Redwoods & Wine Country loop
Giant trees and great glasses.
Four days north of San Francisco — Sonoma and Anderson Valley tastings, the Avenue of the Giants' ancient redwoods and Mendocino's headland village.
4 days, 409 mi, roughly 10h 57m of driving spread across them — San Francisco, CA to San Francisco, CA.
Each day below is paced around a realistic amount of time in the car, with stops, timings and somewhere to sleep already worked out. Swap anything you don't like, or rebuild a whole day.
Your days
Redwoods to seals to a cliff-top village: the coast keeps changing its mind all day.
From the river town, the road climbs into deep redwood shade within minutes.
The road follows the Russian River downstream until it opens onto the sea.
Overnight in Mendocino, CA
- View
Sea Rock Inn
guesthouse · 1.1 km from the centre★ 4.9 · 11101 Lansing St, Mendocino - View
Headlands Inn Bed & Breakfast
guesthouse · 0.1 km from the centre★ 4.9 · 10453 Howard St, Mendocino - View
Joshua Grindle Inn
guesthouse · 0.4 km from the centre★ 4.9 · 44800 Little Lake Rd, Mendocino - View
Browse places to stay
Mendocino, CA
Booking happens on the partner's site.
- Book Boon Eat + Drink ahead, it's small and popular
- Highway 1 north of Jenner is slow and winding — budget extra time
- No low-emission zone concerns outside SF; parking in Mendocino village is easy but limited in summer
- Bodega Head+5 mi
Dramatic headland viewpoint, whale watching in season, a few km detour off Highway 1.
- Point Reyes Station+16 mi
Charming ranch-country town with famed cheese producers, a worthwhile stop if starting earlier.
Coastal bluffs at sunrise, redwood forests by train at dusk, and a lighthouse gilded in the last light.
Start the day steps from the inn, on the bluffs the village is named for.
Overnight in Mendocino, CA
- View
Sea Rock Inn
guesthouse · 1.1 km from the centre★ 4.9 · 11101 Lansing St, Mendocino - View
Headlands Inn Bed & Breakfast
guesthouse · 0.1 km from the centre★ 4.9 · 10453 Howard St, Mendocino - View
Joshua Grindle Inn
guesthouse · 0.4 km from the centre★ 4.9 · 44800 Little Lake Rd, Mendocino - View
Browse places to stay
Mendocino, CA
Booking happens on the partner's site.
- Park once in the village — Mendocino's headlands and center are all walkable
- Café Beaujolais books up — reserve early in the day
- Skunk Train departs from Fort Bragg depot, buy tickets online for peak season
- Russian Gulch State Park+3 mi
Sea tunnel, waterfall trail and a small cove, a few minutes north of the village.
- Jug Handle State Natural Reserve+6 mi
An 'ecological staircase' of terraces showing 500,000 years of landscape change, easy trail.
Fog gives way to vineyard sun as you trade the coast for Anderson Valley wine country and Healdsburg's plaza.
Overnight in Healdsburg, CA
- View
Grape Leaf Inn
guesthouse · 0.5 km from the centre★ 4.8 · 539 Johnson St, Healdsburg - View
The Madrona
hotel · 1.6 km from the centre★ 4.7 · 1001 Westside Rd, Healdsburg - View
Harmon Guest House
hotel · 0.2 km from the centre★ 4.7 · 227 Healdsburg Ave, Healdsburg - View
Browse places to stay
Healdsburg, CA
Booking happens on the partner's site.
- Highway 128 through Anderson Valley is winding — allow extra driving time
- Navarro Vineyards tasting is free and casual, no booking needed
- Healdsburg gets busy on weekends — book Shed or dinner ahead if possible
- Hendy Woods State Park+3 mi
Beautiful redwood grove with easy loop trails, right along the Anderson Valley route.
- Dry Creek Valley+9 mi
A quieter, scenic wine road north of Healdsburg lined with historic wineries and orchards.
One last vineyard town: stroll Sonoma's historic plaza in the morning, then lunch at a storied table before the bridge home.
From the plaza, head to this storied restaurant for your final meal of the trip.
- Sonoma Plaza parking fills by midday — arrive early or park a block off the square
- Reserve The Girl & The Fig for lunch, it's popular with day-trippers
- Highway 101 south to SF can be slow in late afternoon — leave buffer time
- Jack London State Historic Park+7 mi
The writer's former ranch and cottage ruins set in oak woodland, a short detour from Sonoma.
- Cornerstone Sonoma+2 mi
Gardens and artisanal shops just south of town, a relaxed final stop if time allows.
This route was drafted with AI. Please double-check roads, opening hours and local conditions before you go.
Questions, answered
- How long does this route take?
- 4 days as planned here, covering 409 mi — an average of 103 mi a day and about 10h 57m of driving in total. You can stretch it by adding days, which spreads the same distance more thinly rather than adding new ground.
- Can I drive it in fewer days?
- You can, but the driving days get longer rather than the trip getting shorter: the distance doesn't change. Cutting one day from a 4-day plan adds roughly 103 mi to whichever days absorb it. If you're short on time, it's usually better to cut the far end of the route than to compress every day.
- Is this a loop?
- Yes, this one returns to where it starts, so a hire car goes back to the same desk and you don't pay a one-way fee.
- Can I change this itinerary?
- Yes. Open it in the planner and every stop can be swapped for one of three alternatives, any day can be rebuilt, and you can add or remove days. The drive times and the budget recalculate around whatever you change.
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