The family is planning on a N. California vacation in October. We’re pretty sure we want to spend half a week in San Francisco. We’re thinking of heading north and doing an “un-city” rest of the week - maybe stay on the ocean north of Napa and do hikes of forests, beaches, etc., from there. We’re good with day hikes, love the ocean and the woods. I’m not looking for lodging suggestions - if I know the area to focus on, I can find the lodgings.
I am considering somewhere between Point Reyes and Mendocino, and I know that’s a big stretch. For a trip that short I’m thinking Mendocino would be too much driving, but I could be persuaded otherwise. There’s Bodega Bay, Elk, Point Arena, other areas???
I’ve been to Mendocino and to Point Reyes. The rest of the family has never seen any of it. The kids will be 17 and 12, and both of them love the remote Pacific Northwest shoreline.
Other thoughts? We have zero interest in anything having to do with shopping, wineries, etc (the latter just due to having the kids tagging along…) Yosemite is out due to potential for snow - that’s a non-starter for my wife.
My immediate thought is Monterey, even though it’s to the south. But in October, it’s gonna be getting pretty nippy down there. Still, it’s a beautiful area and the aquarium is fantastic.
Point Reyes, along with the Golden Gate National Recreation Area is a fantastic place for hiking and exploring. You could easily spend three or four days there. October is usually pretty good weather-wise.
Missed the edit window: if you time your visit right, you can get on a tour of the Nike Missle base in the Marin Headlands. If you drive up to Bodega Bay, stop in a Spud Point Crab Company for some awesome clam chowder. Just south of Bodega Bay is the tiny hamlet of Bodega, where you can see the schoolhouse from The Birds and check out the town’s store with a nice display of Hitchcock memorabilia.
I’ll disagree with this, as a former resident of Monterey. September and October are usually the warmest months there. Weird, I know. It’s because the ever-present fog decides to stay offshore more during those months. It’ll start getting cooler around Halloween or a week before, but something like the first two weeks of Oct should still be toasty. Not as “bad” as September, but not really that chilly.
As far as where to go and visit, should you not want to go south to Monterey, Point Reyes is really pretty, as are the Muir Woods. Personally, the coast from around Jenner north to and through Mendocino is fairly indistinguishable. Pretty, but the same cliffs/ocean/conifers and the incredibly winding road that goes through them.
October should be fine for Yosemite WRT snow. It is likely to be warm, and will definitely be dry - so the waterfalls would not be near as spectatular as a spring trip. There is always a remote chance of snow (my CYA).
Seconding Pt. Reyes and Muir Woods. Close enuf to SF but feels really remote from civilization. Fort Bragg also has some nice beaches (MacKerricher State Beach) and hiking nearby (Russian Gulch State Park). If you had more time to drive further north to Humboldt Redwoods/Avenue of the Giants, that would meet your needs as well, but that is a much longer drive.
My vote would be for Monterey. I agree with Gray Ghost, fall is the warmest season in that area. It’s lovely there in the October. And there’s so much to do and see.
Mendocino is close enough for 3 days if you take 101 to Cloverdale, then 128 to the coast. All the way up 1 would be too much. My personal favorite area on that stretch of coast is Salt Point, a bit north of Jenner. Several state and county parks, Russian history at Ft. Ross, great tidepools.
As for Yosemite, October is my favorite time to go there. Snow is unlikely, although the odds go up later in the month. Last year we had an early winter, and the first snow was the weekend of 10/20.
Most of the redwoods on the north coast are second growth, but there are a few old groves that were preserved. Armstrong Grove in the Russian River area and Hendy Woods on the way to Mendocino are a couple of possibilities.
Bodega Bay is probably the farthest south you’d want to be to explore the Sonoma Coast, but it would work as a base camp.
Just as an FYI Armstong Redwoods is *maybe *half an hour from bodega bay, at most. And both are beautiful areas. I think Bodega Bay is probably a good base camp as it is not far from the Marin Headlands and Point Reyes either, if that is the way you decide to go. Ditto on the Spud Point chowder, and if they have the crab sandwiches, get one of those. Yum.
Neither Bodega Bay or Point Reyes is all that far from San Francisco. I used to to to a conference in Bodega Bay and could make it in about 2 hours from 40 miles south of San Francisco. I’ve also stayed at Point Reyes. Why not do both? Bodega Bay is beautiful, but there is not a lot to do except bird and watch the ocean.
There are many small parks and parking areas on the highway overlooking the ocean, where you can frequently see sea lions and often otters.
Agree that Muir Woods is a good place to visit, and close. Look up Fort Ross and see if it interests you - we found it fascinating, and it is very nicely restored.
Fort Bragg is nice but might be a bit far for a 3 day round trip.
I think the northern route is less traveled and more diverse than Monterey/Carmel, but I might be overdosed on those places, since I’ve had reason to be there a lot. Carmel is a more interesting town than anything up there (and artier) but I prefer the north for nature.
I went to Bodega Bay in Jan/Feb. Not sunbathing weather but not bad - the rain is more of an issue than the temperature. But October is not bad for rain.
Giraffe got me looking at Big Sur, even though it’s in the other direction from what I was thinking. Saw a cabin about two miles into the redwoods from the ocean and thought that could work as well… how do the “nature” opportunities in that area compare with the stretch from Sonoma to Mendocino?
If you do decide to head that way, Point Lobos is a beautiful bit of coastline just south of Carmel (get there early–the parking lot fills up pretty fast in the morning). The scenery heading down towards Big Sur is as good as it gets, but the hiking and wildlife viewing opportunities aren’t as good as the Point Reyes area. If you decide to go the southerly route, try to catch a tour of the Point Sur Lighthouse.
