Northern California Highlights

Sacramento

Located just 1.5 hours east of San Francisco, 1.5 hours west of South Lake Tahoe and 2 hours west of Reno, the capital of California is steeped in Gold Rush history. This vibrant and cosmopolitan city offers friendly faces, a mild climate and a small town feel. Explore the many museums and wander through Old Sacramento, a key commercial and agricultural center during the 1940s.

Point Reyes

Further on up the coast you can go to Point Reyes Peninsula with its secluded beaches and miles of hiking trails.

Redwood National Park

Home of the old-growth coast redwoods. Some tower over 300 feet and are over 2000 years old! The park not only includes forest but rivers, streams and over 37 miles of ocean along the Northern California Coast. The park is located south of Klamath and entrance is free. Nearby is Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park and Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park which charge an entrance fee of just $6 per car.

Yosemite National Park

Located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Yosemite National Park was created in 1890 to preserve this amazing piece of nature that stretches from 2,000 to over 13,000 feet above sea level. Today it is one of the world's most impressive sceneries and home to the world-famous Half Dome and El Capitan. Both were sculpted over millions of years by volcanic forces, glaciation, and other natural forces.
The mountains of Yosemite National Park contain great biotic richness with more than 230 species of birds, 80 species of mammals, and 1,400 species of classified shrubs, trees, and flowering plants.
Yosemite National Park also boasts three giant sequoia groves, Tuolumne, Merced, and Mariposa. Many consider the giant sequoia trees the largest of all living things, some towering over 300 feet (91 meters) with tree trunks of 40 feet (12 meters) in diameter.

South Lake Tahoe

Located 3.5 hours east of San Francisco and 1.5 hours south of Reno, South Lake Tahoe is a great ski and snowboard as well as summer destination. The pristine lake offers breathtaking blue waters created by the thin clear mountain air that allows the lake's pure water to reflect the blue sky above. Talking about blue skies, the sun shines over 300 days a year here.