California Dreaming: Up the Pacific Coast and Into the Redwoods
This California road trip was not something we meticulously planned. Then again, some of our best adventures rarely are. With a rental car beneath us and a few days before we needed to be in San Francisco, we headed for the coast and turned north. What followed was a wandering journey up California Highway 1—past rocky beaches, little coastal towns, roadside oddities, and scenery that repeatedly wrecked whatever schedule I thought we had—before finally disappearing beneath the giant redwoods of Northern California.
Along the way, we discovered a side of California far removed from the palm trees, crowded beaches, and sprawling cities so often associated with the state. This was a wilder California—a coastline carved by wind and waves, lonely stretches of highway clinging to the edge of the continent, misty forests, weathered little towns, and redwoods that have stood for centuries. We stopped often, cameras in hand, trying to capture at least a little of what made this corner of California so unforgettable.
What follows is less a travel guide than a photographic journey—a look at the rugged beauty, unexpected discoveries, and memorable places we encountered along the road from the Pacific coast into Redwood Country.
Wine Country, Napa County — Vineyards and golden hills greeted us as we made our way west from Fairfield toward the California coast.
Our first glimpse of the Pacific after leaving Napa — the rugged Sonoma Coast near Goat Rock, with Highway 1 and the long road north still ahead of us.
Jilly’s Real Food Roadhouse — Sometimes the best road-trip stops are the ones you stumble across along the way.
Jilly’s Real Food Roadhouse, Jenner — Liza seemed pretty pleased with our choice of lunch stops.
Lunch with a View — Jilly’s Real Food Roadhouse in Jenner served up lunch with a spectacular view of the Russian River winding through the coastal hills below.
California Highway 1 — Leaving Jenner behind, we followed the twisting coastal highway north, with the Pacific beside us and no shortage of reasons to pull over along the way.
Surf Inn, Gualala — Our first night on the road brought us to this peaceful little inn overlooking the Gualala River, with the Bluff Trail and the rugged Pacific coast just steps away.
Gualala Bluff Trail — Selah explores the quiet trail behind our motel, with the Gualala River below and the Pacific just beyond the bluff.
Morning along the bluff at the Surf Inn, overlooking the Gualala River estuary and the Pacific.
Gualala River Estuary — Harbor seals bask on the sandbar where the Gualala River meets the Pacific, one of our first glimpses of the wild beauty awaiting us along California’s North Coast.
Gualala River Estuary — Harbor seals lounge on the sandbar at the mouth of the Gualala River, where the calm waters of the estuary give way to the open Pacific.
Gualala River Estuary — Dozens of harbor seals gather on the broad sandbar separating the calm Gualala River from the open Pacific.
Gualala River Estuary — From the bluffs above Gualala, the quiet waters of the river meet the rugged Pacific coast, offering our first real taste of Northern California’s wild shoreline.
St. Orres Restaurant and Inn, just north of Gualala, with its unmistakable Russian-inspired architecture.
Cooks Beach — Just two miles north of Gualala, this secluded cove of driftwood, rocky cliffs, and golden evening light gave us our first real taste of the rugged Mendocino Coast.
Cooks Beach — Evening light spills across this secluded Mendocino cove, where Glennen Gulch Creek winds across the sand before meeting the Pacific.
California’s North Coast — Rocky sea stacks rise from the brilliant blue Pacific, a scene repeated in countless variations along California’s wild and rugged coastline.
Van Damme State Beach — We stopped at this sheltered cove just south of Mendocino, where kayakers set out to explore the sea caves and natural arches hidden along the rocky coastline.
Mendocino — Weathered storefronts and Victorian-era buildings line the streets of this historic coastal village, perched above the Pacific along California’s rugged North Coast.
Mendocino — The town’s visitor center, surrounded by colorful gardens and overlooking the Pacific, perfectly captures the quiet coastal character of this historic village.
Mendocino — Gas was $9.79 a gallon. I bought one gallon—just enough to get us to the next town, where I hoped the laws of economics worked differently.
California’s North Coast — Mile after mile, Highway 1 delivered views like this: broad empty beaches, pounding Pacific surf, and a rugged coastline stretching toward the horizon.
California’s North Coast — Wildflowers and golden grasses frame another spectacular view along Highway 1, where forested hills tumble down toward the Pacific.
California’s North Coast — A quiet coastal lagoon, weathered driftwood, and a hidden beach tucked beneath the cliffs—another unexpected scene waiting just off Highway 1.
Golden hour along California’s North Coast, where every bend in Highway 1 seemed to reveal another reason to stop.
Leaving the coast behind, the landscape began to change as we entered the deep forests of Northern California’s redwood country.
The Avenue of the Giants—31 miles of road winding through some of the tallest living things on Earth.
Highway 101 beneath the towering coast redwoods as we continue north through California’s Redwood Country.
The Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree in Leggett—a living coast redwood with a passage carved through its trunk in the 1930s. At roughly 276 feet tall, it remains one of Northern California’s classic roadside attractions.
The view from behind the wheel as we squeezed the Jeep through the Chandelier Tree—a 315-foot coast redwood near Leggett, California.
Our first up-close encounter with California’s giants at the Chandelier Tree in Leggett—a living coast redwood large enough to drive straight through.
Looking skyward beneath the towering redwoods—a perspective that finally begins to convey just how immense these ancient trees really are.
Out here, the road doesn’t cut through the forest. It simply finds a way between the trees.
Sunlight filters through the canopy as a towering coast redwood disappears into the forest above.
Confusion Hill has been puzzling travelers along the Redwood Highway since 1949.
Founded by George Hudson after World War II, the quirky roadside attraction was inspired by places such as the Oregon Vortex and Santa Cruz Mystery Spot. Its famous Gravity House uses steep angles and visual illusions to make water appear to run uphill and visitors feel as though gravity itself has gone haywire. In 2010, Confusion Hill was officially recognized as a California State Point of Historical Interest.
Liza and Dad, thoroughly confused at Confusion Hill.
The kids testing gravity—and their own sense of balance—at Confusion Hill along California’s Redwood Highway.
This bear totem is just one of the wonderfully strange roadside sights at Confusion Hill, tucked away among the redwoods of Northern California.
Arie and Liza inside the Shoe House at Confusion Hill—apparently irresistible when you’re the right size.
If you look very closely, you will see an actual playground being dwarfed by the trees.
Arie and Selah step into the wonderfully crooked world of Confusion Hill, where even the buildings seem to have lost their balance.
Selah hangs on while Arie conducts his own investigation into the laws of gravity at Confusion Hill.
Selah testing the laws of gravity inside the wonderfully crooked world of Confusion Hill.
Scientific testing at Confusion Hill. Results remain inconclusive.
Liza, apparently unconvinced by the mysteries of Confusion Hill.
Back on the road after Confusion Hill, we continued north beneath the towering coast redwoods.
Among the coast redwoods, where even a wide-angle lens struggles to capture their immense height.
A quick roadside stop at the Redwoods Market & Deli along Highway 101—exactly the kind of place that makes a Northern California road trip feel like a road trip.
Deep in the redwoods, sunlight finds its way to the forest floor.
Arie, Liza, and Selah provide a little perspective on just how enormous the coastal redwoods really are.
Rebecca and Liza wander beneath the giants, where even an ordinary walk through the woods becomes something extraordinary.
Arie and Selah disappear inside the hollow of an ancient redwood while Liza explores out front—three very small kids in a very, very big forest.
Rebecca, Selah and Liza among the giants… and one not yet ready to pose for a picture.
Arie tries his hand at redwood rodeo. Eight seconds, cowboy.
Liza waits impatiently for her turn at riding the giant tree.
Having survived the Redwood Rodeo, Arie assumes command of the expedition.
When a redwood falls, it doesn’t exactly go quietly.
After leaving the Avenue of the Giants, we continued north to Eureka, where we would spend the night before turning south for San Francisco the following morning. But before getting back on the road, we had a little time to explore this historic harbor town on Humboldt Bay.
The magnificent Carson Mansion, Eureka’s most famous Victorian landmark and one of the grandest examples of Queen Anne architecture on the West Coast.
Eureka’s unmistakable Pink Lady, an ornate 1889 Queen Anne Victorian and one of the colorful architectural treasures of the city’s historic district.
Eureka’s waterfront—a working harbor of fishing boats, sailboats, and Victorian architecture along Humboldt Bay.
Arie along Eureka’s waterfront, with the fishing fleet of Humboldt Bay behind him.
We enjoyed a great dinner at Woodley Island Marina on the waterfront in Eureka — a fitting end to a long day on the Northern California coast.
Arie, Liza, and Selah take in the boats at Woodley Island Marina in Eureka.
After enjoying a delicious dinner at The Woodley Island on the marina, we tucked the kids into bed and found some rest ourselves, ready to greet whatever adventure came with the morning.
Southbound again, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and leaving Northern California’s redwood country behind.
And with that, our mad dash through Northern California’s redwood country was behind us. In just a few days we had followed the coast, wandered beneath ancient redwoods, climbed through hollow trees, survived the mysteries of Confusion Hill, and accumulated the sort of family memories that never quite happen according to plan. But as the Golden Gate rose ahead, this adventure wasn’t really ending—we were simply trading the redwoods for the streets of San Francisco. And that, as they say, is another adventure and another story.
Happy travels,
Big John
Posted in Adventurous Places, North America and tagged California, California Coast, California Highway 1, California Redwoods, California Road Trip, Coastal Road Trip, Family Travel, Gualala, