa is home to acres of farms...

Nevada City

Nevada City, once known as the Queen City of the Northern Mines, is the most appealing of the northern Mother Lode towns. The iron-shutter brick...

Baker

...

Placerville

It's hard to imagine now, but in 1849 about 4,000 miners staked out every gully and hillside in Placerville, turning the town into a rip-roaring...

Primm, NV

...

Sacramento

All around the Golden State's seat of government you'll experience echoes of the gold-rush days, most notably in Old Sacramento, whose wooden sidewalks and horse-drawn...

Carmel-by-the-Sea

Even when its population quadruples with tourists on weekends and in summer, Carmel-by-the-Sea, commonly referred to as Carmel, retains its identity as a quaint village...

Shenandoah Valley

The most concentrated Gold Country wine-touring area lies in the hills of the Shenandoah Valley, east of Plymouth—you could easily spend two or three days...

Santa Cruz

The big city on this stretch of the California coast, Santa Cruz (pop. 63,364) is less manicured than Carmel or Monterey. Long known for its...

Sonora

One of several southern Gold Country gateways to Yosemite National Park, Sonora was the biggest town in the Mother Lode. Reminders of the gold rush...

Ukiah

About 16,000 people live in Ukiah, the Mendocino County seat and largest town. Logging and beer hops were two prominent industries starting in the late-19th...

Sutter Creek

Sutter Creek is a charming conglomeration of balconied buildings, Victorian homes, and neo–New England structures. At any time of year Main Street (formerly part of...

Independence

Named for a military outpost that was established near here in 1862, sleepy Independence has some wonderful historic buildings and is worth a stop for...

Volcano

Many roads, all of them winding, all of them scenic, lead to Volcano, an off-the-beaten-path former mining town of about 120 people, the entirety of...

Shoshone

A prospector founded this tiny burg in 1910, hoping to build businesses around a new rail stop. He and his family eventually developed the town...

Woodland

In its heyday, Woodland was among California's wealthiest cities. Established by gold seekers and entrepreneurs, it later became an agricultural gold mine. The legacy of...

Quincy

A center for mining and logging in the 1850s, Quincy is nestled against the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. The county seat and largest...

Huntington Beach

Once a sleepy residential town with little more than a string of rugged surf shops, Huntington Beach has transformed itself into a resort destination,commonly referred...

The Inland Empire

Threaded with rolling vineyards, homey agricultural towns, and mountain retreats, the Inland Empire has a humble allure. Often bypassed because of its freeway maze and...

Dana Point

Dana Point’s claim to fame is its small-boat marina tucked into a dramatic natural harbor and surrounded by high bluffs. The early-March Dana Point Festival...

Idyllwild

Set in a valley halfway up Mt. San Jacinto, Idyllwild has been a serene forested getaway for San Diegans and Angelenos for nearly a century...

Corona del Mar

A small jewel on the Pacific Coast, Corona del Mar (known by locals as "CDM") has exceptional beaches that some say resemble their majestic Northern...

Pomona

The green hills of Pomona, dotted with horses and houses, are perhaps best known as the site of the Los Angeles County Fair and of...

North County and Around

A whole world of scenic grandeur, fascinating history, and scientific wonder lies just beyond San Diego’s city limits. If you travel north along the coast...

Temecula

Temecula, with its rolling green vineyards, country inns, and first-rate restaurants, bills itself as "Southern California Wine Country." The region is home to about four...

Outside Sequoia and Kings Canyon Nationa Parks

The already remote Sierra National Forest encircles much of Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, making them a wilderness within a wilderness...

Cerro Gordo Ghost Town

...

Yountville

Yountville (population about 3,000) is something like Disneyland for food lovers. It all started with Thomas Keller's The French Laundry, one of the best restaurants...

Needles

Along Route 66 and the Colorado River, Needles is a decent base for exploring Mojave National Preserve and other desert attractions. Founded in 1883, the...

Santa Rosa

Urban Santa Rosa isn't as popular with tourists as many Wine Country destinations—which isn't surprising, seeing as there are more office parks than wineries within...

Red Rock Canyon State Park

On the stretch of Highway 14 that slices through Red Rock Canyon State Park, it’s easy to become caught up in the momentum of rushing...

Outside Redwood National Park

The North Coast's largest city is Eureka, population 27,000 and the Humboldt County seat. Its Old Town has an alluring waterfront boardwalk, several excellent restaurants...

Aptos

Backed by a redwood forest and facing the sea, downtown Aptos—known as Aptos Village—is a place of wooden walkways and false-fronted shops. Antiques dealers cluster...

Rutherford

The spot where Highway 29 meets Rutherford Road in the tiny community of Rutherford may well be the most significant wine-related intersection in the United...

Monterey

Monterey is a scenic city filled with early California history: adobe buildings from the 1700s, Colton Hall, where California’s first constitution was drafted in 1849...

Big Basin Redwoods State Park

Home to some grand redwoods and terrain that varies from rocky coastal coves to dense forestland, the 18,000-acre Big Basin has a human history that...

Salinas Valley

Salinas, a hardworking city surrounded by vineyards and fruit and vegetable fields, honors the memory and literary legacy of John Steinbeck, its most famous native...

Bolinas

The tiny town of Bolinas wears its 1960s idealism on its sleeve, attracting potters, poets, and peace lovers to its quiet streets. With a funky...

The North Coast

The spectacular coastline of Sonoma, Mendocino, and Humboldt counties defies expectations. The Pacific Ocean defines the landscape, but instead of boardwalks and bikinis there are...

Petaluma

The first thing you should know about Petaluma is that this is a farm town—with 62,500 residents, a large one—and the residents are proud of...

Outside Pinnacles National Park

The small town of Soledad, just outside the park's western entrance, is most famous as the setting of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, but...

Long Beach and San Pedro

...

Bass Lake

Almost surrounded by the Sierra National Forest, Bass Lake is a reservoir whose waters can reach 80ºF in summer. Created by a dam on a...

Muir Beach

Except on the sunniest of weekends, Muir Beach is relatively quiet, but the drive to this community and beach is a scenic adventure...

Fish Camp

As you climb in elevation along Highway 41 northbound, you see nothing but trees until you get to Fish Camp, where there's a post office...

Alturas

Alturas is the county seat and largest town in Modoc County. The Dorris family arrived in the area in 1874, built Dorris Bridge over the...

Lone Pine

Mt. Whitney towers majestically over this tiny community, which supplied nearby gold- and silver-mining outposts in the 1860s, and for the past century the town...

Chico

Its name is Spanish for "small," but with a 40% increase in population between censuses, Chico outpaced Redding as the Far North's largest city. Chico...

Three Rivers

Three Rivers is a good spot to find a room when park lodgings are full. Either because residents here appreciate their idyllic setting or because...

McArthur–Burney Falls Memorial State Park

One of the most spectacular sights in the Far North is Burney Falls, where countless ribbon-like streams pour from moss-covered crevices. The park’s beauty is...

Cathedral City

Cathedral City is more residential than tourist-oriented, with large and small malls everywhere, but the city has several good restaurants and entertainment venues with moderate...

Yucca Valley

One of the high desert's fastest-growing cities, Yucca Valley is emerging as a bedroom community for people who work as far away as Ontario, 85...

Chester

A gateway to Lassen Volcanic National Park on Lake Almanor's north shore, Chester, population 2,200, supports locals and tourists with modest restaurants, hotels, and shops...

Occidental

A village surrounded by redwood forests, orchards, and vineyards, Occidental is a former logging hub with a bohemian vibe. The small downtown, which contains several...

Dunsmuir

Surrounded by towering forests and boasting world-class upper Sacramento River fly-fishing, Dunsmuir acquired its current moniker when a Scottish coal baron built a fountain in...

Point Reyes National Seashore

With sandy beaches stretching for miles, a dramatic rocky coastline, a gem of a lighthouse (Point Reyes Lighthouse: closed at this writing, but check online)...

Mt. Shasta

While a snow-covered dormant volcano is the area’s dazzling draw, the town of Mt. Shasta charms visitors with its small shops, friendly residents, and beautiful...

Oakville

Barely a blip on the landscape as you drive north on Highway 29, Oakville is marked mainly by its grocery store, but the town's small...

Redding

A handy gateway to Lassen Volcanic National Park, Redding, population about 95,000, sits along the busy I–5 corridor, with attractions that include the photogenic Sundial...

Palm Springs

A tourist destination since the late 19th century, Palm Springs evolved into an ideal hideaway for early Hollywood celebrities who slipped into town to play...

Weaverville

Chinese miners erected the 1874 Joss House that anchors Weaverville's downtown historic district. The town, population about 3,200, is a popular headquarters for family vacations...

Palm Desert

Palm Desert is a thriving retail and business community with popular restaurants, private and public golf courses, and premium shopping along its main commercial drag...

Joshua Tree

...

Tiburon

On a peninsula that was named Punta de Tiburón (Shark Point) by 18th-century Spanish explorers, this beautiful Marin County community retains the feel of a...

Corona

Corona's Temescal Canyon is named for the dome-shaped mud saunas that the Luiseño Indians built around the area's artesian hot springs in the early 19th...

Kenwood

Tiny Kenwood consists of little more than a few restaurants, shops, tasting rooms, and a historic train depot, now used for private events. But hidden...

Lake Arrowhead

Lake Arrowhead Village is an alpine community with lodgings, shops, outlet stores, and eateries that descend a hill to the lake. Outside the village, access...

Pescadero

As you walk down Stage Road, Pescadero's main street, it's hard to believe you're only 30 minutes from Silicon Valley. If you could block out...

Ontario

Ontario has a rich agricultural and industrial heritage. The valley's warm climate once supported vineyards that produced grape varietals such as Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Zinfandel...

Healdsburg

Sonoma County's ritziest town and the star of many a magazine spread or online feature, Healdsburg is located at the intersection of the Dry Creek...

Rancho Cucamonga

Once a thriving wine-making area with more than 50,000 acres of wine grapes, Rancho Cucamonga—the oldest wine district in California—lost most of its pastoral charm...

Outside Channel Islands National Park

With a population of nearly 110,000, Ventura is the main gateway to Channel Islands National Park. It's a classic California beach town filled with interesting...

Riverside

By 1882 Riverside was home to more than half of California's citrus groves, making it the state's wealthiest city per capita in 1895. The prosperity...

Guerneville

Guerneville's tourist demographic has evolved over the years—Bay Area families in the 1950s, lesbians and gays starting in the 1970s, and these days a mix...

Ed Z’berg Sugar Pine Point State Park

Visitors love to hike, swim, and fish here in the summer, but this park is also popular in winter, when a small campground remains open...

Buellton

A crossroads town at the intersection of U.S. 101 and Highway 246, Buellton has evolved from a sleepy gas and coffee stop into an enclave...

Barstow

Barstow was born in 1886, when a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway began construction of a Harvey House depot and hotel...

Graton

Steps from Sebastopol and near Occidental, tiny Graton has a one-block main drag one can stroll in two minutes—although it’s possible to while away a...

Lancaster

Points of interest around Lancaster include a state poppy reserve that bursts to life in the spring and Edwards Air Force Base, which many consider...

La Quinta

The desert became a Hollywood hideout in the 1920s, when La Quinta Hotel (now La Quinta Resort and Club) opened, introducing the Coachella Valley's first...

Indio

Indio is the home of the renowned date shake: an extremely thick and sweet milkshake made with dates. The city and surrounding countryside generate 95%...

Glen Ellen

Craggy Glen Ellen epitomizes the difference between the Napa and Sonoma valleys. Whereas small Napa towns like St. Helena get their charm from upscale boutiques...

Palmdale

Before proclaiming itself the aerospace capital of the world, the town of Palmdale was an agricultural community. Settlers of Swiss and German descent, moving west...

Freestone

...

Randsburg

Randsburg and nearby Red Mountain and Johannesburg make up the Rand Mining District, which first boomed with the discovery of gold in the Rand Mountains...

Forestville

To experience the Russian River AVA's climate and rusticity, follow the river's westward course to the town of Forestville, home to a highly regarded restaurant...

Ridgecrest

A military town that serves the U.S. Naval Weapons Center to its north, Ridgecrest has scores of stores, restaurants, and hotels. With about 29,000 residents...

Carneros District

...

D.L. Bliss State Park

This park shares 6 miles of shoreline with adjacent Emerald Bay State Park and has two white-sand beaches. Hike the Rubicon Trail for stunning views...

Outside Lassen Volcanic National Park

Located in remote northeastern California, Lassen has few towns of any real size around it, although you will find a smattering of places to stay...

Capitola and Soquel

On the National Register of Historic places as California’s first seaside resort town, the village of Capitola has been in a holiday mood since the...

Elk

In this quiet town on the cliff above Greenwood Cove, just about every spot has a view of the rocky coastline and stunning Pacific sunsets...

Carmel Valley

Carmel Valley Road, which heads inland from Highway 1 south of Carmel, is the main thoroughfare through this valley, a secluded enclave of horse ranchers...

Ferndale

Ferndale, best known for its colorful Victorian architecture, is worth the 5-mile detour off U.S. 101. Many shops and the local museum carry a self-guided...

Moss Landing

Moss Landing is not much more than a couple of blocks of cafés and restaurants, art galleries, and studios, plus a busy fishing port, but...

Fort Ross State Historic Park

With its reconstructed Russian Orthodox chapel, stockade, and officials' quarters, Fort Ross looks much the way it did after the Russians made it their major...

Pebble Beach

In 1919 the Pacific Improvement Company acquired 18,000 acres of prime land on the Monterey Peninsula, including the entire Pebble Beach coastal region and much...

Indian Wells

For the most part a quiet and exclusive residential enclave, Indian Wells hosts major tennis tournaments throughout the year, including the BNP Paribas Open. Three...

San Juan Bautista

Much of the small town that grew up around Mission San Juan Bautista, still a working church, has been protected from development since 1933, when...

Outside Joshua Tree National Park

...

Watsonville

...

Philo

Many wineries straddle Highway 128 in Philo, where the tasting rooms are more low-key than their counterparts in Napa. The wineries here, however, produce world-class...

Anderson Valley

At the town of Albion, Highway 128 leads southeast into the Anderson Valley, Mendocino's primary wine-growing region. Most of the first 13 miles wind through...

Salt Point State Park

Enjoy dramatic views, forested acres, and a rocky, rugged shoreline along Highway 1’s 5-mile route through this park. With the hiking, picnicking, horseback riding, scuba...

Boonville

At first glance Boonville, population a little more than 1,000, looks pretty much as it has for decades, with the 19th-century Boonville Hotel anchoring the...

Newport Beach

Newport Beach has evolved from a simple seaside village to an icon of chic coastal living. Its ritzy reputation comes from megayachts bobbing in the...

Eureka

An excellent place to fuel up, buy groceries, and learn a little about the region's mining, timber, and fishing pasts, historic Eureka was named after...

Hopland

U.S. 101 briefly narrows to one lane in each direction to become this small town's main drag. For many years a center for the cultivation...

Fort Bragg

Fort Bragg is a working-class town that many feel is the most authentic place on the coast. The city maintains a local vibe since most...

Jenner

The Russian River empties into the Pacific Ocean at Jenner, a wide spot in the road where houses dot a mountainside high above the sea...

Gualala

This former lumber port on the Gualala River, a good base for exploring the southern Mendocino coast, has all the basic services plus an arts...

Desert Hot Springs

Desert Hot Springs's famous mineral waters, thought by some to have curative powers, bubble up at temperatures of 90°F to 148°F and flow into the...

Humboldt Redwoods State Park

Conservationists banded together a century ago as the Save the Redwoods League and scored a crucial victory when a memorial grove was dedicated in 1921...

