DO YOU JUST LOVE THE OCEAN?

• California beaches, rocky rugged coastlines . . .


• Tide pools, saltwater marshes, coastal dunes . . .


• Quaint fishing villages, seaside resorts . . .

It's all here in Northern California! From Big Sur, Carmel, and Monterey Bay to San Francisco. From Point Reyes to Crescent City and beyond.

Just follow State Highway 1 North . . .

You'll marvel at the isolated coves, the beaches, the rocky headlands with their sheer drops to the restless Pacific Ocean below, the fascinating off-shore rock formations called Sea Stacks.

. . . It’s one of my favorite drives!

BUT PERHAPS YOU'RE A WINE LOVER . . .

I'm sure you know about Sonoma County and Napa Valley - THE Wine Country - But did you know there are flourishing wineries with excellent reputations all over NorCal?

• There’s Lake County, home to Guenoc . . .
• And Mendocino County’s Anderson Valley . . .
• And how about The Gold Country - there you’ll find complex Zins and exotic varietals . . .

• But what about Lodi? That’s right! - I said, “Lodi,” as in the CCR lyrics, “Oh ! Lord, stuck in Lodi again.” Lodi is one of the new wine-tasting destinations.

OR MAYBE YOU'RE A CITY PERSON . . .

If this is your idea of a good time, you'll find it here in NorCal!

• The Bay Area is an obvious choice, with sophisticated San Francisco to the west of the bay, funky Berkeley to the east, and San Jose, - Once Upon A Time small-college-town that’s now all-grown-up - to the south.
• But the city of Sacramento may surprise you. While it still revels in its history as a Gold Rush boom town, it has greatly matured and offers much for city people to love.

Northern California has other surprising offerings as well - like the city of Chico. We'll explore them all!

PERHAPS, THOUGH, YOU LOVE THE SNOW . . .

Head out for the Sierra Nevadas or the Cascades. You can snow ski - downhill or cross-country - build a snowman family or make snow angels, ice skate, snowboard, or simply curl up in front of an enormous fireplace in a beautiful lodge - wearing your best resort après-ski togs - and sip hot toddies.

© Belinda Gallagher

Everyone knows about Lake Tahoe in the winter - it's famous for its winter sports areas . . . Alpine Meadows . . . Squaw Valley . . .

But did you know Yosemite National Park is stunning (and accessible) in the winter as well? Most people don't know that because they visit during the summer.

Alpine County – affectionately nicknamed the California Alps - combines snow sports with hot springs. I can’t imagine a better combination than that!

MAYBE YOU'RE A NATURE LOVER . . .

This is the place for you! Come to Northern California to discover:

• Redwood forests teeming with wildlife
• Wetlands used by migratory waterfowl
• Whale watching


• Rolling hills covered in mustard in the spring, oat grass in the summer, and California live oaks year-round
• Table Mountain in spring with its colorful masses of wildflowers

Whether you want a Sunday drive in the country or a full-on backpacking trip, it's all waiting for you!

BUT WHAT IF YOU'RE A HISTORY BUFF . . .

Nothing says “history” like the California Gold Rush. There’s hardly a square inch of Northern California that wasn’t involved in one way or another. San Francisco - a major jumping-off point. Sacramento - home to the man who owned the lumber mill where gold was first discovered. The Great Central Valley - where crops and cattle were raised to feed the miners.

(PD) Wikipedia

Names like -

Placerville, Hangtown,

Coloma (where Sutter’s Mill was located),

Fiddletown,

Drytown (named for the dry gold mines, not the lack of saloons),

Nevada City, Mokelumne Hill,

Auburn, Angels Camp

- all invoke images of panning for color, Long Toms, hydraulic mining, and dredging.

But NorCal's history began long before the Gold Rush. When Mexico ruled, it was an era of pueblos, haciendas, and huge grants of land.

And prior to that came the Spaniards with their missions. The most northerly of these (although actually built under Mexican rule) is Sonoma Mission, which was erected in the town of Sonoma as an outpost against the Russians.

But even before the Spanish, the Russians, the Mexicans - thousands of years before - a dense population of Native Americans called Northern California "home".

If you're a history buff, you may know about Ishi - the last truly “wild” Indian. If not, you can find out more about Ishi and the rest of NorCal’s history here at Discover Northern California.

SO MAYBE HISTORY'S NOT YOUR THING, BUT WATER SPORTS ARE . . .

© David Brimm

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