Northern California Road Trip Itinerary
+ Top Attractions

San Francisco hosts an immense selection of world-class dining options as well as amazing nightlife. This beautiful city sits on a hilly peninsula at the entrance to the massive San Francisco Bay. Spanning the bay's entrance is the city's iconic Golden Gate Bridge, which can be admired from many different viewpoints. Golden Gate Park is home to many gardens and museums, including the famous California Academy of Sciences.

The city is home to many more iconic sights including the hilltop Coit Tower, the windy Lombard Street, and the lovely row of colorful Victorian homes known as the Painted Ladies. Among the city's most impressive structures is the majestic Greco-Roman style Palace of Fine Arts.

Amongst the dense towering skyscrapers of Downtown is the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, one of the largest modern art museums in the world. Nearby you can take the ferry to the famous early 20th century prison island which housed Al Capone, Alcatraz Island.

Just north of San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge is the wooded mountainous landscape of Mount Tamalpais State Park, which towers above the coast. From atop Mount Tamalpais East Peak you can enjoy gorgeous panoramic views over the San Francisco Bay, the city of San Francisco, and the coast on a clear day.

California's Lower Northern Coast follows along the extremely scenic coastal Highway 1 north of San Francisco and Point Reyes. This route includes the lovely Point Arena and Point Cabrillo Lighthouses, as well as many beautiful views over the coastline such as at Bodega Bay. Along the coast you'll even find a huge reconstructed 19th century Russian fortress known as Fort Ross.

In the seaside town of Mendocino you'll find the Mendocino Headlands State Park, which hosts gorgeous views over the vibrant blue-green waters of Mendocino Bay, as well as a rugged coastline of sea arches and stunning natural features that you can explore. In nearby Fort Bragg you can visit the elegant clifftop Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens and marvel at the tiny dull pieces of glass that make-up the city's Glass Beach.

California's Upper Northern Coast is located along Highway 101, which passes through vast redwood forests including Humboldt, Prairie Creek, and Jedidiah Smith Redwoods State Parks. All of these state parks offer scenic hiking trails through the stunning dense redwood forests. Humboldt Redwoods State Park hosts a 32 mile (51 km) long alternate route, which offers much better views of the towering redwood trees than the main highway.

Within the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park are two incredible trails, including the Fern Canyon trail which ventures alongside a rocky stream through a vibrant canyon, surrounded by lush green walls on both sides. The other trail is the Lady Bird Johnson Grove Trail, which is exceptionally beautiful and mystical when visited during the early morning fog.

Additionally this route offers picturesque views over the Trinidad Harbor, as well as the chance to visit the lovely Battery Point Lighthouse, which is cut-off from the mainland during high tide.

This area of Northern California near Oregon is home to several gorgeous waterfalls, including one which many claim is among the state's most beautiful waterfalls, Mossbrae Falls. Nearby you can visit the stunning Burney Falls as well as the various waterfalls along the McCloud River. While driving along this route you'll be able to take in excellent views of Mt. Shasta, which towers high above the surrounding landscape.

Lake Tahoe is a magnificent alpine lake set amongst the vast forests of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This massive lake sits along the border of California and Nevada, and the area around the lake offers many different types of activities year-round. In the summer there's great hiking opportunities, as well as beautiful beaches offering swimming and kayaking. In the winter the area offers countless ski resorts to experience.

South Lake Tahoe is the main city on the lake and hosts many accommodations and dining options. The city sits on the border with Stateline, Nevada, which hosts four mega-casinos within walking distance of the Heavenly Village ski lift. On the southwestern side of the lake is the picturesque Emerald Bay State Park, which offers excellent hiking opportunities, as well as breathtaking scenery.

Mono County is located on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, adjacent to the gorgeous Tuolumne Meadows district of Yosemite National Park. Within this county is the largest and best-preserved Western ghost town in the United States, Bodie State Historic Park. Nearby is the beautiful Mono Lake, an alkali lake with otherworldly tufa tower formations that you can explore.

The Tuolomne Meadows district of Yosemite National Park is a majestic valley full of lush meadows and lakes, which sits at an average elevation of about 8,600 feet (2,625 m), surrounded by many mountain peaks and interesting geological features. This district of Yosemite hosts vast meadows filled with abundant wildlife alongside picturesque scenery.

Tuolumne Meadows hosts many excellent hiking trails to gorgeous places such as the serene Cathedral Lakes, Mount Dana from which you can view Mono Lake from high above, and Clouds Rest from which you can enjoy truly breathtaking views of the backside of Half Dome with Yosemite Valley framed behind it. Further north of Tuolumne Meadows is the Hetch Hetchy district of Yosemite, which is also discussed in this itinerary.

The Yosemite Valley of Yosemite National Park is one of the most beautiful valleys on Earth with its towering canyon walls including El Capitan, which towers 3,000 feet (900 m) over the valley floor.

The Yosemite Valley is filled with lush dense forest and abundant wildlife, surrounded by incredible geological formations such as Half Dome. The valley also hosts several massive waterfalls, including Bridalveil Falls, Vernal Falls, Nevada Falls, and the behemoth Yosemite Falls. Many of these waterfalls and formations are among the Yosemite Valley's vast array of world-class hiking trails.

Other amazing features of the valley include the picturesque Mirror Lake, and the serene meadows in which you can relax and enjoy the park's natural splendor. The valley is highly developed yet still quite wild, with accommodations and many roads. Many easily-accessible yet breathtaking viewpoints such as Tunnel View, Valley View, and the sweeping high altitude views from atop Glacier Point are connected via Yosemite Valley's roads.