Pope-Baldwin Recreation Area

To the west of downtown South Lake Tahoe, U.S. 50 and Highway 89 come together, forming an intersection nicknamed "the Y." If you head northwest...

Little River

The town of Little River is not much more than a post office and a convenience store; Albion, its neighbor to the south, is even...

Central Big Sur

The countercultural spirit of Big Sur—which instead of a conventional town is a loose string of coast-hugging properties along Highway 1—is alive and well today...

Occidental

...

Southern Big Sur

The countercultural spirit of Big Sur—a loose string of coast-hugging properties along Highway 1—is alive and well. Its few residents include the very wealthy, the...

Point Arena

Occupied by longtime locals and long-haired surfers, this former timber town on Highway 1 is part New Age, part rowdy, and always laid-back. The one...

The Central Valley

In California’s family of diverse regions, the 225-mile-long Central Valley is literally and figuratively a middle sibling. Cradled between the popular coastal communities to the...

Trinidad

A mellow base for exploring the southern portion of Redwood National and State Parks, coastal Trinidad got its name from the Spanish mariners who entered...

Bakersfield

Bakersfield's founder, Colonel Thomas Baker, arrived with the discovery of gold in the nearby Kern River valley in 1851. With 364,000 residents, including the country’s...

The Sierra Nevada

The granite peaks and ancient pines of the Eastern Sierra bedazzle heart and soul so completely that, for many visitors, the experience surpasses that at...

Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park

In 1908 army chaplain and former slave Colonel Allen Allensworth and a group of African Americans decided to move west to create a community where...

Bishop

One of the biggest towns along U.S. 395, bustling Bishop has views of the Sierra Nevada and the White and Inyo mountains. First settled by...

Hanford

Founded in 1877 as a Southern Pacific Railroad stop, Hanford had one of California's largest Chinatowns—the Chinese came to help build the railroads and stayed...

El Portal

The market in town is a good place to pick up provisions before you get to Yosemite. You'll find a post office and a gas...

Kernville

The wild Kern River, which flows through Kernville en route from Mt. Whitney to Bakersfield, delivers some of the most exciting white-water rafting in the...

Fresno

Fresno, with half a million people, is the center of the richest agricultural county in the United States. Cotton, grapes, and tomatoes are among the...

Merced

The 2005 debut of a branch of the University of California helped spur redevelopment in Merced County’s seat of government. The transformation has resulted in...

Lee Vining

Tiny Lee Vining is known primarily as the eastern gateway to Yosemite National Park (summer only) and the location of vast and desolate Mono Lake...

Modesto

Among the most striking "welcome to downtown" signs you'll see, the Modesto Arch, at 9th and I streets, bears the city's motto: "Water, Wealth, Contentment...

Mammoth Lakes

International real-estate developers joined forces with Mammoth Mountain Ski Area to transform the once sleepy town of Mammoth Lakes (elevation 7,800 feet) into an upscale...

Oakdale

Oakdale was founded as an orchard community and, in a real stretch, calls itself the Cowboy Capital of the World. Formerly the home of a...

Oakhurst

Motels, restaurants, gas stations, and small businesses line Highway 41 in Oakhurst, the last sizable community before Yosemite National Park and a good spot to...

Stockton

California's first inland port—connected since 1933 to San Francisco via a 60-mile-long deepwater channel—is wedged between Interstate 5 and Highway 99, on the eastern end...

Visalia

Visalia's combination of a reliable agricultural economy and civic pride has produced the Central Valley's most vibrant downtown, with numerous restaurants, craft breweries, and cafés...

The Far North

The Far North's soaring mountain peaks, trail-filled national forests, alpine lakes, and wild rivers teeming with trout make it the perfect destination for outdoor enthusiasts...

Outside Yosemite National Park

Marking the southern end of the Sierra's gold-bearing mother lode, Mariposa is the last big town before you enter Yosemite on Route 140 to the...

Avalon

Avalon, Catalina’s only real town, extends from the shore of its natural harbor to the surrounding hillsides. Its resident population is about 3,800, but it...

San Francisco

With its myriad hills and spectacular bay, San Francisco beguiles with natural beauty, vibrant neighborhoods, and contagious energy. From the hipster Mission District to the...

Napa and Sonoma

In California's premier wine region, the pleasures of eating and drinking are celebrated daily. It's easy to join in at famous wineries and rising newcomers...

Los Angeles

One of the glitziest places on the planet, the City of Angels combines the people-watching of Rodeo Drive, the nonstop nightlife of the Sunset Strip...

San Diego

San Diego is a vacationer's paradise, with year-round temperatures in the seventies and near-constant sunshine. One of America's most family-friendly cities, San Diego is home...

The Bay Area

It's rare for a metropolis to compete with its suburbs for visitors, but the view from any of San Francisco's hilltops shows that the Bay...

The Central Coast

Balmy weather, glorious beaches, crystal-clear air, and serene landscapes have lured people to the Central Coast since prehistoric times. Today it’s also known for its...

The Monterey Bay Area

North of Big Sur, the coastline softens into lower bluffs, windswept dunes, pristine estuaries, and long, sandy beaches bordering one of the world’s most amazing...

Sacramento and the Gold Country

The Gold Country is one of California's less expensive yet still sublime destinations, a region of the Sierra Nevada foothills filled with natural and cultural...

Orange County and Catalina Island

With its tropical flowers and palm trees, the stretch of coast between Seal Beach and San Clemente is often called the Southern California Riviera. Upscale...

Palm Springs and the Desert Resorts

With the Palm Springs area’s year-round sunshine, luxurious spas, chef-driven restaurants, and see-and-be-seen pool parties, it's no wonder that Hollywood A-listers and weekend warriors make...

Napa

After many years as a blue-collar burg detached from the Wine Country scene, the Napa Valley's largest town (population about 80,000) has evolved into its...

Lake Tahoe

Whether you swim, fish, sail, or simply rest on its shores, you’ll be wowed by the overwhelming beauty of Lake Tahoe, which is famous for...

Yosemite National Park

By merely standing in Yosemite Valley and turning in a circle, you can see more natural wonders in a minute than you could in a...

St. Helena

Downtown St. Helena is the very picture of good living in the Wine Country: sycamore trees arch over Main Street (Highway 29), where visitors flit...

Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara has long been an oasis for Los Angelenos seeking respite from big-city life. The attractions begin at the ocean and end in the...

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

The word “exceptional” best describes these two parks, which offer some of the nation’s greatest escapes. Drives along their byways deliver stunning vistas at nearly...

Sonoma

One of the few towns in the valley with multiple attractions unrelated to food and wine, Sonoma has plenty to keep you busy for a...

Calistoga

The false-fronted shops, 19th-century buildings, and unpretentious tasting rooms lining the main drag of Lincoln Avenue give Calistoga a slightly rough-and-tumble feel that's unique in...

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree teems with fascinating landscapes and life-forms, including its namesake trees. Dagger-like tufts grace the branches of the Yucca brevifolia, which grows in vast...

Oakland

In contrast to San Francisco's buzz and beauty and Berkeley's storied counterculture, Oakland's allure lies in its amazing diversity. Here you can find a Nigerian...

Berkeley

Berkeley is the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement, the radical hub of the 1960s, the home of arguably the nation's top public university, and...

Redwood National and State Parks

Soaring more than 375 feet high, California's coastal redwoods are miracles of efficiency—some have survived hundreds of years, a few more than two millennia. These...

Death Valley National Park

The natural riches of Death Valley—the largest national park outside Alaska—are overwhelming: rolling waves of sand dunes, black cinder cones thrusting up hundreds of feet...

The Mojave Desert

Dust and desolation, tumbleweeds and rattlesnakes, barren landscapes and failed dreams—these are the bleak images that come to mind when most people hear the word...

Sequoia National Park

Sequoia National Park is all about the trees, and to understand the scale of these giants you must walk among them. If you do nothing...

Kings Canyon National Park

Kings Canyon National Park consists of two sections that adjoin the northern boundary of Sequoia National Park. The western portion, covered with sequoia and pine...

Sebastopol

A stroll through downtown Sebastopol—a town formerly known more for Gravenstein apples than for grapes but these days a burgeoning wine hub—reveals glimpses of the...

Lassen Volcanic National Park

Lassen Peak, a plug dome, is the most famous feature of this 166-square-mile tract of coniferous forests and alpine meadows. Its most spectacular outburst occurred...

Half Moon Bay

It may be the largest and most visited of the coastal communities, but Half Moon Bay is still by all measures a small town. Turn...

South Lake Tahoe

The city of South Lake Tahoe's raison d'être is tourism: the casinos of adjacent Stateline, Nevada; the ski slopes at Heavenly Mountain; the beaches, docks...

Mill Valley

Chic and woodsy Mill Valley has a dual personality. Here, as elsewhere in the county, the foundation is a superb natural setting. Virtually surrounded by...

Paso Robles

In the 1860s, tourists began flocking to this ranching outpost to "take the cure" in a bathhouse fed by underground mineral hot springs. An Old...

Sausalito

Bougainvillea-covered hillsides and an expansive yacht harbor give Sausalito the feel of an Adriatic resort. The town sits on the northwestern edge of San Francisco...

Channel Islands National Park

On crystal-clear days, the craggy peaks of Channel Islands are easy to see from the mainland, jutting from the Pacific in sharp detail. Sometimes called...

Truckee

Formerly a decrepit railroad town in the mountains, Truckee is now the trendy first stop for many Tahoe visitors. The town was officially established around...

Catalina Island

Just 22 miles out from the L.A. coastline, across from Newport Beach and Long Beach, Catalina has virtually unspoiled mountains, canyons, coves, and beaches; best...

Pinnacles National Park

Laguna Beach

Driving in along Laguna Canyon Road from the Interstate 405 freeway gives you the chance to cruise through a gorgeous coastal canyon, large stretches of...

San Luis Obispo

About halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo spreads out below gentle hills and rocky extinct volcanoes. Its main appeal lies in...

Big Sur Coastline

Long a retreat of artists and writers, Big Sur is a place of ancient forests and rugged shoreline, stretching 90 miles from San Simeon to...

Ventura

Ventura Harbor is home to myriad fishing boats, restaurants, and water-activity centers where you can rent boats and take harbor cruises. The city is also...

Geyserville

Several high-profile Alexander Valley AVA wineries, including the splashy Francis Ford Coppola Winery, can be found in the town of Geyserville, a small part of...

Disneyland Resort and Anaheim

The snowcapped Matterhorn, the centerpiece of Disneyland, punctuates the skyline of Anaheim. Since 1955, when Walt Disney chose this once-quiet farming community for the site...

Rancho Mirage

The rich and famous of Rancho Mirage live in beautiful estates and patronize elegant resorts and expensive restaurants. Although many mansions here are concealed behind...

Big Bear Lake

When Angelenos say they're going to the mountains, they usually mean Big Bear, where alpine-style villages surround the 7-mile-long lake. The south shore has ski...

Morro Bay

Commercial fishermen slog around Morro Bay in galoshes, and beat-up fishing boats bob in the bay's protected waters. Nature-oriented activities take center stage here: kayaking...

Ojai

The Ojai Valley, which director Frank Capra used as a backdrop for his 1936 film Lost Horizon, sizzles in the summer when temperatures routinely reach...

Mendocino

Cambria

Cambria, set on piney hills above the sea, was settled by Welsh miners in the 1890s. In the 1970s the isolated setting attracted artists and...

Carnelian Bay to Kings Beach

The small lakeside commercial districts of Carnelian Bay and Tahoe Vista service the thousand or so locals who live in the area year-round and the...

Tahoe City

Tahoe City is the only lakeside town with a charming downtown area good for strolling and window-shopping. Stores and restaurants are all within walking distance...

Borrego Springs

The permanent population of Borrego Springs, set squarely in the middle of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, hovers around 2,500. From September through June, when temperatures...

Pismo Beach

About 20 miles of sandy shoreline—nicknamed the Bakersfield Riviera for the throngs of vacationers who come here from the Central Valley—begins at the town of...

Olympic Valley

Olympic Valley got its moniker in 1960, when its ski resort, Palisades Tahoe, hosted the Winter Olympics. Snow sports remain the primary activity, but once...

Avila Beach

Because the village of Avila Beach and the sandy, cove-front shoreline for which it's named face south into the Pacific Ocean, they get more sun...

Santa Ynez

Founded in 1882, the tiny town of Santa Ynez still has many of its original frontier buildings. You can walk through its three-block downtown in...

Solvang

You'll know you've reached the town of Solvang when the architecture suddenly changes to half-timber buildings and windmills. Danish educators settled the town in 1911—the...

Los Olivos

This pretty village was once on Spanish-built El Camino Real (Royal Road) and later a stop on major stagecoach and rail routes. Tasting rooms, art...

San Simeon

Whalers founded San Simeon in the 1850s, but had virtually abandoned it by 1865, when Senator George Hearst began purchasing most of the surrounding ranch...

Stinson Beach

This laid-back hamlet is all about the beach, and folks come from all over the Bay Area to walk its sandy, often windswept shore. An...

The Marin Headlands

The term "Golden Gate" has become synonymous with the world-famous bridge, but it was first given to the narrow waterway that connects the Pacific and...

Twentynine Palms

...

Jackson

Jackson wasn't the Gold Country's rowdiest town, but the party lasted longer here than most anywhere else: "girls' dormitories" (aka brothels) and nickel slot machines...

Emerald Bay

You can hike, bike, swim, camp, scuba dive, kayak, or tour a look-alike Viking castle at this state park. Or you can simply enjoy the...

Knott's Berry Farm

Once an actual farm, Knott's Berry Farm now offers a non-Disney theme park option for anyone with a love of roller coasters and boysenberries...

Mojave National Preserve

The 1.6 million acres of the Mojave National Preserve hold a surprising abundance of plant and animal life—especially considering their elevation (nearly 8,000 feet in...

Salton Sea

The Salton Sea, one of the largest inland seas on Earth, is the product of both natural and artificial forces. The sea occupies the Salton...

Tahoma

With its rustic waterfront vacation cottages, Tahoma exemplifies life on the lake in its quiet early days before bright-lights casinos and huge crowds proliferated. In...

Año Nuevo State Reserve

A beautiful park year-round, Año Nuevo State Reserve bustles during elephant seal mating season, from mid-December through March...

Mt. Tamalpais State Park

The view of Mt. Tamalpais from all around the bay can be a beauty, but that’s nothing compared to the views from the mountain, which...

Muir Woods National Monument

Climbing hundreds of feet into the sky, Sequoia sempervirens are the tallest living things on Earth—some are more than 1,800 years old. One of the...

Lompoc

Known as the flower-seed capital of the world, Lompoc is blanketed with vast fields of brightly colored flowers that bloom from May through August. Also...

Bodega Bay

Pockets of modernity notwithstanding, this commercial fishing town retains the workaday vibe of its cinematic turn in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963). Little from the...

Victorville

At the southwest corner of the Mojave is sprawling Victorville, a town with a rich Route 66 heritage and a museum dedicated to the Mother...

Pacific Grove

This picturesque town, which began as a summer retreat for church groups more than a century ago, recalls its prim and proper Victorian heritage in...

Redlands

Redlands lies at the center of what once was the largest navel orange–producing region in the world. Orange groves are still plentiful throughout the area...

Manzanar National Historic Site

...

Amador City

The history of tiny Amador City (population less than 200) mirrors the boom-bust-boom cycle of many Gold Country towns. With an output of $42 million...

Claremont

The seven Claremont Colleges are among the most prestigious in the nation, lending the town an ambitious and creative energy. The campuses are all laid...

Grass Valley

More than half of California's total gold production was extracted from mines around Grass Valley, including the Empire Mine, among the Gold Country's most fascinating...

