Fog at Redwoods National and State Park

Northern California may be part of the great state of California, but the realities of this area are worlds away from the traditional images of sunshine, Hollywood glamour, or even from the unique microculture of nearby San Francisco. The area of Northern California is diverse in itself and consists, amongst other things, of wild and lonely coastline, impressive redwood forests, majestic and little known mountains, and perhaps its most well know asset—vineyards and wine country. A visit to Northern California is ideal for those searching for a real getaway to a less traveled destination, and who want to avoid the massive crowds, mega traffic gridlocks, and the hectic pace of big cities. While mass tourism is alive and well in Northern California, the product remains laid back and understated. In this part of the state it is possible to imagine the appeal this magnificent land must have had for early settlers. The magic of Northern California is that it has been able to retain its innocence.

CLIMATE

The climate of Northern California varies considerably. However one thing that can be said is that overall it certainly is not as warm as the southern part of the state. Many visitors enjoy the more moderate temperatures here, especially in summer when the rest of the state can be extremely hot. The coast is often foggy, adding to the isolated charm of the wild and dramatic shoreline. Temperatures from about 50-65 Fahrenheit are the average for the area (10-18 degrees Celsius). The high humidity enhances the wide variety of vegetation including the remarkable redwoods. Inland the vineyard valleys of Napa and Sonoma have beautiful warm summer weather reaching the 70s Fahrenheit (low to mid 20s Celsius), and wet but mild winters. Snow is virtually unheard of here or anywhere in the region except of course at higher mountain elevations, where the weather is as unpredictable as in any alpine area. Of course skiing is great and summer provides spectacular hiking, fishing and kayaking. The great fresh air in Northern California makes a significant difference from the notorious pollution in the big cities to the south. This enhances the very natural feel of the whole area.

TRANSPORTATION

Visitors flying to the area usually fly to San Francisco, then rent a car. Alternatively there are several commuter airports with connections from major California and Washington and Oregon airline hubs. These include Eureka and Redding.

Several major interstate highways transverse the area, linking it with other parts of the state and with neighboring Oregon (to the north). So rugged is the territory that certain parts of the coast defy highway engineering, but an awe-inspiring secondary highway (Number 1) covers most of it. This is well worth taking time to travel. Local and national bus services are excellent and almost all communities are covered.

Amtrak's West Coast train service also serves many places in the region. The 'Coast Starlight' service from Seattle to San Diego travels right through the heart of the Northern California region and enables passengers to enjoy remarkable scenery.

FEATURED ATTRACTIONS

	Grapes on the Vine

The wines of California are now taken very seriously amongst world aficionados. Many are on par with Old World wines - in quality as well as in terms of high price. Serious wine production began here in 1857 when Hungarian Count Agoston Haraszthy purchased a defunct vineyard. A huge variety of wines are now produced, from budget table wines to rare and coveted vintages, and all these are now exported throughout the world. There are vineyards in many different regions of California, but the two most well known and prestigious wine-producing areas are in the Napa Valley and the Sonoma Valley - both in Northern California and a relatively short drive from the San Francisco Area. Though these two valleys only produce 5% of California wines, their product includes the best that the state has to offer, and many awards at world wine festivals have been won by the vintages of this area.

The Napa Valley is the most famous of all the vineyard areas, but many actually find the adjacent and more relaxing Sonoma Valley preferable. In the Sonoma Valley many of the wineries are smaller, less commercialized, and free tastings are the rule rather than the exception. The Sonoma Valley is very beautiful with mountains covered in oak trees and a very continental atmosphere. The town of Sonoma is Spanish Colonial in style - with an attractive central plaza. Worth a visit here is the Mission San Francisco Solano de Sonoma - the most northern of the famous chain of missions built by Spanish colonialists throughout the state. This was built because of fear of Russian colonization.

