Fun Day Trips from the Bay
Five of Our Favorite Day Trip Locations
Grab your loved ones or furry friends, clear out the back seat, and treat yourself to a fun day trip! Here are some of our favorite places we definitely recommend you check out the next time you want to escape and explore. Continue reading as we run down our favorite things to do and eat in each locale.
NAPA VALLEY
As you most likely already know, the Napa Valley offers a plethora of fabulous wineries for tastings and tours, but if you’re looking for a more unique day trip getaway, keep reading.
The Napa Valley Wine Train takes you on a 36-mile round trip discovery to St. Helena and back, stopping at celebrated wineries along the way. But it’s more than a train… sit in a luxurious vintage setting, watch the lush, mesmerizing landscape, dine on a divine four-course meal, experience exclusive insider winery tours, and enjoy an intimate shared experience.
If you’re looking for a more private, open air wine tasting experience, book a Tuk-Tuk ride and experience a true Wine Country adventure! Located off the beaten path and away from the crowds, sit back and enjoy the best and most authentic Napa Valley experience.
Downtown Napa can offer you a one stop day of fun with tasting rooms, indulging in Hog Island Oysters, and plenty of shopping and exceptional food from world renowned chefs and restaurants. Michelin Star restaurants include Morimoto Napa and La Torque, although all of Napa is a foodies farm-to-table paradise, you will be hard pressed to find a bad meal.
If wine is not your passion, check out Fieldwork Brewing and Napa Valley Distillery at the Oxbow Public Market.
AÑO NUEVO STATE PARK
The park offers guided walks lead by docents and naturalists to see the northern elephant seals in their natural habitat inside the Año Nuevo Coast Natural Preserve. Año Nuevo docents go through extensive training and are highly knowledgeable in the natural and cultural history of the park. Guided walks begin December 15th and continue every day until March 31st. The trail to see the elephant seals includes a 3-4 mile hike and is considered moderate with varied terrain including sand dunes and takes about 2.5 hours.
While in the area, make sure to check out Pie Ranch. Pie Ranch offers food education and has a seasonal farm stand that is in partnership with other regional farmers. They also offer farm tours, dinners, and evenings filled with music and dancing.
FOLSOM
Folsom is located just outside of Sacramento and is an outdoor enthusiasts dream. You have Folsom Lake, Lake Natoma, Granite Bay Recreation Area, a historic downtown with lots of charm, and a zoo; just to name a few.
Folsom Lake offers many popular things to do including boating, fishing, hiking, and bicycling on the 32-mile Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail (pictured above) that connects to Sacramento.
Lake Natoma is created by a dam in the American River. This lake is a non-motorized boat recreation area. Motorized boating is also allowed, but there is a 5 mph speed limit on the entire lake. This lake is great for SUPing, kayaking, and swimming. Bring your furry friend along to hang out on the water with you without the worry of high speed boat traffic. You will often see people jumping from surrounding cliffs into the blue water below. Paddle up the lake and you can see Folsom State Prison from the water, but beware as it is clearly marked there is no trespassing on prison water or land.
Granite Bay and Beal's Point provide a popular day-use area with a swimming beach, as well as a campground with over 60 sites available. There is also a network of mountain bike trails around Granite Bay that are great for beginner to intermediate mountain bikers. With nearly 100 miles of multi-use trails, one could spend days exploring all this area has to offer.
The heart of Folsom’s Historic Downtown is on Sutter Street. Sutter Street has beautiful old facades and storefronts that are now filled with many modern businesses including restaurants, theaters, and shops. The Folsom History Museum is also located on Sutter Street and provides further insight into the history of the downtown area. The downtown area is walking friendly and filled with charm. The Saturday farmers market runs on Sutter Street all year long. Don’t forget the downtown Historic Folsom Amphitheater puts on numerous shows, a summer Twilight Thursday Concert Series, and Movie Nights at the Amphitheater.
HUMBOLT REDWOOD STATE PARK
Humbolt Redwoods State Park is California's third largest state park with over 53,000 acres and the largest old growth contiguous redwood forest in the world! Today, the park contains a diverse coast redwood ecosystem which includes Rockefeller Forest, the largest remaining old-growth forest in the world, and the entire Bull Creek watershed. With more than 250 camp sites, 100 miles of hiking, biking and riding trails, and the scenic 32-mile Avenue of the Giants, Humboldt Redwoods State Park offers something for everyone. The journey into the redwood forest is sure to be an awe-inspiring experience.
BODEGA HEAD
Bodega Head is the rocky headland on the Sonoma Coast that forms the entrance into Bodega Harbor. The harbor side provides a popular crabbing area along the jetty and the many hiking trails on the ocean side allow access to small, sandy coves and spectacular scenic bluff top views. The high cliffs offer excellent vantage points for observing migrating gray whales. During whale migration, State Park Whale Watch Program docents are available to teach you about the magnificent cetaceans that visit our coast.
Campbell Cove is a sheltered cove with a flat beach that can be quite large at low tide and mostly underwater at high tide. Not a busy spot, at low tide it can be a good place for a picnic or for the kids to explore. Fishing and clamming are also popular activities here.
Looking for some good eats? Check out a local staple Spud Point Crab Co. Grab food to have a picnic or eat at one of their outdoor picnic tables with views of the water. You can also check out Fisherman’s Cove, another locally owned seafood spot with hearty soups, fish and chips, oysters, fish tacos and more!