San Juan Capistrano

San Juan Capistrano is best known for its historic mission, where the swallows traditionally return each year, migrating from their winter haven in Argentina, but...

Columbia

Columbia is the gateway for Columbia State Historic Park, one of the Gold Country's most visited sites. It's a great place for families to participate...

Davis

Davis began as a rich agricultural area and remains one, but it doesn't feel like a cow town. It's home to the University of California...

Coloma

The California gold rush started in Coloma when James W. Marshall discovered flecks of metal in the bottom of a ditch. “Boys, I believe I’ve...

Auburn

Halfway between San Francisco and Reno, Auburn is convenient to gold-rush sites, outdoor recreation opportunities, and wineries. The self-proclaimed "endurance capital of the world" is...

Angels Camp

Angels Camp is famous chiefly for its May jumping-frog contest, based on Mark Twain's short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." The writer...

Bodie State Historic Park

Bodie State Historic Park's scenery is spectacular, with craggy, snowcapped peaks looming over vast prairies. The town of Bridgeport is the gateway to the park...

Jamestown

Jamestown supplies a touristy view of life during the two gold rushes in these parts. The first took place in the 1850s, the second in...

Mariposa

Mariposa marks the southern end of the Mother Lode. Much of the land in this area was part of a 44,000-acre land grant Colonel John...

Lodi

With about 100,000 acres of mostly rich alluvial soils planted to more than six-dozen grape varietals—more types than in any other California viticultural area—Lodi is...

Shasta Lake

The city of Shasta Lake, population about 10,000, is a portal to water, wilderness, and dazzling stalagmites, with the monolithic Shasta Dam in the midst...

Murphys

A well-preserved hamlet of white-picket fences and Victorian houses, compact Murphys has an upscale yet unpretentious vibe. Shops and restaurants line several blocks of Main...

Oak Glen

More than 60 varieties of apples are grown in Oak Glen. This rustic village in the foothills above Yucaipa is home to acres of farms...

Nevada City

Nevada City, once known as the Queen City of the Northern Mines, is the most appealing of the northern Mother Lode towns. The iron-shutter brick...

Baker

...

Placerville

It's hard to imagine now, but in 1849 about 4,000 miners staked out every gully and hillside in Placerville, turning the town into a rip-roaring...

Primm, NV

...

Sacramento

All around the Golden State's seat of government you'll experience echoes of the gold-rush days, most notably in Old Sacramento, whose wooden sidewalks and horse-drawn...

Carmel-by-the-Sea

Even when its population quadruples with tourists on weekends and in summer, Carmel-by-the-Sea, commonly referred to as Carmel, retains its identity as a quaint village...

Shenandoah Valley

The most concentrated Gold Country wine-touring area lies in the hills of the Shenandoah Valley, east of Plymouth—you could easily spend two or three days...

Santa Cruz

The big city on this stretch of the California coast, Santa Cruz (pop. 63,364) is less manicured than Carmel or Monterey. Long known for its...

Sonora

One of several southern Gold Country gateways to Yosemite National Park, Sonora was the biggest town in the Mother Lode. Reminders of the gold rush...

Ukiah

About 16,000 people live in Ukiah, the Mendocino County seat and largest town. Logging and beer hops were two prominent industries starting in the late-19th...

Sutter Creek

Sutter Creek is a charming conglomeration of balconied buildings, Victorian homes, and neo–New England structures. At any time of year Main Street (formerly part of...

Independence

Named for a military outpost that was established near here in 1862, sleepy Independence has some wonderful historic buildings and is worth a stop for...

Volcano

Many roads, all of them winding, all of them scenic, lead to Volcano, an off-the-beaten-path former mining town of about 120 people, the entirety of...

Shoshone

A prospector founded this tiny burg in 1910, hoping to build businesses around a new rail stop. He and his family eventually developed the town...

Woodland

In its heyday, Woodland was among California's wealthiest cities. Established by gold seekers and entrepreneurs, it later became an agricultural gold mine. The legacy of...

Quincy

A center for mining and logging in the 1850s, Quincy is nestled against the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. The county seat and largest...

Huntington Beach

Once a sleepy residential town with little more than a string of rugged surf shops, Huntington Beach has transformed itself into a resort destination,commonly referred...

The Inland Empire

Threaded with rolling vineyards, homey agricultural towns, and mountain retreats, the Inland Empire has a humble allure. Often bypassed because of its freeway maze and...

Dana Point

Dana Point’s claim to fame is its small-boat marina tucked into a dramatic natural harbor and surrounded by high bluffs. The early-March Dana Point Festival...

Idyllwild

Set in a valley halfway up Mt. San Jacinto, Idyllwild has been a serene forested getaway for San Diegans and Angelenos for nearly a century...

Corona del Mar

A small jewel on the Pacific Coast, Corona del Mar (known by locals as "CDM") has exceptional beaches that some say resemble their majestic Northern...

Pomona

The green hills of Pomona, dotted with horses and houses, are perhaps best known as the site of the Los Angeles County Fair and of...

North County and Around

A whole world of scenic grandeur, fascinating history, and scientific wonder lies just beyond San Diego’s city limits. If you travel north along the coast...

Temecula

Temecula, with its rolling green vineyards, country inns, and first-rate restaurants, bills itself as "Southern California Wine Country." The region is home to about four...

Outside Sequoia and Kings Canyon Nationa Parks

The already remote Sierra National Forest encircles much of Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, making them a wilderness within a wilderness...

Cerro Gordo Ghost Town

...

Yountville

Yountville (population about 3,000) is something like Disneyland for food lovers. It all started with Thomas Keller's The French Laundry, one of the best restaurants...

Needles

Along Route 66 and the Colorado River, Needles is a decent base for exploring Mojave National Preserve and other desert attractions. Founded in 1883, the...

Santa Rosa

Urban Santa Rosa isn't as popular with tourists as many Wine Country destinations—which isn't surprising, seeing as there are more office parks than wineries within...

Red Rock Canyon State Park

On the stretch of Highway 14 that slices through Red Rock Canyon State Park, it’s easy to become caught up in the momentum of rushing...

Outside Redwood National Park

The North Coast's largest city is Eureka, population 27,000 and the Humboldt County seat. Its Old Town has an alluring waterfront boardwalk, several excellent restaurants...

Aptos

Backed by a redwood forest and facing the sea, downtown Aptos—known as Aptos Village—is a place of wooden walkways and false-fronted shops. Antiques dealers cluster...

Rutherford

The spot where Highway 29 meets Rutherford Road in the tiny community of Rutherford may well be the most significant wine-related intersection in the United...

Monterey

Monterey is a scenic city filled with early California history: adobe buildings from the 1700s, Colton Hall, where California’s first constitution was drafted in 1849...

Big Basin Redwoods State Park

Home to some grand redwoods and terrain that varies from rocky coastal coves to dense forestland, the 18,000-acre Big Basin has a human history that...

Salinas Valley

Salinas, a hardworking city surrounded by vineyards and fruit and vegetable fields, honors the memory and literary legacy of John Steinbeck, its most famous native...

Bolinas

The tiny town of Bolinas wears its 1960s idealism on its sleeve, attracting potters, poets, and peace lovers to its quiet streets. With a funky...

The North Coast

The spectacular coastline of Sonoma, Mendocino, and Humboldt counties defies expectations. The Pacific Ocean defines the landscape, but instead of boardwalks and bikinis there are...

Petaluma

The first thing you should know about Petaluma is that this is a farm town—with 62,500 residents, a large one—and the residents are proud of...

Outside Pinnacles National Park

The small town of Soledad, just outside the park's western entrance, is most famous as the setting of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, but...

Long Beach and San Pedro

...

Bass Lake

Almost surrounded by the Sierra National Forest, Bass Lake is a reservoir whose waters can reach 80ºF in summer. Created by a dam on a...

Muir Beach

Except on the sunniest of weekends, Muir Beach is relatively quiet, but the drive to this community and beach is a scenic adventure...

Fish Camp

As you climb in elevation along Highway 41 northbound, you see nothing but trees until you get to Fish Camp, where there's a post office...

Alturas

Alturas is the county seat and largest town in Modoc County. The Dorris family arrived in the area in 1874, built Dorris Bridge over the...

Lone Pine

Mt. Whitney towers majestically over this tiny community, which supplied nearby gold- and silver-mining outposts in the 1860s, and for the past century the town...

Chico

Its name is Spanish for "small," but with a 40% increase in population between censuses, Chico outpaced Redding as the Far North's largest city. Chico...

Three Rivers

Three Rivers is a good spot to find a room when park lodgings are full. Either because residents here appreciate their idyllic setting or because...

McArthur–Burney Falls Memorial State Park

One of the most spectacular sights in the Far North is Burney Falls, where countless ribbon-like streams pour from moss-covered crevices. The park’s beauty is...

Cathedral City

Cathedral City is more residential than tourist-oriented, with large and small malls everywhere, but the city has several good restaurants and entertainment venues with moderate...

Yucca Valley

One of the high desert's fastest-growing cities, Yucca Valley is emerging as a bedroom community for people who work as far away as Ontario, 85...

Chester

A gateway to Lassen Volcanic National Park on Lake Almanor's north shore, Chester, population 2,200, supports locals and tourists with modest restaurants, hotels, and shops...

Occidental

A village surrounded by redwood forests, orchards, and vineyards, Occidental is a former logging hub with a bohemian vibe. The small downtown, which contains several...

Dunsmuir

Surrounded by towering forests and boasting world-class upper Sacramento River fly-fishing, Dunsmuir acquired its current moniker when a Scottish coal baron built a fountain in...

Point Reyes National Seashore

With sandy beaches stretching for miles, a dramatic rocky coastline, a gem of a lighthouse (Point Reyes Lighthouse: closed at this writing, but check online)...

Mt. Shasta

While a snow-covered dormant volcano is the area’s dazzling draw, the town of Mt. Shasta charms visitors with its small shops, friendly residents, and beautiful...

Oakville

Barely a blip on the landscape as you drive north on Highway 29, Oakville is marked mainly by its grocery store, but the town's small...

Redding

A handy gateway to Lassen Volcanic National Park, Redding, population about 95,000, sits along the busy I–5 corridor, with attractions that include the photogenic Sundial...

Palm Springs

A tourist destination since the late 19th century, Palm Springs evolved into an ideal hideaway for early Hollywood celebrities who slipped into town to play...

Weaverville

Chinese miners erected the 1874 Joss House that anchors Weaverville's downtown historic district. The town, population about 3,200, is a popular headquarters for family vacations...

Palm Desert

Palm Desert is a thriving retail and business community with popular restaurants, private and public golf courses, and premium shopping along its main commercial drag...

Joshua Tree

...

Tiburon

On a peninsula that was named Punta de Tiburón (Shark Point) by 18th-century Spanish explorers, this beautiful Marin County community retains the feel of a...

Corona

Corona's Temescal Canyon is named for the dome-shaped mud saunas that the Luiseño Indians built around the area's artesian hot springs in the early 19th...

Kenwood

Tiny Kenwood consists of little more than a few restaurants, shops, tasting rooms, and a historic train depot, now used for private events. But hidden...

Lake Arrowhead

Lake Arrowhead Village is an alpine community with lodgings, shops, outlet stores, and eateries that descend a hill to the lake. Outside the village, access...

Pescadero

As you walk down Stage Road, Pescadero's main street, it's hard to believe you're only 30 minutes from Silicon Valley. If you could block out...

Ontario

Ontario has a rich agricultural and industrial heritage. The valley's warm climate once supported vineyards that produced grape varietals such as Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Zinfandel...

Healdsburg

Sonoma County's ritziest town and the star of many a magazine spread or online feature, Healdsburg is located at the intersection of the Dry Creek...

Rancho Cucamonga

Once a thriving wine-making area with more than 50,000 acres of wine grapes, Rancho Cucamonga—the oldest wine district in California—lost most of its pastoral charm...

Outside Channel Islands National Park

With a population of nearly 110,000, Ventura is the main gateway to Channel Islands National Park. It's a classic California beach town filled with interesting...

Riverside

By 1882 Riverside was home to more than half of California's citrus groves, making it the state's wealthiest city per capita in 1895. The prosperity...

Guerneville

Guerneville's tourist demographic has evolved over the years—Bay Area families in the 1950s, lesbians and gays starting in the 1970s, and these days a mix...

Ed Z’berg Sugar Pine Point State Park

Visitors love to hike, swim, and fish here in the summer, but this park is also popular in winter, when a small campground remains open...

Buellton

A crossroads town at the intersection of U.S. 101 and Highway 246, Buellton has evolved from a sleepy gas and coffee stop into an enclave...

Barstow

Barstow was born in 1886, when a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway began construction of a Harvey House depot and hotel...

Graton

Steps from Sebastopol and near Occidental, tiny Graton has a one-block main drag one can stroll in two minutes—although it’s possible to while away a...

Lancaster

Points of interest around Lancaster include a state poppy reserve that bursts to life in the spring and Edwards Air Force Base, which many consider...

La Quinta

The desert became a Hollywood hideout in the 1920s, when La Quinta Hotel (now La Quinta Resort and Club) opened, introducing the Coachella Valley's first...

Indio

Indio is the home of the renowned date shake: an extremely thick and sweet milkshake made with dates. The city and surrounding countryside generate 95%...

Glen Ellen

Craggy Glen Ellen epitomizes the difference between the Napa and Sonoma valleys. Whereas small Napa towns like St. Helena get their charm from upscale boutiques...

Palmdale

Before proclaiming itself the aerospace capital of the world, the town of Palmdale was an agricultural community. Settlers of Swiss and German descent, moving west...

Freestone

...

Randsburg

Randsburg and nearby Red Mountain and Johannesburg make up the Rand Mining District, which first boomed with the discovery of gold in the Rand Mountains...

Forestville

To experience the Russian River AVA's climate and rusticity, follow the river's westward course to the town of Forestville, home to a highly regarded restaurant...

Ridgecrest

A military town that serves the U.S. Naval Weapons Center to its north, Ridgecrest has scores of stores, restaurants, and hotels. With about 29,000 residents...

Carneros District

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D.L. Bliss State Park

This park shares 6 miles of shoreline with adjacent Emerald Bay State Park and has two white-sand beaches. Hike the Rubicon Trail for stunning views...

Outside Lassen Volcanic National Park

Located in remote northeastern California, Lassen has few towns of any real size around it, although you will find a smattering of places to stay...

Capitola and Soquel

On the National Register of Historic places as California’s first seaside resort town, the village of Capitola has been in a holiday mood since the...

Elk

In this quiet town on the cliff above Greenwood Cove, just about every spot has a view of the rocky coastline and stunning Pacific sunsets...

Carmel Valley

Carmel Valley Road, which heads inland from Highway 1 south of Carmel, is the main thoroughfare through this valley, a secluded enclave of horse ranchers...

Ferndale

Ferndale, best known for its colorful Victorian architecture, is worth the 5-mile detour off U.S. 101. Many shops and the local museum carry a self-guided...

Moss Landing

Moss Landing is not much more than a couple of blocks of cafés and restaurants, art galleries, and studios, plus a busy fishing port, but...

Fort Ross State Historic Park

With its reconstructed Russian Orthodox chapel, stockade, and officials' quarters, Fort Ross looks much the way it did after the Russians made it their major...

Pebble Beach

In 1919 the Pacific Improvement Company acquired 18,000 acres of prime land on the Monterey Peninsula, including the entire Pebble Beach coastal region and much...

Indian Wells

For the most part a quiet and exclusive residential enclave, Indian Wells hosts major tennis tournaments throughout the year, including the BNP Paribas Open. Three...

San Juan Bautista

Much of the small town that grew up around Mission San Juan Bautista, still a working church, has been protected from development since 1933, when...

Outside Joshua Tree National Park

...

Watsonville

...

Philo

Many wineries straddle Highway 128 in Philo, where the tasting rooms are more low-key than their counterparts in Napa. The wineries here, however, produce world-class...

Anderson Valley

At the town of Albion, Highway 128 leads southeast into the Anderson Valley, Mendocino's primary wine-growing region. Most of the first 13 miles wind through...

Salt Point State Park

Enjoy dramatic views, forested acres, and a rocky, rugged shoreline along Highway 1’s 5-mile route through this park. With the hiking, picnicking, horseback riding, scuba...

Boonville

At first glance Boonville, population a little more than 1,000, looks pretty much as it has for decades, with the 19th-century Boonville Hotel anchoring the...

Newport Beach

Newport Beach has evolved from a simple seaside village to an icon of chic coastal living. Its ritzy reputation comes from megayachts bobbing in the...

Eureka

An excellent place to fuel up, buy groceries, and learn a little about the region's mining, timber, and fishing pasts, historic Eureka was named after...

Hopland

U.S. 101 briefly narrows to one lane in each direction to become this small town's main drag. For many years a center for the cultivation...

Fort Bragg

Fort Bragg is a working-class town that many feel is the most authentic place on the coast. The city maintains a local vibe since most...

Jenner

The Russian River empties into the Pacific Ocean at Jenner, a wide spot in the road where houses dot a mountainside high above the sea...

Gualala

This former lumber port on the Gualala River, a good base for exploring the southern Mendocino coast, has all the basic services plus an arts...

Desert Hot Springs

Desert Hot Springs's famous mineral waters, thought by some to have curative powers, bubble up at temperatures of 90°F to 148°F and flow into the...

Humboldt Redwoods State Park

Conservationists banded together a century ago as the Save the Redwoods League and scored a crucial victory when a memorial grove was dedicated in 1921...

Pope-Baldwin Recreation Area

To the west of downtown South Lake Tahoe, U.S. 50 and Highway 89 come together, forming an intersection nicknamed "the Y." If you head northwest...

Little River

The town of Little River is not much more than a post office and a convenience store; Albion, its neighbor to the south, is even...

Central Big Sur

The countercultural spirit of Big Sur—which instead of a conventional town is a loose string of coast-hugging properties along Highway 1—is alive and well today...

Occidental

...

Southern Big Sur

The countercultural spirit of Big Sur—a loose string of coast-hugging properties along Highway 1—is alive and well. Its few residents include the very wealthy, the...

Point Arena

Occupied by longtime locals and long-haired surfers, this former timber town on Highway 1 is part New Age, part rowdy, and always laid-back. The one...

The Central Valley

In California’s family of diverse regions, the 225-mile-long Central Valley is literally and figuratively a middle sibling. Cradled between the popular coastal communities to the...

Trinidad

A mellow base for exploring the southern portion of Redwood National and State Parks, coastal Trinidad got its name from the Spanish mariners who entered...

Bakersfield

Bakersfield's founder, Colonel Thomas Baker, arrived with the discovery of gold in the nearby Kern River valley in 1851. With 364,000 residents, including the country’s...

The Sierra Nevada

The granite peaks and ancient pines of the Eastern Sierra bedazzle heart and soul so completely that, for many visitors, the experience surpasses that at...

Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park

In 1908 army chaplain and former slave Colonel Allen Allensworth and a group of African Americans decided to move west to create a community where...

Bishop

One of the biggest towns along U.S. 395, bustling Bishop has views of the Sierra Nevada and the White and Inyo mountains. First settled by...

Hanford

Founded in 1877 as a Southern Pacific Railroad stop, Hanford had one of California's largest Chinatowns—the Chinese came to help build the railroads and stayed...

El Portal

The market in town is a good place to pick up provisions before you get to Yosemite. You'll find a post office and a gas...

Kernville

The wild Kern River, which flows through Kernville en route from Mt. Whitney to Bakersfield, delivers some of the most exciting white-water rafting in the...

Fresno

Fresno, with half a million people, is the center of the richest agricultural county in the United States. Cotton, grapes, and tomatoes are among the...

Merced

The 2005 debut of a branch of the University of California helped spur redevelopment in Merced County’s seat of government. The transformation has resulted in...

Lee Vining

Tiny Lee Vining is known primarily as the eastern gateway to Yosemite National Park (summer only) and the location of vast and desolate Mono Lake...

Modesto

Among the most striking "welcome to downtown" signs you'll see, the Modesto Arch, at 9th and I streets, bears the city's motto: "Water, Wealth, Contentment...

Mammoth Lakes

International real-estate developers joined forces with Mammoth Mountain Ski Area to transform the once sleepy town of Mammoth Lakes (elevation 7,800 feet) into an upscale...

Oakdale

Oakdale was founded as an orchard community and, in a real stretch, calls itself the Cowboy Capital of the World. Formerly the home of a...

Oakhurst

Motels, restaurants, gas stations, and small businesses line Highway 41 in Oakhurst, the last sizable community before Yosemite National Park and a good spot to...

Stockton

California's first inland port—connected since 1933 to San Francisco via a 60-mile-long deepwater channel—is wedged between Interstate 5 and Highway 99, on the eastern end...

Visalia

Visalia's combination of a reliable agricultural economy and civic pride has produced the Central Valley's most vibrant downtown, with numerous restaurants, craft breweries, and cafés...

The Far North

The Far North's soaring mountain peaks, trail-filled national forests, alpine lakes, and wild rivers teeming with trout make it the perfect destination for outdoor enthusiasts...

Outside Yosemite National Park

Marking the southern end of the Sierra's gold-bearing mother lode, Mariposa is the last big town before you enter Yosemite on Route 140 to the...

Avalon

Avalon, Catalina’s only real town, extends from the shore of its natural harbor to the surrounding hillsides. Its resident population is about 3,800, but it...

San Francisco

With its myriad hills and spectacular bay, San Francisco beguiles with natural beauty, vibrant neighborhoods, and contagious energy. From the hipster Mission District to the...

Los Angeles

One of the glitziest places on the planet, the City of Angels combines the people-watching of Rodeo Drive, the nonstop nightlife of the Sunset Strip...

San Diego

San Diego is a vacationer's paradise, with year-round temperatures in the seventies and near-constant sunshine. One of America's most family-friendly cities, San Diego is home...

Napa

After many years as a blue-collar burg detached from the Wine Country scene, the Napa Valley's largest town (population about 80,000) has evolved into its...

St. Helena

Downtown St. Helena is the very picture of good living in the Wine Country: sycamore trees arch over Main Street (Highway 29), where visitors flit...

Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara has long been an oasis for Los Angelenos seeking respite from big-city life. The attractions begin at the ocean and end in the...

Sonoma

One of the few towns in the valley with multiple attractions unrelated to food and wine, Sonoma has plenty to keep you busy for a...

Calistoga

The false-fronted shops, 19th-century buildings, and unpretentious tasting rooms lining the main drag of Lincoln Avenue give Calistoga a slightly rough-and-tumble feel that's unique in...

Oakland

In contrast to San Francisco's buzz and beauty and Berkeley's storied counterculture, Oakland's allure lies in its amazing diversity. Here you can find a Nigerian...

Berkeley

Berkeley is the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement, the radical hub of the 1960s, the home of arguably the nation's top public university, and...

Sebastopol

A stroll through downtown Sebastopol—a town formerly known more for Gravenstein apples than for grapes but these days a burgeoning wine hub—reveals glimpses of the...

Half Moon Bay

It may be the largest and most visited of the coastal communities, but Half Moon Bay is still by all measures a small town. Turn...

South Lake Tahoe

The city of South Lake Tahoe's raison d'être is tourism: the casinos of adjacent Stateline, Nevada; the ski slopes at Heavenly Mountain; the beaches, docks...

Paso Robles

In the 1860s, tourists began flocking to this ranching outpost to "take the cure" in a bathhouse fed by underground mineral hot springs. An Old...

Mill Valley

Chic and woodsy Mill Valley has a dual personality. Here, as elsewhere in the county, the foundation is a superb natural setting. Virtually surrounded by...

Sausalito

Bougainvillea-covered hillsides and an expansive yacht harbor give Sausalito the feel of an Adriatic resort. The town sits on the northwestern edge of San Francisco...

Truckee

Formerly a decrepit railroad town in the mountains, Truckee is now the trendy first stop for many Tahoe visitors. The town was officially established around...

Laguna Beach

Driving in along Laguna Canyon Road from the Interstate 405 freeway gives you the chance to cruise through a gorgeous coastal canyon, large stretches of...

San Luis Obispo

About halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo spreads out below gentle hills and rocky extinct volcanoes. Its main appeal lies in...

Ventura

Ventura Harbor is home to myriad fishing boats, restaurants, and water-activity centers where you can rent boats and take harbor cruises. The city is also...

Geyserville

Several high-profile Alexander Valley AVA wineries, including the splashy Francis Ford Coppola Winery, can be found in the town of Geyserville, a small part of...

Rancho Mirage

The rich and famous of Rancho Mirage live in beautiful estates and patronize elegant resorts and expensive restaurants. Although many mansions here are concealed behind...

Big Bear Lake

When Angelenos say they're going to the mountains, they usually mean Big Bear, where alpine-style villages surround the 7-mile-long lake. The south shore has ski...

Morro Bay

Commercial fishermen slog around Morro Bay in galoshes, and beat-up fishing boats bob in the bay's protected waters. Nature-oriented activities take center stage here: kayaking...

Mendocino

Cambria

Cambria, set on piney hills above the sea, was settled by Welsh miners in the 1890s. In the 1970s the isolated setting attracted artists and...

Ojai

The Ojai Valley, which director Frank Capra used as a backdrop for his 1936 film Lost Horizon, sizzles in the summer when temperatures routinely reach...

Carnelian Bay to Kings Beach

The small lakeside commercial districts of Carnelian Bay and Tahoe Vista service the thousand or so locals who live in the area year-round and the...

Tahoe City

Tahoe City is the only lakeside town with a charming downtown area good for strolling and window-shopping. Stores and restaurants are all within walking distance...

Pismo Beach

About 20 miles of sandy shoreline—nicknamed the Bakersfield Riviera for the throngs of vacationers who come here from the Central Valley—begins at the town of...

Borrego Springs

The permanent population of Borrego Springs, set squarely in the middle of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, hovers around 2,500. From September through June, when temperatures...

Avila Beach

Because the village of Avila Beach and the sandy, cove-front shoreline for which it's named face south into the Pacific Ocean, they get more sun...

Olympic Valley

Olympic Valley got its moniker in 1960, when its ski resort, Palisades Tahoe, hosted the Winter Olympics. Snow sports remain the primary activity, but once...

Santa Ynez

Founded in 1882, the tiny town of Santa Ynez still has many of its original frontier buildings. You can walk through its three-block downtown in...

Solvang

You'll know you've reached the town of Solvang when the architecture suddenly changes to half-timber buildings and windmills. Danish educators settled the town in 1911—the...

Los Olivos

This pretty village was once on Spanish-built El Camino Real (Royal Road) and later a stop on major stagecoach and rail routes. Tasting rooms, art...

San Simeon

Whalers founded San Simeon in the 1850s, but had virtually abandoned it by 1865, when Senator George Hearst began purchasing most of the surrounding ranch...

Stinson Beach

This laid-back hamlet is all about the beach, and folks come from all over the Bay Area to walk its sandy, often windswept shore. An...

Knott's Berry Farm

Once an actual farm, Knott's Berry Farm now offers a non-Disney theme park option for anyone with a love of roller coasters and boysenberries...

Twentynine Palms

...

Jackson

Jackson wasn't the Gold Country's rowdiest town, but the party lasted longer here than most anywhere else: "girls' dormitories" (aka brothels) and nickel slot machines...

Salton Sea

The Salton Sea, one of the largest inland seas on Earth, is the product of both natural and artificial forces. The sea occupies the Salton...

Tahoma

With its rustic waterfront vacation cottages, Tahoma exemplifies life on the lake in its quiet early days before bright-lights casinos and huge crowds proliferated. In...

Lompoc

Known as the flower-seed capital of the world, Lompoc is blanketed with vast fields of brightly colored flowers that bloom from May through August. Also...

Hopland

U.S. 101 briefly narrows to one lane in each direction to become this small town's main drag. For many years a center for the cultivation...

Fish Camp

As you climb in elevation along Highway 41 northbound, you see nothing but trees until you get to Fish Camp, where there's a post office...

Carmel Valley

Carmel Valley Road, which heads inland from Highway 1 south of Carmel, is the main thoroughfare through this valley, a secluded enclave of horse ranchers...

Watsonville

...

Palm Desert

Palm Desert is a thriving retail and business community with popular restaurants, private and public golf courses, and premium shopping along its main commercial drag...

Palmdale

Before proclaiming itself the aerospace capital of the world, the town of Palmdale was an agricultural community. Settlers of Swiss and German descent, moving west...

Angels Camp

Angels Camp is famous chiefly for its May jumping-frog contest, based on Mark Twain's short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." The writer...

Mt. Shasta

While a snow-covered dormant volcano is the area’s dazzling draw, the town of Mt. Shasta charms visitors with its small shops, friendly residents, and beautiful...

Indio

Indio is the home of the renowned date shake: an extremely thick and sweet milkshake made with dates. The city and surrounding countryside generate 95%...

Amador City

The history of tiny Amador City (population less than 200) mirrors the boom-bust-boom cycle of many Gold Country towns. With an output of $42 million...

Joshua Tree

...

Yountville

Yountville (population about 3,000) is something like Disneyland for food lovers. It all started with Thomas Keller's The French Laundry, one of the best restaurants...

Palm Springs

A tourist destination since the late 19th century, Palm Springs evolved into an ideal hideaway for early Hollywood celebrities who slipped into town to play...

Three Rivers

Three Rivers is a good spot to find a room when park lodgings are full. Either because residents here appreciate their idyllic setting or because...

Auburn

Halfway between San Francisco and Reno, Auburn is convenient to gold-rush sites, outdoor recreation opportunities, and wineries. The self-proclaimed "endurance capital of the world" is...

Chico

Its name is Spanish for "small," but with a 40% increase in population between censuses, Chico outpaced Redding as the Far North's largest city. Chico...

Coloma

The California gold rush started in Coloma when James W. Marshall discovered flecks of metal in the bottom of a ditch. “Boys, I believe I’ve...

Shingletown

A few shops and services (including gas) line the highway in this gateway to Lassen Volcanic National Park's northwest entrance. The former logging town's name...

Columbia

Columbia is the gateway for Columbia State Historic Park, one of the Gold Country's most visited sites. It's a great place for families to participate...

Cerro Gordo Ghost Town

...

Davis

Davis began as a rich agricultural area and remains one, but it doesn't feel like a cow town. It's home to the University of California...

Victorville

At the southwest corner of the Mojave is sprawling Victorville, a town with a rich Route 66 heritage and a museum dedicated to the Mother...

Grass Valley

More than half of California's total gold production was extracted from mines around Grass Valley, including the Empire Mine, among the Gold Country's most fascinating...

Pebble Beach

In 1919 the Pacific Improvement Company acquired 18,000 acres of prime land on the Monterey Peninsula, including the entire Pebble Beach coastal region and much...

Ione

Ione (pronounced “I own”) dates from the gold-rush era, when it served as a supply center for mines and miners. The biggest attraction these days...

Desert Hot Springs

Desert Hot Springs's famous mineral waters, thought by some to have curative powers, bubble up at temperatures of 90°F to 148°F and flow into the...

