Things to Do in Northern California

From the coastal cliffs of Big Sur to the valley trails of Yosemite National Park to the volcanic landscape of Mount Shasta, Northern California is a hiking and biking paradise. Yosemite National Park offers 840 miles of hiking and biking trails through deep valleys, meadows, alpine wilderness, rugged rocks, waterfalls, and giant sequoias. A massive volcano in the Cascades, Mount Shasta offers miles of hilly wilderness trails for hiking and mountain biking through alpine forests, meadows, lakes, and rivers. Sequoia National Park is a hiker’s heaven with trails that traverse mountains, foothills, canyons, caverns, wilderness, alpine lakes and rivers. Hike and bike 150 miles of trails and scenic highways through Lassen Volcanic National Park, or hit the trails of the California Petrified Forest. Hike or bike on the Lake Tahoe Rim Trail, and explore the coastal trails along the cliffs of Big Sur.  [Top]

Tour the Napa and Sonoma Wine Country, with a breathtaking landscape of sun-kissed vineyards, wine trails, and over 350 historic wineries. Sip heaven in Napa Valley, one of the world’s great wine regions, with charming towns like Napa, St. Helena and Calistoga where you can tour beautiful vineyards, 250 wineries, and tasting salons. Taste the flavor of the land at Napa’s top wineries, including Domaine Chandon and Trefethen Vineyards. Roam the Silverado Trail to boutique wineries like Chimney Rock, or hop aboard the Napa Valley Wine Train. Tour a coastal landscape of vine-kissed vineyards and 160 wineries in Sonoma Valley. Sample the heady aromas of Sonoma’s pinot noirs, zinfandels and chardonnays. Tour the tasting rooms of Alexander Valley Vineyards, Kendall-Jackson Winery, and Buena Vista Carneros, the oldest winery in California.  [Top]

Blessed with majestic snow-clad mountains and world-caliber ski resorts, Northern California is powder head paradise. From the peaks of Mt. Shasta to the Sierra summits of Lake Tahoe, Northern California offers amazing alpine ski mountains, high-country scenery, and cross-country ski and snowboard areas. Lake Tahoe offers several world-class ski resorts, including Squaw Valley USA, Alpine Meadows, Northstar at Tahoe, Heavenly Ski Resort, and Kirkwood. The titan of the High Sierras, Mammoth Mountain offers snow-covered peaks, alpine meadows, stellar bowls, cross-country trails, and ski resorts including Bear Valley Ski Area. Enjoy skiing, snowboarding and cross country adventures on the massive volcanic slopes of Mount Shasta Ski Park.  [Top]

Northern California is home to whitewater rivers for rafting and kayaking adventures. Originating in the Sierras, east of Sacramento, the American River is one of the West Coast’s most pristine rivers with whitewater challenges from mellow floats for rafters to Class IV-V rapids for extreme paddlers. Race the white water of the Stanislaus River  which flows through the Gold Country from the High Sierras - among granite cliffs and redwoods. Tumbling over the falls in Yosemite National Park, the steep Merced River offers pure white water, Class IV rapids and rolling waves for advanced rafting and kayaking. California’s challenging Tuolumne River offers Class IV-V whitewater rapids, chutes, pools and boulder gardens. With tranquil scenery and class 2 to 4 rapids, Upper Klamath River on the California border is a rafter’s delight.  [Top]

Escape to the serenity of the clouds and sail above the Northern California landscape of vineyards, ocean, forest and mountains in a colorful hot air balloon. Northern California offers several hot air balloon companies that provide skyward adventures over the beautiful vineyards of the Napa and Sonoma Wine Country, breathtaking Pacific Coast, San Francisco skyline, redwood forests, Geyser Mountains, Russian River and Lake Tahoe. Dance in the sky and celebrate the scenery of Northern California in a hot air balloon adventure. Popular hot air balloon tours include: Balloons over the Valley (Napa), Bonaventura Balloon Company of Napa Valley, Up & Away Ballooning (Sonoma) and Balloons over Lake Tahoe.  [Top]