The Napa Valley is much busier and more commercialized, the main centers are the towns of Napa and the more appealing St. Helena and Calistoga. Scenically the Napa Valley is reminiscent of the South of France, so it is very appealing to the eye. Of the many large wineries here perhaps the most well known to the general public is the Robert Mondavi Winery. This winery provides an excellent tour that is very informative concerning the actual process of making wine. Nearly all the Napa Valley wineries charge for tasting, but at around $3 for three different wines it is not overly expensive. A great way of seeing the valley is to take a ride on the Napa Valley Wine Train - lunch and dinner are included with some good wines thrown in.

The coastline of Northern California is spectacular. Running from Marin County north of San Francisco to the border with Oregon, this is totally inspiring. Very different from the traditional beaches of Southern California, the coast here is more suited for long hikes and absorbing nature on misty trails. Rocky and wild rather than sandy and sunny is the norm here. Swimming is rarely an option as the tides and currents are too powerful and the water far too cold, while some may surf here, it is nowhere near as widespread as it is further south. Wildlife viewing is marvelous, and it is often possible to see whales (in winter the Grey whale migrates southwards past this coast) and sea lions from the shore. Many interesting towns and communities are situated along the way. These include, (progressing northwards) aesthetically impressive but trendy Mendocino, Fort Bragg - equally attractive but more down to earth. Eureka is a main center for the coastal region and has an interesting historic section - full of beautiful Victorian homes, and Arcata a classic California 60s- style academic town.

Perhaps the most interesting example of coastline to see is the Lost Coast. This is so called because when they built Highway 1 the terrain was too challenging for the engineers, so this part of the coastline remains largely inaccessible. There is a fairly rough road to this coast that leads to the small and isolated community of Shelter Cove, the cliffs formed by the King Mountains provide a breathtaking contrast to the black sand beaches below. Drive carefully because fog is common and this creates an atmosphere that is sometimes almost macabre.

Tunnel through a Redwood Tree

This stretch of coast is really the beginning of true redwood country, even though they can be found further south, it is here that the massive forests of redwoods begin. These trees have been know to live for over 2000 years, the world's tallest one being almost 368 feet (112 metres) tall. Their diameter can reach 22 feet (6.7 metres). Everybody has seen the famous pictures of cars driving through a tunnel carved in the base of a tree, though of course with today's environmental awareness such practices are no longer accepted, but such tunnels can still be found. The best redwood forests can be found at Humboldt Redwoods State Park with its Avenue of the Giants - a 32 mile (51 km) highway that covers some very impressive old-growth forest. Further north from Eureka is the Redwood National Park. Here you will find Tall Trees Grove with the 369 foot tree, and Lady Bird Johnson Grove. You will also find the Drive-Through Tree (no longer promoted by the National Parks Service, but nonetheless very popular - evident by the seemingly endless supply of postcards available of this attraction.)

	Mount Shasta

Of all Northern California's wide variety of destinations, the least visited is probably the Northern Mountains. The town of Redding is significant as a service center for the mountain region and is a great base for touring them. There are four locations - all different - containing the name Shasta. The town of Shasta is a former town from the gold boom and has been made into the Shasta State Historic Park. The Shasta Courthouse is particularly evocative of this rather uncivilized period of California history and now houses an intriguing museum. The Whiskytown-Shasta-Trinity National Park Area, consists of a series of lakes with artificial beaches that provide great water sports. Hiking trails are aplenty here. Shasta Lake is one of these lakes as well as an adjacent community, and the world's highest manmade waterfall is here. This was formed by the Shasta Dam which is pretty impressive especially for lovers of hydroelectric engineering. Finally, and further north is the actual Mount Shasta a town named for the mountain which towers adjacent to it. This is California's sixth highest mountain, but looks particularly good because no neighboring peaks come anywhere close to rivaling it in height. Great hiking is available here, and in winter the skiing is also very good.

In the very northeast of the state is Lava Beds National Monument, never seen by many from California - let alone anyone else. This is because of its isolation, and not because it is not worth visiting - the lava beds are most impressive, and feature all the usual lava-based attractions, including flows, craters and tubes. You can take an official tour of the lava tubes, or borrow a flashlight provided by a ranger, and go on a self-guided tour.