Northern California Road Trip: Point Reyes National Seashore, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Redwood National Park, Pinnacles National Park

For my milestone birthday, I decided to take an spur-of-the-moment adventure to explore Northern California. That's how I like to roll sometimes. Some of my most memorable trips are those trips that are unplanned and when I depend on locals for their advice. I've never ventured up to visit this part of California so it was exciting for me to take this road trip to see beautiful places along the Redwood Coast.  During this road trip, I got to check off the remaining national parks on my California bucket list.

There was an abundance of wildlife during my trip up north.  I saw tule elk, countless deer (especially at night along and on the road), elephant seals, and coyotes.

The park ranger recommended a visit to Drake's Beach. The coast reminded me of Jalama Beach in the Central Coast.

I've always wanted to try the local oysters on the coast in this part of the state, so we headed up to Fishetarian Fish Market in Bodega Bay for dinner since the Marshall Store was already closed for the day. They had an awesome craft beer selection including Pliny the Elder on tap.

Local Point Reyes oysters

I've always wanted to make the pilgrimage to Russian River Brewery (one of the best breweries in the world) so since we were staying in Santa Rosa, we stopped by for a craft beer tasting and dinner.  We had a margherita pizza and chicken wings for dinner. The food was not out ordinary. It was all about the beer. This was a craft beer lover's dream come true.

This is said to be "the oldest grocery store in the United States" located in Healdburg owned by the same Frenchman who now owns Buena Vista Winery.

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I returned to Sonoma after more than 10 years for some winetasting at some historic wineries. Buena Vista Winery is the oldest commercial winery in California.

Buena Vista Winery is a must for the historians. Try to schedule a tour ahead of time as we arrived too late to participate. The grounds are a bit "cheesy" but if you read up about the new owner, he is trying to make wine more approachable and fun.

Next up was Sebastiani Winery to taste their wine. I was a able to get a taste of their 96-point rated Cherryblock Cabernet Savignon.

For a true Sonoma "country" experience, I recommend breakfast at Estero Cafe in Valley Ford. They use local lard to fry their french fries and onion rings. Another must in Sonoma is the Girl and the Fig.

We spent the night at a beachfront property and had access to this private beach in Fort Bragg.

The blue water of Lake Helen at Lassen Volcanic National Park was a nice stop to enjoy the banh mi sandwich I brought from a Vietnamese restaurant in Stockton.

It was freezing and windy during my hike down to Bumpass Hell. It was about about 2 hours round trip. I've never seen anything like it and well worth the effort!

The smell of sulfur (rotten eggs) was part of the experience around the volcanic park.

Bubbling mudpot at Sulphur Works

Lassen Peak at dusk

Burney Falls. The most gorgeous waterfall I have seen in California. This was a nice surprise that I discovered while staying at a motel in Burney. I had no idea that these beautiful waterfalls are close to Lassen Volcanic National Park.

This was the devastation area around Whiskeytown National Recreation Area from the Carr Fire.

The park ranger recommended Fern Canyon as a must see at Redwood State and National Park. The road to Fern Canyon at times was single lane so it might be a challenge for some drivers. To get to the lot at the end of the road, you'll need a high clearance vehicle. If not, park when you see the first creek (there's 2 before you reach the Fern Canyon parking lot) and walk to the end of the road.

Fern Canyon at Redwood National Park. This lush area was used as a backdrop for "The Lost World: Jurassic Park." Some of the ferns are species that were around the age of the dinosaurs.

One of the newest national parks is Pinnacles National Park.  It's on the smaller side with about a 3 mile road I was told. 

I decided to do the recommended cave hike where you will have to squeeze through tight spaces and will need a flash light or headlamp. 

During my hike, I experienced a 4.7 earthquake. The park is located near the boundary of the Pacific Plate and the San Andreas Fault.  It was quite scary to hear the loud rumble then a jolt. I wasn't sure if it was an earthquake, but confirmed it was at the Nature Center. Fortunately, I wasn't inside of the cave when it happened. 

The park gets hot so I planned to do another couple hours of hiking after the cave hike. I did the nearby Condor Trail which hooks up to the High Peaks Trail. I recommend this hike earlier in the day when it is cooler. I took frequent breaks in the shade and ran out of water. Bring plenty of water. In the summer, the temperature can reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

The first cave before the main cave.

Some of the rock formations at the park formed from an volcano located in Lancaster, California. The rocks have shifted north to Central California.

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Brisket sandwich and crispy brussels sprouts in Healdsburg. I came back to Healdsburg to have dinner at this barbecue spot. This place was delicious. I enjoyed this place more than Bravas Bar de Tapas.

The clear waters of Lake Tahoe. I drove up to see Emerald Bay which didn't meet my expectations. The view is covered by trees. A better view is down the street on the side of the road, but there's limited parking.

We walked around Truckee, California after Lake Tahoe and had lunch at Burger Me in this historic district. Get their onion rings!

It was an action packed 9-day road trip and I had an unforgettable experience. I was able to do so many things and saw parts of California that not many people get to see such as hydro thermal activity at Lassen Volcanic National Park, observe plenty of wildlife, and the hike the rugged beauty of the unique Northern California redwood coast.  

I bought an America the Beautiful annual pass while I was in Pinnacles National Park to explore even more National Parks, National Forests, and Bureau of Land Management areas.  I'm already looking forward to my next National Parks road trip.

​Until next time...