Indian Wells

For the most part a quiet and exclusive residential enclave, Indian Wells hosts major tennis tournaments throughout the year, including the BNP Paribas Open. Three...

Bass Lake

Almost surrounded by the Sierra National Forest, Bass Lake is a reservoir whose waters can reach 80ºF in summer. Created by a dam on a...

Jamestown

Jamestown supplies a touristy view of life during the two gold rushes in these parts. The first took place in the 1850s, the second in...

Lone Pine

Mt. Whitney towers majestically over this tiny community, which supplied nearby gold- and silver-mining outposts in the 1860s, and for the past century the town...

Lodi

With about 100,000 acres of mostly rich alluvial soils planted to more than six-dozen grape varietals—more types than in any other California viticultural area—Lodi is...

Alturas

Alturas is the county seat and largest town in Modoc County. The Dorris family arrived in the area in 1874, built Dorris Bridge over the...

Corona

Corona's Temescal Canyon is named for the dome-shaped mud saunas that the Luiseño Indians built around the area's artesian hot springs in the early 19th...

Mill Creek

Named for a waterway that begins on Lassen Peak, Mill Creek is about a 10-minute drive from Lassen's southwest entrance...

Ontario

Ontario has a rich agricultural and industrial heritage. The valley's warm climate once supported vineyards that produced grape varietals such as Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Zinfandel...

Redding

A handy gateway to Lassen Volcanic National Park, Redding, population about 95,000, sits along the busy I–5 corridor, with attractions that include the photogenic Sundial...

Riverside

By 1882 Riverside was home to more than half of California's citrus groves, making it the state's wealthiest city per capita in 1895. The prosperity...

Murphys

A well-preserved hamlet of white-picket fences and Victorian houses, compact Murphys has an upscale yet unpretentious vibe. Shops and restaurants line several blocks of Main...

La Quinta

The desert became a Hollywood hideout in the 1920s, when La Quinta Hotel (now La Quinta Resort and Club) opened, introducing the Coachella Valley's first...

Lake Arrowhead

Lake Arrowhead Village is an alpine community with lodgings, shops, outlet stores, and eateries that descend a hill to the lake. Outside the village, access...

Nevada City

Nevada City, once known as the Queen City of the Northern Mines, is the most appealing of the northern Mother Lode towns. The iron-shutter brick...

Rancho Cucamonga

Once a thriving wine-making area with more than 50,000 acres of wine grapes, Rancho Cucamonga—the oldest wine district in California—lost most of its pastoral charm...

Placerville

It's hard to imagine now, but in 1849 about 4,000 miners staked out every gully and hillside in Placerville, turning the town into a rip-roaring...

Baker

...

Sacramento

All around the Golden State's seat of government you'll experience echoes of the gold-rush days, most notably in Old Sacramento, whose wooden sidewalks and horse-drawn...

Manzanar National Historic Site

...

Shenandoah Valley

The most concentrated Gold Country wine-touring area lies in the hills of the Shenandoah Valley, east of Plymouth—you could easily spend two or three days...

Randsburg

Randsburg and nearby Red Mountain and Johannesburg make up the Rand Mining District, which first boomed with the discovery of gold in the Rand Mountains...

Sonora

One of several southern Gold Country gateways to Yosemite National Park, Sonora was the biggest town in the Mother Lode. Reminders of the gold rush...

Capitola and Soquel

On the National Register of Historic places as California’s first seaside resort town, the village of Capitola has been in a holiday mood since the...

Sutter Creek

Sutter Creek is a charming conglomeration of balconied buildings, Victorian homes, and neo–New England structures. At any time of year Main Street (formerly part of...

Moss Landing

Moss Landing is not much more than a couple of blocks of cafés and restaurants, art galleries, and studios, plus a busy fishing port, but...

Volcano

Many roads, all of them winding, all of them scenic, lead to Volcano, an off-the-beaten-path former mining town of about 120 people, the entirety of...

San Juan Bautista

Much of the small town that grew up around Mission San Juan Bautista, still a working church, has been protected from development since 1933, when...

Winters

Almonds, walnuts, and fruit are the main crops grown in this rural Yolo County town (population 7,600), whose several-block historic district's wine-tasting opportunities and restaurant...

Arcata

Begun in 1850 as a base camp for miners and loggers, Arcata is an arts-oriented college town that's close to the southernmost Thomas H. Kuchel...

Woodland

In its heyday, Woodland was among California's wealthiest cities. Established by gold seekers and entrepreneurs, it later became an agricultural gold mine. The legacy of...

Fort Ross State Historic Park

With its reconstructed Russian Orthodox chapel, stockade, and officials' quarters, Fort Ross looks much the way it did after the Russians made it their major...

Windsor

...

San Juan Capistrano

San Juan Capistrano is best known for its historic mission, where the swallows traditionally return each year, migrating from their winter haven in Argentina, but...

Miramar

In the past, Miramar was generally associated with the annual Miramar Air Show, the largest military air show in the country. Today, Miramar is better...

Bodie State Historic Park

Bodie State Historic Park's scenery is spectacular, with craggy, snowcapped peaks looming over vast prairies. The town of Bridgeport is the gateway to the park...

Santa Rosa

Urban Santa Rosa isn't as popular with tourists as many Wine Country destinations—which isn't surprising, seeing as there are more office parks than wineries within...

Independence

Named for a military outpost that was established near here in 1862, sleepy Independence has some wonderful historic buildings and is worth a stop for...

Rutherford

The spot where Highway 29 meets Rutherford Road in the tiny community of Rutherford may well be the most significant wine-related intersection in the United...

Mariposa

Mariposa marks the southern end of the Mother Lode. Much of the land in this area was part of a 44,000-acre land grant Colonel John...

Bolinas

The tiny town of Bolinas wears its 1960s idealism on its sleeve, attracting potters, poets, and peace lovers to its quiet streets. With a funky...

Huntington Beach

Once a sleepy residential town with little more than a string of rugged surf shops, Huntington Beach has transformed itself into a resort destination,commonly referred...

Menlo Park

Not to be confused with lightbulb inventor Thomas Edison’s New Jersey hometown, this bedroom community centers on a small downtown strip of restaurants and shops...

Chester

A gateway to Lassen Volcanic National Park on Lake Almanor's north shore, Chester, population 2,200, supports locals and tourists with modest restaurants, hotels, and shops...

Petaluma

The first thing you should know about Petaluma is that this is a farm town—with 62,500 residents, a large one—and the residents are proud of...

Dunsmuir

Surrounded by towering forests and boasting world-class upper Sacramento River fly-fishing, Dunsmuir acquired its current moniker when a Scottish coal baron built a fountain in...

Muir Beach

Except on the sunniest of weekends, Muir Beach is relatively quiet, but the drive to this community and beach is a scenic adventure...

Mineral

Fewer than 200 people live in Mineral, which serves as Lassen Volcanic National Park's official address...

Occidental

A village surrounded by redwood forests, orchards, and vineyards, Occidental is a former logging hub with a bohemian vibe. The small downtown, which contains several...

Quincy

A center for mining and logging in the 1850s, Quincy is nestled against the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. The county seat and largest...

Palo Alto

Despite being a midsized residential community, Palo Alto enjoys an outsized reputation as one of the premier cities to live and work in—with eye-popping real...

Shasta Lake

The city of Shasta Lake, population about 10,000, is a portal to water, wilderness, and dazzling stalagmites, with the monolithic Shasta Dam in the midst...

Point Reyes National Seashore

With sandy beaches stretching for miles, a dramatic rocky coastline, a gem of a lighthouse (Point Reyes Lighthouse: closed at this writing, but check online)...

Weaverville

Chinese miners erected the 1874 Joss House that anchors Weaverville's downtown historic district. The town, population about 3,200, is a popular headquarters for family vacations...

San Jose

California’s third-largest city, San Jose is often thought of as a smaller Los Angeles because of its relentless sprawl and valley setting surrounded by mountains...

Claremont

The seven Claremont Colleges are among the most prestigious in the nation, lending the town an ambitious and creative energy. The campuses are all laid...

Oakville

Barely a blip on the landscape as you drive north on Highway 29, Oakville is marked mainly by its grocery store, but the town's small...

Idyllwild

Set in a valley halfway up Mt. San Jacinto, Idyllwild has been a serene forested getaway for San Diegans and Angelenos for nearly a century...

Stanford

Few names are as recognizable in higher education as Stanford University—or technically Leland Stanford Jr. University, named for the deceased son of its founder, a...

Oak Glen

More than 60 varieties of apples are grown in Oak Glen. This rustic village in the foothills above Yucaipa is home to acres of farms...

Long Beach and San Pedro

...

Pomona

The green hills of Pomona, dotted with horses and houses, are perhaps best known as the site of the Los Angeles County Fair and of...

Tiburon

On a peninsula that was named Punta de Tiburón (Shark Point) by 18th-century Spanish explorers, this beautiful Marin County community retains the feel of a...

Redlands

Redlands lies at the center of what once was the largest navel orange–producing region in the world. Orange groves are still plentiful throughout the area...

Kenwood

Tiny Kenwood consists of little more than a few restaurants, shops, tasting rooms, and a historic train depot, now used for private events. But hidden...

Temecula

Temecula, with its rolling green vineyards, country inns, and first-rate restaurants, bills itself as "Southern California Wine Country." The region is home to about four...

Pescadero

As you walk down Stage Road, Pescadero's main street, it's hard to believe you're only 30 minutes from Silicon Valley. If you could block out...

Barstow

Barstow was born in 1886, when a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway began construction of a Harvey House depot and hotel...

Corona del Mar

A small jewel on the Pacific Coast, Corona del Mar (known by locals as "CDM") has exceptional beaches that some say resemble their majestic Northern...

Lancaster

Points of interest around Lancaster include a state poppy reserve that bursts to life in the spring and Edwards Air Force Base, which many consider...

Buellton

A crossroads town at the intersection of U.S. 101 and Highway 246, Buellton has evolved from a sleepy gas and coffee stop into an enclave...

Needles

Along Route 66 and the Colorado River, Needles is a decent base for exploring Mojave National Preserve and other desert attractions. Founded in 1883, the...

Healdsburg

Sonoma County's ritziest town and the star of many a magazine spread or online feature, Healdsburg is located at the intersection of the Dry Creek...

Primm, NV

...

Avalon

Avalon, Catalina’s only real town, extends from the shore of its natural harbor to the surrounding hillsides. Its resident population is about 3,800, but it...

Ridgecrest

A military town that serves the U.S. Naval Weapons Center to its north, Ridgecrest has scores of stores, restaurants, and hotels. With about 29,000 residents...

Guerneville

Guerneville's tourist demographic has evolved over the years—Bay Area families in the 1950s, lesbians and gays starting in the 1970s, and these days a mix...

Aptos

Backed by a redwood forest and facing the sea, downtown Aptos—known as Aptos Village—is a place of wooden walkways and false-fronted shops. Antiques dealers cluster...

Graton

Steps from Sebastopol and near Occidental, tiny Graton has a one-block main drag one can stroll in two minutes—although it’s possible to while away a...

Carmel-by-the-Sea

Even when its population quadruples with tourists on weekends and in summer, Carmel-by-the-Sea, commonly referred to as Carmel, retains its identity as a quaint village...

Glen Ellen

Craggy Glen Ellen epitomizes the difference between the Napa and Sonoma valleys. Whereas small Napa towns like St. Helena get their charm from upscale boutiques...

Monterey

Monterey is a scenic city filled with early California history: adobe buildings from the 1700s, Colton Hall, where California’s first constitution was drafted in 1849...

Ed Z’berg Sugar Pine Point State Park

Visitors love to hike, swim, and fish here in the summer, but this park is also popular in winter, when a small campground remains open...

Pacific Grove

This picturesque town, which began as a summer retreat for church groups more than a century ago, recalls its prim and proper Victorian heritage in...

Freestone

...

Salinas Valley

Salinas, a hardworking city surrounded by vineyards and fruit and vegetable fields, honors the memory and literary legacy of John Steinbeck, its most famous native...

Boonville

At first glance Boonville, population a little more than 1,000, looks pretty much as it has for decades, with the 19th-century Boonville Hotel anchoring the...

Santa Cruz

The big city on this stretch of the California coast, Santa Cruz (pop. 63,364) is less manicured than Carmel or Monterey. Long known for its...

Elk

In this quiet town on the cliff above Greenwood Cove, just about every spot has a view of the rocky coastline and stunning Pacific sunsets...

Anderson Valley

At the town of Albion, Highway 128 leads southeast into the Anderson Valley, Mendocino's primary wine-growing region. Most of the first 13 miles wind through...

Ferndale

Ferndale, best known for its colorful Victorian architecture, is worth the 5-mile detour off U.S. 101. Many shops and the local museum carry a self-guided...

Bodega Bay

Pockets of modernity notwithstanding, this commercial fishing town retains the workaday vibe of its cinematic turn in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963). Little from the...

Cathedral City

Cathedral City is more residential than tourist-oriented, with large and small malls everywhere, but the city has several good restaurants and entertainment venues with moderate...

Crescent City

The headquarters of RNSP and its northern gateway, this small oceanfront city offers close access to Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park's tall trees, Del Norte...

Forestville

To experience the Russian River AVA's climate and rusticity, follow the river's westward course to the town of Forestville, home to a highly regarded restaurant...

Eureka

An excellent place to fuel up, buy groceries, and learn a little about the region's mining, timber, and fishing pasts, historic Eureka was named after...

Klamath

Surrounded by parkland and 13 miles north of RNSP's Prairie Creek Visitor Center, Klamath is a hub of the indigenous Yurok people, who make up...

Fort Bragg

Fort Bragg is a working-class town that many feel is the most authentic place on the coast. The city maintains a local vibe since most...

Philo

Many wineries straddle Highway 128 in Philo, where the tasting rooms are more low-key than their counterparts in Napa. The wineries here, however, produce world-class...

Gualala

This former lumber port on the Gualala River, a good base for exploring the southern Mendocino coast, has all the basic services plus an arts...

Trinidad

A mellow base for exploring the southern portion of Redwood National and State Parks, coastal Trinidad got its name from the Spanish mariners who entered...

Jenner

The Russian River empties into the Pacific Ocean at Jenner, a wide spot in the road where houses dot a mountainside high above the sea...

Newport Beach

Newport Beach has evolved from a simple seaside village to an icon of chic coastal living. Its ritzy reputation comes from megayachts bobbing in the...

Little River

The town of Little River is not much more than a post office and a convenience store; Albion, its neighbor to the south, is even...

Malibu

This ecologically fragile 23-mile stretch of coastline is a world of its own, with its slopes slipping dramatically into the ocean, while Hollywood stars and...

Occidental

...

Central Big Sur

The countercultural spirit of Big Sur—which instead of a conventional town is a loose string of coast-hugging properties along Highway 1—is alive and well today...

Point Arena

Occupied by longtime locals and long-haired surfers, this former timber town on Highway 1 is part New Age, part rowdy, and always laid-back. The one...

Bakersfield

Bakersfield's founder, Colonel Thomas Baker, arrived with the discovery of gold in the nearby Kern River valley in 1851. With 364,000 residents, including the country’s...

Ukiah

About 16,000 people live in Ukiah, the Mendocino County seat and largest town. Logging and beer hops were two prominent industries starting in the late-19th...

Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park

In 1908 army chaplain and former slave Colonel Allen Allensworth and a group of African Americans decided to move west to create a community where...

Bishop

One of the biggest towns along U.S. 395, bustling Bishop has views of the Sierra Nevada and the White and Inyo mountains. First settled by...

Hanford

Founded in 1877 as a Southern Pacific Railroad stop, Hanford had one of California's largest Chinatowns—the Chinese came to help build the railroads and stayed...

El Portal

The market in town is a good place to pick up provisions before you get to Yosemite. You'll find a post office and a gas...

Kernville

The wild Kern River, which flows through Kernville en route from Mt. Whitney to Bakersfield, delivers some of the most exciting white-water rafting in the...

Fresno

Fresno, with half a million people, is the center of the richest agricultural county in the United States. Cotton, grapes, and tomatoes are among the...

Merced

The 2005 debut of a branch of the University of California helped spur redevelopment in Merced County’s seat of government. The transformation has resulted in...

Lee Vining

Tiny Lee Vining is known primarily as the eastern gateway to Yosemite National Park (summer only) and the location of vast and desolate Mono Lake...

Modesto

Among the most striking "welcome to downtown" signs you'll see, the Modesto Arch, at 9th and I streets, bears the city's motto: "Water, Wealth, Contentment...

Mammoth Lakes

International real-estate developers joined forces with Mammoth Mountain Ski Area to transform the once sleepy town of Mammoth Lakes (elevation 7,800 feet) into an upscale...

Oakdale

Oakdale was founded as an orchard community and, in a real stretch, calls itself the Cowboy Capital of the World. Formerly the home of a...

Oakhurst

Motels, restaurants, gas stations, and small businesses line Highway 41 in Oakhurst, the last sizable community before Yosemite National Park and a good spot to...

Stockton

California's first inland port—connected since 1933 to San Francisco via a 60-mile-long deepwater channel—is wedged between Interstate 5 and Highway 99, on the eastern end...

Visalia

Visalia's combination of a reliable agricultural economy and civic pride has produced the Central Valley's most vibrant downtown, with numerous restaurants, craft breweries, and cafés...

Dana Point

Dana Point’s claim to fame is its small-boat marina tucked into a dramatic natural harbor and surrounded by high bluffs. The early-March Dana Point Festival...

San Francisco

With its myriad hills and spectacular bay, San Francisco beguiles with natural beauty, vibrant neighborhoods, and contagious energy. From the hipster Mission District to the...

Los Angeles

One of the glitziest places on the planet, the City of Angels combines the people-watching of Rodeo Drive, the nonstop nightlife of the Sunset Strip...

San Diego

San Diego is a vacationer's paradise, with year-round temperatures in the seventies and near-constant sunshine. One of America's most family-friendly cities, San Diego is home...

Napa

After many years as a blue-collar burg detached from the Wine Country scene, the Napa Valley's largest town (population about 80,000) has evolved into its...

St. Helena

Downtown St. Helena is the very picture of good living in the Wine Country: sycamore trees arch over Main Street (Highway 29), where visitors flit...

Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara has long been an oasis for Los Angelenos seeking respite from big-city life. The attractions begin at the ocean and end in the...

Sonoma

One of the few towns in the valley with multiple attractions unrelated to food and wine, Sonoma has plenty to keep you busy for a...

Calistoga

The false-fronted shops, 19th-century buildings, and unpretentious tasting rooms lining the main drag of Lincoln Avenue give Calistoga a slightly rough-and-tumble feel that's unique in...

Oakland

In contrast to San Francisco's buzz and beauty and Berkeley's storied counterculture, Oakland's allure lies in its amazing diversity. Here you can find a Nigerian...

Berkeley

Berkeley is the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement, the radical hub of the 1960s, the home of arguably the nation's top public university, and...

Sebastopol

A stroll through downtown Sebastopol—a town formerly known more for Gravenstein apples than for grapes but these days a burgeoning wine hub—reveals glimpses of the...

Half Moon Bay

It may be the largest and most visited of the coastal communities, but Half Moon Bay is still by all measures a small town. Turn...

South Lake Tahoe

The city of South Lake Tahoe's raison d'être is tourism: the casinos of adjacent Stateline, Nevada; the ski slopes at Heavenly Mountain; the beaches, docks...

Paso Robles

In the 1860s, tourists began flocking to this ranching outpost to "take the cure" in a bathhouse fed by underground mineral hot springs. An Old...

Mill Valley

Chic and woodsy Mill Valley has a dual personality. Here, as elsewhere in the county, the foundation is a superb natural setting. Virtually surrounded by...

Sausalito

Bougainvillea-covered hillsides and an expansive yacht harbor give Sausalito the feel of an Adriatic resort. The town sits on the northwestern edge of San Francisco...

Truckee

Formerly a decrepit railroad town in the mountains, Truckee is now the trendy first stop for many Tahoe visitors. The town was officially established around...

Laguna Beach

Driving in along Laguna Canyon Road from the Interstate 405 freeway gives you the chance to cruise through a gorgeous coastal canyon, large stretches of...

San Luis Obispo

About halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo spreads out below gentle hills and rocky extinct volcanoes. Its main appeal lies in...

Ventura

Ventura Harbor is home to myriad fishing boats, restaurants, and water-activity centers where you can rent boats and take harbor cruises. The city is also...

Geyserville

Several high-profile Alexander Valley AVA wineries, including the splashy Francis Ford Coppola Winery, can be found in the town of Geyserville, a small part of...

Rancho Mirage

The rich and famous of Rancho Mirage live in beautiful estates and patronize elegant resorts and expensive restaurants. Although many mansions here are concealed behind...

Big Bear Lake

When Angelenos say they're going to the mountains, they usually mean Big Bear, where alpine-style villages surround the 7-mile-long lake. The south shore has ski...

Morro Bay

Commercial fishermen slog around Morro Bay in galoshes, and beat-up fishing boats bob in the bay's protected waters. Nature-oriented activities take center stage here: kayaking...

Mendocino

Cambria

Cambria, set on piney hills above the sea, was settled by Welsh miners in the 1890s. In the 1970s the isolated setting attracted artists and...

Ojai

The Ojai Valley, which director Frank Capra used as a backdrop for his 1936 film Lost Horizon, sizzles in the summer when temperatures routinely reach...

Carnelian Bay to Kings Beach

The small lakeside commercial districts of Carnelian Bay and Tahoe Vista service the thousand or so locals who live in the area year-round and the...

Tahoe City

Tahoe City is the only lakeside town with a charming downtown area good for strolling and window-shopping. Stores and restaurants are all within walking distance...

Pismo Beach

About 20 miles of sandy shoreline—nicknamed the Bakersfield Riviera for the throngs of vacationers who come here from the Central Valley—begins at the town of...

Borrego Springs

The permanent population of Borrego Springs, set squarely in the middle of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, hovers around 2,500. From September through June, when temperatures...

Avila Beach

Because the village of Avila Beach and the sandy, cove-front shoreline for which it's named face south into the Pacific Ocean, they get more sun...

Olympic Valley

Olympic Valley got its moniker in 1960, when its ski resort, Palisades Tahoe, hosted the Winter Olympics. Snow sports remain the primary activity, but once...

Santa Ynez

Founded in 1882, the tiny town of Santa Ynez still has many of its original frontier buildings. You can walk through its three-block downtown in...

Solvang

You'll know you've reached the town of Solvang when the architecture suddenly changes to half-timber buildings and windmills. Danish educators settled the town in 1911—the...

Los Olivos

This pretty village was once on Spanish-built El Camino Real (Royal Road) and later a stop on major stagecoach and rail routes. Tasting rooms, art...

San Simeon

Whalers founded San Simeon in the 1850s, but had virtually abandoned it by 1865, when Senator George Hearst began purchasing most of the surrounding ranch...

Stinson Beach

This laid-back hamlet is all about the beach, and folks come from all over the Bay Area to walk its sandy, often windswept shore. An...

Knott's Berry Farm

Once an actual farm, Knott's Berry Farm now offers a non-Disney theme park option for anyone with a love of roller coasters and boysenberries...

Twentynine Palms

...

Jackson

Jackson wasn't the Gold Country's rowdiest town, but the party lasted longer here than most anywhere else: "girls' dormitories" (aka brothels) and nickel slot machines...

Salton Sea

The Salton Sea, one of the largest inland seas on Earth, is the product of both natural and artificial forces. The sea occupies the Salton...

Tahoma

With its rustic waterfront vacation cottages, Tahoma exemplifies life on the lake in its quiet early days before bright-lights casinos and huge crowds proliferated. In...

Lompoc

Known as the flower-seed capital of the world, Lompoc is blanketed with vast fields of brightly colored flowers that bloom from May through August. Also...

Hopland

U.S. 101 briefly narrows to one lane in each direction to become this small town's main drag. For many years a center for the cultivation...

Fish Camp

As you climb in elevation along Highway 41 northbound, you see nothing but trees until you get to Fish Camp, where there's a post office...

Carmel Valley

Carmel Valley Road, which heads inland from Highway 1 south of Carmel, is the main thoroughfare through this valley, a secluded enclave of horse ranchers...

Watsonville

...

Palm Desert

Palm Desert is a thriving retail and business community with popular restaurants, private and public golf courses, and premium shopping along its main commercial drag...

Palmdale

Before proclaiming itself the aerospace capital of the world, the town of Palmdale was an agricultural community. Settlers of Swiss and German descent, moving west...

Angels Camp

Angels Camp is famous chiefly for its May jumping-frog contest, based on Mark Twain's short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." The writer...

Mt. Shasta

While a snow-covered dormant volcano is the area’s dazzling draw, the town of Mt. Shasta charms visitors with its small shops, friendly residents, and beautiful...

Indio

Indio is the home of the renowned date shake: an extremely thick and sweet milkshake made with dates. The city and surrounding countryside generate 95%...

Amador City

The history of tiny Amador City (population less than 200) mirrors the boom-bust-boom cycle of many Gold Country towns. With an output of $42 million...

Joshua Tree

...

Yountville

Yountville (population about 3,000) is something like Disneyland for food lovers. It all started with Thomas Keller's The French Laundry, one of the best restaurants...

Palm Springs

A tourist destination since the late 19th century, Palm Springs evolved into an ideal hideaway for early Hollywood celebrities who slipped into town to play...

Three Rivers

Three Rivers is a good spot to find a room when park lodgings are full. Either because residents here appreciate their idyllic setting or because...

Auburn

Halfway between San Francisco and Reno, Auburn is convenient to gold-rush sites, outdoor recreation opportunities, and wineries. The self-proclaimed "endurance capital of the world" is...

Chico

Its name is Spanish for "small," but with a 40% increase in population between censuses, Chico outpaced Redding as the Far North's largest city. Chico...

Coloma

The California gold rush started in Coloma when James W. Marshall discovered flecks of metal in the bottom of a ditch. “Boys, I believe I’ve...

Shingletown

A few shops and services (including gas) line the highway in this gateway to Lassen Volcanic National Park's northwest entrance. The former logging town's name...

Columbia

Columbia is the gateway for Columbia State Historic Park, one of the Gold Country's most visited sites. It's a great place for families to participate...

Cerro Gordo Ghost Town

...

Davis

Davis began as a rich agricultural area and remains one, but it doesn't feel like a cow town. It's home to the University of California...

Victorville

At the southwest corner of the Mojave is sprawling Victorville, a town with a rich Route 66 heritage and a museum dedicated to the Mother...

Grass Valley

More than half of California's total gold production was extracted from mines around Grass Valley, including the Empire Mine, among the Gold Country's most fascinating...

Pebble Beach

In 1919 the Pacific Improvement Company acquired 18,000 acres of prime land on the Monterey Peninsula, including the entire Pebble Beach coastal region and much...

Ione

Ione (pronounced “I own”) dates from the gold-rush era, when it served as a supply center for mines and miners. The biggest attraction these days...

Desert Hot Springs

Desert Hot Springs's famous mineral waters, thought by some to have curative powers, bubble up at temperatures of 90°F to 148°F and flow into the...

Indian Wells

For the most part a quiet and exclusive residential enclave, Indian Wells hosts major tennis tournaments throughout the year, including the BNP Paribas Open. Three...

Bass Lake

Almost surrounded by the Sierra National Forest, Bass Lake is a reservoir whose waters can reach 80ºF in summer. Created by a dam on a...

Jamestown

Jamestown supplies a touristy view of life during the two gold rushes in these parts. The first took place in the 1850s, the second in...

Lone Pine

Mt. Whitney towers majestically over this tiny community, which supplied nearby gold- and silver-mining outposts in the 1860s, and for the past century the town...

Lodi

With about 100,000 acres of mostly rich alluvial soils planted to more than six-dozen grape varietals—more types than in any other California viticultural area—Lodi is...

Alturas

Alturas is the county seat and largest town in Modoc County. The Dorris family arrived in the area in 1874, built Dorris Bridge over the...

Corona

Corona's Temescal Canyon is named for the dome-shaped mud saunas that the Luiseño Indians built around the area's artesian hot springs in the early 19th...

Mill Creek

Named for a waterway that begins on Lassen Peak, Mill Creek is about a 10-minute drive from Lassen's southwest entrance...

Ontario

Ontario has a rich agricultural and industrial heritage. The valley's warm climate once supported vineyards that produced grape varietals such as Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Zinfandel...

Redding

A handy gateway to Lassen Volcanic National Park, Redding, population about 95,000, sits along the busy I–5 corridor, with attractions that include the photogenic Sundial...

Riverside

By 1882 Riverside was home to more than half of California's citrus groves, making it the state's wealthiest city per capita in 1895. The prosperity...

Murphys

A well-preserved hamlet of white-picket fences and Victorian houses, compact Murphys has an upscale yet unpretentious vibe. Shops and restaurants line several blocks of Main...

La Quinta

The desert became a Hollywood hideout in the 1920s, when La Quinta Hotel (now La Quinta Resort and Club) opened, introducing the Coachella Valley's first...

Lake Arrowhead

Lake Arrowhead Village is an alpine community with lodgings, shops, outlet stores, and eateries that descend a hill to the lake. Outside the village, access...

Nevada City

Nevada City, once known as the Queen City of the Northern Mines, is the most appealing of the northern Mother Lode towns. The iron-shutter brick...

Rancho Cucamonga

Once a thriving wine-making area with more than 50,000 acres of wine grapes, Rancho Cucamonga—the oldest wine district in California—lost most of its pastoral charm...

Placerville

It's hard to imagine now, but in 1849 about 4,000 miners staked out every gully and hillside in Placerville, turning the town into a rip-roaring...

Baker

...

Sacramento

All around the Golden State's seat of government you'll experience echoes of the gold-rush days, most notably in Old Sacramento, whose wooden sidewalks and horse-drawn...

Manzanar National Historic Site

...

Shenandoah Valley

The most concentrated Gold Country wine-touring area lies in the hills of the Shenandoah Valley, east of Plymouth—you could easily spend two or three days...

Randsburg

Randsburg and nearby Red Mountain and Johannesburg make up the Rand Mining District, which first boomed with the discovery of gold in the Rand Mountains...

Sonora

One of several southern Gold Country gateways to Yosemite National Park, Sonora was the biggest town in the Mother Lode. Reminders of the gold rush...

Capitola and Soquel

On the National Register of Historic places as California’s first seaside resort town, the village of Capitola has been in a holiday mood since the...

Sutter Creek

Sutter Creek is a charming conglomeration of balconied buildings, Victorian homes, and neo–New England structures. At any time of year Main Street (formerly part of...

Moss Landing

Moss Landing is not much more than a couple of blocks of cafés and restaurants, art galleries, and studios, plus a busy fishing port, but...

Volcano

Many roads, all of them winding, all of them scenic, lead to Volcano, an off-the-beaten-path former mining town of about 120 people, the entirety of...

San Juan Bautista

Much of the small town that grew up around Mission San Juan Bautista, still a working church, has been protected from development since 1933, when...

Winters

Almonds, walnuts, and fruit are the main crops grown in this rural Yolo County town (population 7,600), whose several-block historic district's wine-tasting opportunities and restaurant...

Arcata

Begun in 1850 as a base camp for miners and loggers, Arcata is an arts-oriented college town that's close to the southernmost Thomas H. Kuchel...

Woodland

In its heyday, Woodland was among California's wealthiest cities. Established by gold seekers and entrepreneurs, it later became an agricultural gold mine. The legacy of...

Fort Ross State Historic Park

With its reconstructed Russian Orthodox chapel, stockade, and officials' quarters, Fort Ross looks much the way it did after the Russians made it their major...

Windsor

...

San Juan Capistrano

San Juan Capistrano is best known for its historic mission, where the swallows traditionally return each year, migrating from their winter haven in Argentina, but...

Miramar

In the past, Miramar was generally associated with the annual Miramar Air Show, the largest military air show in the country. Today, Miramar is better...

Bodie State Historic Park

Bodie State Historic Park's scenery is spectacular, with craggy, snowcapped peaks looming over vast prairies. The town of Bridgeport is the gateway to the park...

Santa Rosa

Urban Santa Rosa isn't as popular with tourists as many Wine Country destinations—which isn't surprising, seeing as there are more office parks than wineries within...

Independence

Named for a military outpost that was established near here in 1862, sleepy Independence has some wonderful historic buildings and is worth a stop for...

Rutherford

The spot where Highway 29 meets Rutherford Road in the tiny community of Rutherford may well be the most significant wine-related intersection in the United...

Mariposa

Mariposa marks the southern end of the Mother Lode. Much of the land in this area was part of a 44,000-acre land grant Colonel John...

Bolinas

The tiny town of Bolinas wears its 1960s idealism on its sleeve, attracting potters, poets, and peace lovers to its quiet streets. With a funky...

Huntington Beach

Once a sleepy residential town with little more than a string of rugged surf shops, Huntington Beach has transformed itself into a resort destination,commonly referred...

Menlo Park

Not to be confused with lightbulb inventor Thomas Edison’s New Jersey hometown, this bedroom community centers on a small downtown strip of restaurants and shops...

Chester

A gateway to Lassen Volcanic National Park on Lake Almanor's north shore, Chester, population 2,200, supports locals and tourists with modest restaurants, hotels, and shops...

Petaluma

The first thing you should know about Petaluma is that this is a farm town—with 62,500 residents, a large one—and the residents are proud of...

Dunsmuir

Surrounded by towering forests and boasting world-class upper Sacramento River fly-fishing, Dunsmuir acquired its current moniker when a Scottish coal baron built a fountain in...

Muir Beach

Except on the sunniest of weekends, Muir Beach is relatively quiet, but the drive to this community and beach is a scenic adventure...

Mineral

Fewer than 200 people live in Mineral, which serves as Lassen Volcanic National Park's official address...

Occidental

A village surrounded by redwood forests, orchards, and vineyards, Occidental is a former logging hub with a bohemian vibe. The small downtown, which contains several...

Quincy

A center for mining and logging in the 1850s, Quincy is nestled against the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. The county seat and largest...

Palo Alto

Despite being a midsized residential community, Palo Alto enjoys an outsized reputation as one of the premier cities to live and work in—with eye-popping real...

Shasta Lake

The city of Shasta Lake, population about 10,000, is a portal to water, wilderness, and dazzling stalagmites, with the monolithic Shasta Dam in the midst...

Point Reyes National Seashore

With sandy beaches stretching for miles, a dramatic rocky coastline, a gem of a lighthouse (Point Reyes Lighthouse: closed at this writing, but check online)...

Weaverville

Chinese miners erected the 1874 Joss House that anchors Weaverville's downtown historic district. The town, population about 3,200, is a popular headquarters for family vacations...

San Jose

California’s third-largest city, San Jose is often thought of as a smaller Los Angeles because of its relentless sprawl and valley setting surrounded by mountains...

Claremont

The seven Claremont Colleges are among the most prestigious in the nation, lending the town an ambitious and creative energy. The campuses are all laid...

Oakville

Barely a blip on the landscape as you drive north on Highway 29, Oakville is marked mainly by its grocery store, but the town's small...

Idyllwild

Set in a valley halfway up Mt. San Jacinto, Idyllwild has been a serene forested getaway for San Diegans and Angelenos for nearly a century...

Stanford

Few names are as recognizable in higher education as Stanford University—or technically Leland Stanford Jr. University, named for the deceased son of its founder, a...

Oak Glen

More than 60 varieties of apples are grown in Oak Glen. This rustic village in the foothills above Yucaipa is home to acres of farms...

Long Beach and San Pedro

...

Pomona

The green hills of Pomona, dotted with horses and houses, are perhaps best known as the site of the Los Angeles County Fair and of...

Tiburon

On a peninsula that was named Punta de Tiburón (Shark Point) by 18th-century Spanish explorers, this beautiful Marin County community retains the feel of a...

Redlands

Redlands lies at the center of what once was the largest navel orange–producing region in the world. Orange groves are still plentiful throughout the area...

Kenwood

Tiny Kenwood consists of little more than a few restaurants, shops, tasting rooms, and a historic train depot, now used for private events. But hidden...

Temecula

Temecula, with its rolling green vineyards, country inns, and first-rate restaurants, bills itself as "Southern California Wine Country." The region is home to about four...

Pescadero

As you walk down Stage Road, Pescadero's main street, it's hard to believe you're only 30 minutes from Silicon Valley. If you could block out...

Barstow

Barstow was born in 1886, when a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway began construction of a Harvey House depot and hotel...

Corona del Mar

A small jewel on the Pacific Coast, Corona del Mar (known by locals as "CDM") has exceptional beaches that some say resemble their majestic Northern...

Lancaster

Points of interest around Lancaster include a state poppy reserve that bursts to life in the spring and Edwards Air Force Base, which many consider...

Buellton

A crossroads town at the intersection of U.S. 101 and Highway 246, Buellton has evolved from a sleepy gas and coffee stop into an enclave...

Needles

Along Route 66 and the Colorado River, Needles is a decent base for exploring Mojave National Preserve and other desert attractions. Founded in 1883, the...

Healdsburg

Sonoma County's ritziest town and the star of many a magazine spread or online feature, Healdsburg is located at the intersection of the Dry Creek...

Primm, NV

...

Avalon

Avalon, Catalina’s only real town, extends from the shore of its natural harbor to the surrounding hillsides. Its resident population is about 3,800, but it...

Ridgecrest

A military town that serves the U.S. Naval Weapons Center to its north, Ridgecrest has scores of stores, restaurants, and hotels. With about 29,000 residents...

Guerneville

Guerneville's tourist demographic has evolved over the years—Bay Area families in the 1950s, lesbians and gays starting in the 1970s, and these days a mix...

Aptos

Backed by a redwood forest and facing the sea, downtown Aptos—known as Aptos Village—is a place of wooden walkways and false-fronted shops. Antiques dealers cluster...

Graton

Steps from Sebastopol and near Occidental, tiny Graton has a one-block main drag one can stroll in two minutes—although it’s possible to while away a...

Carmel-by-the-Sea

Even when its population quadruples with tourists on weekends and in summer, Carmel-by-the-Sea, commonly referred to as Carmel, retains its identity as a quaint village...

Glen Ellen

Craggy Glen Ellen epitomizes the difference between the Napa and Sonoma valleys. Whereas small Napa towns like St. Helena get their charm from upscale boutiques...

Monterey

Monterey is a scenic city filled with early California history: adobe buildings from the 1700s, Colton Hall, where California’s first constitution was drafted in 1849...

Ed Z’berg Sugar Pine Point State Park

Visitors love to hike, swim, and fish here in the summer, but this park is also popular in winter, when a small campground remains open...

Pacific Grove

This picturesque town, which began as a summer retreat for church groups more than a century ago, recalls its prim and proper Victorian heritage in...

Freestone

...

Salinas Valley

Salinas, a hardworking city surrounded by vineyards and fruit and vegetable fields, honors the memory and literary legacy of John Steinbeck, its most famous native...

Boonville

At first glance Boonville, population a little more than 1,000, looks pretty much as it has for decades, with the 19th-century Boonville Hotel anchoring the...

Santa Cruz

The big city on this stretch of the California coast, Santa Cruz (pop. 63,364) is less manicured than Carmel or Monterey. Long known for its...

Elk

In this quiet town on the cliff above Greenwood Cove, just about every spot has a view of the rocky coastline and stunning Pacific sunsets...

Anderson Valley

At the town of Albion, Highway 128 leads southeast into the Anderson Valley, Mendocino's primary wine-growing region. Most of the first 13 miles wind through...

Ferndale

Ferndale, best known for its colorful Victorian architecture, is worth the 5-mile detour off U.S. 101. Many shops and the local museum carry a self-guided...

Bodega Bay

Pockets of modernity notwithstanding, this commercial fishing town retains the workaday vibe of its cinematic turn in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963). Little from the...

Cathedral City

Cathedral City is more residential than tourist-oriented, with large and small malls everywhere, but the city has several good restaurants and entertainment venues with moderate...

Crescent City

The headquarters of RNSP and its northern gateway, this small oceanfront city offers close access to Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park's tall trees, Del Norte...

Forestville

To experience the Russian River AVA's climate and rusticity, follow the river's westward course to the town of Forestville, home to a highly regarded restaurant...

Eureka

An excellent place to fuel up, buy groceries, and learn a little about the region's mining, timber, and fishing pasts, historic Eureka was named after...

Klamath

Surrounded by parkland and 13 miles north of RNSP's Prairie Creek Visitor Center, Klamath is a hub of the indigenous Yurok people, who make up...

Fort Bragg

Fort Bragg is a working-class town that many feel is the most authentic place on the coast. The city maintains a local vibe since most...

Philo

Many wineries straddle Highway 128 in Philo, where the tasting rooms are more low-key than their counterparts in Napa. The wineries here, however, produce world-class...

Gualala

This former lumber port on the Gualala River, a good base for exploring the southern Mendocino coast, has all the basic services plus an arts...

Trinidad

A mellow base for exploring the southern portion of Redwood National and State Parks, coastal Trinidad got its name from the Spanish mariners who entered...

Jenner

The Russian River empties into the Pacific Ocean at Jenner, a wide spot in the road where houses dot a mountainside high above the sea...

Newport Beach

Newport Beach has evolved from a simple seaside village to an icon of chic coastal living. Its ritzy reputation comes from megayachts bobbing in the...

Little River

The town of Little River is not much more than a post office and a convenience store; Albion, its neighbor to the south, is even...

Malibu

This ecologically fragile 23-mile stretch of coastline is a world of its own, with its slopes slipping dramatically into the ocean, while Hollywood stars and...

Occidental

...

Central Big Sur

The countercultural spirit of Big Sur—which instead of a conventional town is a loose string of coast-hugging properties along Highway 1—is alive and well today...

Point Arena

Occupied by longtime locals and long-haired surfers, this former timber town on Highway 1 is part New Age, part rowdy, and always laid-back. The one...

Bakersfield

Bakersfield's founder, Colonel Thomas Baker, arrived with the discovery of gold in the nearby Kern River valley in 1851. With 364,000 residents, including the country’s...

Ukiah

About 16,000 people live in Ukiah, the Mendocino County seat and largest town. Logging and beer hops were two prominent industries starting in the late-19th...

Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park

In 1908 army chaplain and former slave Colonel Allen Allensworth and a group of African Americans decided to move west to create a community where...

Bishop

One of the biggest towns along U.S. 395, bustling Bishop has views of the Sierra Nevada and the White and Inyo mountains. First settled by...

Hanford

Founded in 1877 as a Southern Pacific Railroad stop, Hanford had one of California's largest Chinatowns—the Chinese came to help build the railroads and stayed...

El Portal

The market in town is a good place to pick up provisions before you get to Yosemite. You'll find a post office and a gas...

Kernville

The wild Kern River, which flows through Kernville en route from Mt. Whitney to Bakersfield, delivers some of the most exciting white-water rafting in the...

Fresno

Fresno, with half a million people, is the center of the richest agricultural county in the United States. Cotton, grapes, and tomatoes are among the...

Merced

The 2005 debut of a branch of the University of California helped spur redevelopment in Merced County’s seat of government. The transformation has resulted in...

Lee Vining

Tiny Lee Vining is known primarily as the eastern gateway to Yosemite National Park (summer only) and the location of vast and desolate Mono Lake...

Modesto

Among the most striking "welcome to downtown" signs you'll see, the Modesto Arch, at 9th and I streets, bears the city's motto: "Water, Wealth, Contentment...

Mammoth Lakes

International real-estate developers joined forces with Mammoth Mountain Ski Area to transform the once sleepy town of Mammoth Lakes (elevation 7,800 feet) into an upscale...

Oakdale

Oakdale was founded as an orchard community and, in a real stretch, calls itself the Cowboy Capital of the World. Formerly the home of a...

Oakhurst

Motels, restaurants, gas stations, and small businesses line Highway 41 in Oakhurst, the last sizable community before Yosemite National Park and a good spot to...

Stockton

California's first inland port—connected since 1933 to San Francisco via a 60-mile-long deepwater channel—is wedged between Interstate 5 and Highway 99, on the eastern end...

Visalia

Visalia's combination of a reliable agricultural economy and civic pride has produced the Central Valley's most vibrant downtown, with numerous restaurants, craft breweries, and cafés...

Dana Point

Dana Point’s claim to fame is its small-boat marina tucked into a dramatic natural harbor and surrounded by high bluffs. The early-March Dana Point Festival...

Napa and Sonoma

In California's premier wine region, the pleasures of eating and drinking are celebrated daily. It's easy to join in at famous wineries and rising newcomers...

The Bay Area

It's rare for a metropolis to compete with its suburbs for visitors, but the view from any of San Francisco's hilltops shows that the Bay...

The Central Coast

Balmy weather, glorious beaches, crystal-clear air, and serene landscapes have lured people to the Central Coast since prehistoric times. Today it’s also known for its...

The Monterey Bay Area

North of Big Sur, the coastline softens into lower bluffs, windswept dunes, pristine estuaries, and long, sandy beaches bordering one of the world’s most amazing...

Sacramento and the Gold Country

The Gold Country is one of California's less expensive yet still sublime destinations, a region of the Sierra Nevada foothills filled with natural and cultural...

Orange County and Catalina Island

With its tropical flowers and palm trees, the stretch of coast between Seal Beach and San Clemente is often called the Southern California Riviera. Upscale...

Palm Springs and the Desert Resorts

With the Palm Springs area’s year-round sunshine, luxurious spas, chef-driven restaurants, and see-and-be-seen pool parties, it's no wonder that Hollywood A-listers and weekend warriors make...

Lake Tahoe

Whether you swim, fish, sail, or simply rest on its shores, you’ll be wowed by the overwhelming beauty of Lake Tahoe, which is famous for...

The Mojave Desert

Dust and desolation, tumbleweeds and rattlesnakes, barren landscapes and failed dreams—these are the bleak images that come to mind when most people hear the word...

Big Sur Coastline

Long a retreat of artists and writers, Big Sur is a place of ancient forests and rugged shoreline, stretching 90 miles from San Simeon to...

The Marin Headlands

The term "Golden Gate" has become synonymous with the world-famous bridge, but it was first given to the narrow waterway that connects the Pacific and...

Burney

One of the most spectacular sights in the Far North is Burney Falls, where countless ribbon-like streams pour from moss-covered crevices. The beauty of the...

The Central Valley

In California’s family of diverse regions, the 225-mile-long Central Valley is literally and figuratively a middle sibling. Cradled between the popular coastal communities to the...

Pacifica

...

Santa Cruz Mountains AVA

Napa Valley and Sonoma County might get most of the winery tourists, but the massive Santa Cruz Mountains AVA is often cited by locals and...

North County and Around

A whole world of scenic grandeur, fascinating history, and scientific wonder lies just beyond San Diego’s city limits. If you travel north along the coast...

Western Carneros

...

Eastern Carneros

...

Carneros District

...

Downtown and Koreatown

...

Peninsular Coastline

With steep, chiseled cliffs and frequently enormous waves that are popular with surfers and whales, the peninsular coastline is one of the great road trip...

Yucca Valley

One of the high desert's fastest-growing cities, Yucca Valley is emerging as a bedroom community for people who work as far away as Ontario, 85...

Sunnyvale and Mountain View

Originally a stagecoach stop on the Peninsula for travelers between San Francisco and San Jose, Mountain View’s technology certainly has evolved in the century and...

Outside Pinnacles National Park

The small town of Soledad, just outside the park's western entrance, is most famous as the setting of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, but...

Moss Beach

...

Outside Redwood National Park

The North Coast's largest city is Eureka, population 27,000 and the Humboldt County seat. Its Old Town has an alluring waterfront boardwalk, several excellent restaurants...

Outside Joshua Tree National Park

...

Plymouth

The most concentrated Gold Country wine-touring area lies in the hills of the Shenandoah Valley, east of Plymouth—you could easily spend two or three days...

Southern Big Sur

The countercultural spirit of Big Sur—a loose string of coast-hugging properties along Highway 1—is alive and well. Its few residents include the very wealthy, the...

The North Coast

The spectacular coastline of Sonoma, Mendocino, and Humboldt counties defies expectations. The Pacific Ocean defines the landscape, but instead of boardwalks and bikinis there are...

The Far North

The Far North's soaring mountain peaks, trail-filled national forests, alpine lakes, and wild rivers teeming with trout make it the perfect destination for outdoor enthusiasts...

The Sierra Nevada

The granite peaks and ancient pines of the Eastern Sierra bedazzle heart and soul so completely that, for many visitors, the experience surpasses that at...

The Inland Empire

Threaded with rolling vineyards, homey agricultural towns, and mountain retreats, the Inland Empire has a humble allure. Often bypassed because of its freeway maze and...

Shoshone

A prospector founded this tiny burg in 1910, hoping to build businesses around a new rail stop. He and his family eventually developed the town...

Balboa Park and San Diego Zoo

Although Balboa Park as a whole is huge, many of its top attractions are located within reasonable walking distance. A straight shot across the Cabrillo...

Outside Lassen Volcanic National Park

Located in remote northeastern California, Lassen has few towns of any real size around it, although you will find a smattering of places to stay...

Avenue of the Giants

Conservationists banded together a century ago as the Save the Redwoods League and scored a crucial victory when a memorial grove was dedicated in 1921...

Outside Sequoia and Kings Canyon Nationa Parks

The already remote Sierra National Forest encircles much of Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, making them a wilderness within a wilderness...

Outside Yosemite National Park

Marking the southern end of the Sierra's gold-bearing mother lode, Mariposa is the last big town before you enter Yosemite on Route 140 to the...

Outside Channel Islands National Park

With a population of nearly 110,000, Ventura is the main gateway to Channel Islands National Park. It's a classic California beach town filled with interesting...

Napa and Sonoma

In California's premier wine region, the pleasures of eating and drinking are celebrated daily. It's easy to join in at famous wineries and rising newcomers...

The Bay Area

It's rare for a metropolis to compete with its suburbs for visitors, but the view from any of San Francisco's hilltops shows that the Bay...

The Central Coast

Balmy weather, glorious beaches, crystal-clear air, and serene landscapes have lured people to the Central Coast since prehistoric times. Today it’s also known for its...

The Monterey Bay Area

North of Big Sur, the coastline softens into lower bluffs, windswept dunes, pristine estuaries, and long, sandy beaches bordering one of the world’s most amazing...

Sacramento and the Gold Country

The Gold Country is one of California's less expensive yet still sublime destinations, a region of the Sierra Nevada foothills filled with natural and cultural...

Orange County and Catalina Island

With its tropical flowers and palm trees, the stretch of coast between Seal Beach and San Clemente is often called the Southern California Riviera. Upscale...

Palm Springs and the Desert Resorts

With the Palm Springs area’s year-round sunshine, luxurious spas, chef-driven restaurants, and see-and-be-seen pool parties, it's no wonder that Hollywood A-listers and weekend warriors make...

Lake Tahoe

Whether you swim, fish, sail, or simply rest on its shores, you’ll be wowed by the overwhelming beauty of Lake Tahoe, which is famous for...

The Mojave Desert

Dust and desolation, tumbleweeds and rattlesnakes, barren landscapes and failed dreams—these are the bleak images that come to mind when most people hear the word...

Big Sur Coastline

Long a retreat of artists and writers, Big Sur is a place of ancient forests and rugged shoreline, stretching 90 miles from San Simeon to...

The Marin Headlands

The term "Golden Gate" has become synonymous with the world-famous bridge, but it was first given to the narrow waterway that connects the Pacific and...

Burney

One of the most spectacular sights in the Far North is Burney Falls, where countless ribbon-like streams pour from moss-covered crevices. The beauty of the...

The Central Valley

In California’s family of diverse regions, the 225-mile-long Central Valley is literally and figuratively a middle sibling. Cradled between the popular coastal communities to the...

Pacifica

...

Santa Cruz Mountains AVA

Napa Valley and Sonoma County might get most of the winery tourists, but the massive Santa Cruz Mountains AVA is often cited by locals and...

North County and Around

A whole world of scenic grandeur, fascinating history, and scientific wonder lies just beyond San Diego’s city limits. If you travel north along the coast...

Western Carneros

...

Eastern Carneros

...

Carneros District

...

Downtown and Koreatown

...

Peninsular Coastline

With steep, chiseled cliffs and frequently enormous waves that are popular with surfers and whales, the peninsular coastline is one of the great road trip...

Yucca Valley

One of the high desert's fastest-growing cities, Yucca Valley is emerging as a bedroom community for people who work as far away as Ontario, 85...

Sunnyvale and Mountain View

Originally a stagecoach stop on the Peninsula for travelers between San Francisco and San Jose, Mountain View’s technology certainly has evolved in the century and...

Outside Pinnacles National Park

The small town of Soledad, just outside the park's western entrance, is most famous as the setting of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, but...

Moss Beach

...

Outside Redwood National Park

The North Coast's largest city is Eureka, population 27,000 and the Humboldt County seat. Its Old Town has an alluring waterfront boardwalk, several excellent restaurants...

Outside Joshua Tree National Park

...

Plymouth

The most concentrated Gold Country wine-touring area lies in the hills of the Shenandoah Valley, east of Plymouth—you could easily spend two or three days...

Southern Big Sur

The countercultural spirit of Big Sur—a loose string of coast-hugging properties along Highway 1—is alive and well. Its few residents include the very wealthy, the...

The North Coast

The spectacular coastline of Sonoma, Mendocino, and Humboldt counties defies expectations. The Pacific Ocean defines the landscape, but instead of boardwalks and bikinis there are...

The Far North

The Far North's soaring mountain peaks, trail-filled national forests, alpine lakes, and wild rivers teeming with trout make it the perfect destination for outdoor enthusiasts...

The Sierra Nevada

The granite peaks and ancient pines of the Eastern Sierra bedazzle heart and soul so completely that, for many visitors, the experience surpasses that at...

The Inland Empire

Threaded with rolling vineyards, homey agricultural towns, and mountain retreats, the Inland Empire has a humble allure. Often bypassed because of its freeway maze and...

Shoshone

A prospector founded this tiny burg in 1910, hoping to build businesses around a new rail stop. He and his family eventually developed the town...

Balboa Park and San Diego Zoo

Although Balboa Park as a whole is huge, many of its top attractions are located within reasonable walking distance. A straight shot across the Cabrillo...

Outside Lassen Volcanic National Park

Located in remote northeastern California, Lassen has few towns of any real size around it, although you will find a smattering of places to stay...

Avenue of the Giants

Conservationists banded together a century ago as the Save the Redwoods League and scored a crucial victory when a memorial grove was dedicated in 1921...

Outside Sequoia and Kings Canyon Nationa Parks

The already remote Sierra National Forest encircles much of Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, making them a wilderness within a wilderness...

Outside Yosemite National Park

Marking the southern end of the Sierra's gold-bearing mother lode, Mariposa is the last big town before you enter Yosemite on Route 140 to the...

Outside Channel Islands National Park

With a population of nearly 110,000, Ventura is the main gateway to Channel Islands National Park. It's a classic California beach town filled with interesting...

Yosemite National Park

By merely standing in Yosemite Valley and turning in a circle, you can see more natural wonders in a minute than you could in a...

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

The word “exceptional” best describes these two parks, which offer some of the nation’s greatest escapes. Drives along their byways deliver stunning vistas at nearly...

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree teems with fascinating landscapes and life-forms, including its namesake trees. Dagger-like tufts grace the branches of the Yucca brevifolia, which grows in vast...

Redwood National and State Parks

Soaring more than 375 feet high, California's coastal redwoods are miracles of efficiency—some have survived hundreds of years, a few more than two millennia. These...

Death Valley National Park

The natural riches of Death Valley—the largest national park outside Alaska—are overwhelming: rolling waves of sand dunes, black cinder cones thrusting up hundreds of feet...

Sequoia National Park

Sequoia National Park is all about the trees, and to understand the scale of these giants you must walk among them. If you do nothing...

Kings Canyon National Park

Kings Canyon National Park consists of two sections that adjoin the northern boundary of Sequoia National Park. The western portion, covered with sequoia and pine...

Lassen Volcanic National Park

Lassen Peak, a plug dome, is the most famous feature of this 166-square-mile tract of coniferous forests and alpine meadows. Its most spectacular outburst occurred...

Channel Islands National Park

On crystal-clear days, the craggy peaks of Channel Islands are easy to see from the mainland, jutting from the Pacific in sharp detail. Sometimes called...

Pinnacles National Park

Emerald Bay

You can hike, bike, swim, camp, scuba dive, kayak, or tour a look-alike Viking castle at this state park. Or you can simply enjoy the...

Mojave National Preserve

The 1.6 million acres of the Mojave National Preserve hold a surprising abundance of plant and animal life—especially considering their elevation (nearly 8,000 feet in...

Mt. Tamalpais State Park

The view of Mt. Tamalpais from all around the bay can be a beauty, but that’s nothing compared to the views from the mountain, which...

Año Nuevo State Reserve

A beautiful park year-round, Año Nuevo State Reserve bustles during elephant seal mating season, from mid-December through March...

Muir Woods National Monument

Climbing hundreds of feet into the sky, Sequoia sempervirens are the tallest living things on Earth—some are more than 1,800 years old. One of the...

Salt Point State Park

Enjoy dramatic views, forested acres, and a rocky, rugged shoreline along Highway 1’s 5-mile route through this park. With the hiking, picnicking, horseback riding, scuba...

Humboldt Redwoods State Park

Conservationists banded together a century ago as the Save the Redwoods League and scored a crucial victory when a memorial grove was dedicated in 1921...

Red Rock Canyon State Park

On the stretch of Highway 14 that slices through Red Rock Canyon State Park, it’s easy to become caught up in the momentum of rushing...

McArthur–Burney Falls Memorial State Park

One of the most spectacular sights in the Far North is Burney Falls, where countless ribbon-like streams pour from moss-covered crevices. The park’s beauty is...

Big Basin Redwoods State Park

Home to some grand redwoods and terrain that varies from rocky coastal coves to dense forestland, the 18,000-acre Big Basin has a human history that...

D.L. Bliss State Park

This park shares 6 miles of shoreline with adjacent Emerald Bay State Park and has two white-sand beaches. Hike the Rubicon Trail for stunning views...

Pope-Baldwin Recreation Area

To the west of downtown South Lake Tahoe, U.S. 50 and Highway 89 come together, forming an intersection nicknamed "the Y." If you head northwest...

Yosemite National Park

By merely standing in Yosemite Valley and turning in a circle, you can see more natural wonders in a minute than you could in a...

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

The word “exceptional” best describes these two parks, which offer some of the nation’s greatest escapes. Drives along their byways deliver stunning vistas at nearly...

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree teems with fascinating landscapes and life-forms, including its namesake trees. Dagger-like tufts grace the branches of the Yucca brevifolia, which grows in vast...

Redwood National and State Parks

Soaring more than 375 feet high, California's coastal redwoods are miracles of efficiency—some have survived hundreds of years, a few more than two millennia. These...

Death Valley National Park

The natural riches of Death Valley—the largest national park outside Alaska—are overwhelming: rolling waves of sand dunes, black cinder cones thrusting up hundreds of feet...

Sequoia National Park

Sequoia National Park is all about the trees, and to understand the scale of these giants you must walk among them. If you do nothing...

Kings Canyon National Park

Kings Canyon National Park consists of two sections that adjoin the northern boundary of Sequoia National Park. The western portion, covered with sequoia and pine...

Lassen Volcanic National Park

Lassen Peak, a plug dome, is the most famous feature of this 166-square-mile tract of coniferous forests and alpine meadows. Its most spectacular outburst occurred...

Channel Islands National Park

On crystal-clear days, the craggy peaks of Channel Islands are easy to see from the mainland, jutting from the Pacific in sharp detail. Sometimes called...

Pinnacles National Park

Emerald Bay

You can hike, bike, swim, camp, scuba dive, kayak, or tour a look-alike Viking castle at this state park. Or you can simply enjoy the...

Mojave National Preserve

The 1.6 million acres of the Mojave National Preserve hold a surprising abundance of plant and animal life—especially considering their elevation (nearly 8,000 feet in...

Mt. Tamalpais State Park

The view of Mt. Tamalpais from all around the bay can be a beauty, but that’s nothing compared to the views from the mountain, which...

Año Nuevo State Reserve

A beautiful park year-round, Año Nuevo State Reserve bustles during elephant seal mating season, from mid-December through March...

Muir Woods National Monument

Climbing hundreds of feet into the sky, Sequoia sempervirens are the tallest living things on Earth—some are more than 1,800 years old. One of the...

Salt Point State Park

Enjoy dramatic views, forested acres, and a rocky, rugged shoreline along Highway 1’s 5-mile route through this park. With the hiking, picnicking, horseback riding, scuba...

Humboldt Redwoods State Park

Conservationists banded together a century ago as the Save the Redwoods League and scored a crucial victory when a memorial grove was dedicated in 1921...

Red Rock Canyon State Park

On the stretch of Highway 14 that slices through Red Rock Canyon State Park, it’s easy to become caught up in the momentum of rushing...

McArthur–Burney Falls Memorial State Park

One of the most spectacular sights in the Far North is Burney Falls, where countless ribbon-like streams pour from moss-covered crevices. The park’s beauty is...

Big Basin Redwoods State Park

Home to some grand redwoods and terrain that varies from rocky coastal coves to dense forestland, the 18,000-acre Big Basin has a human history that...

D.L. Bliss State Park

This park shares 6 miles of shoreline with adjacent Emerald Bay State Park and has two white-sand beaches. Hike the Rubicon Trail for stunning views...

Pope-Baldwin Recreation Area

To the west of downtown South Lake Tahoe, U.S. 50 and Highway 89 come together, forming an intersection nicknamed "the Y." If you head northwest...

Catalina Island

Just 22 miles out from the L.A. coastline, across from Newport Beach and Long Beach, Catalina has virtually unspoiled mountains, canyons, coves, and beaches; best...

Catalina Island

Just 22 miles out from the L.A. coastline, across from Newport Beach and Long Beach, Catalina has virtually unspoiled mountains, canyons, coves, and beaches; best...

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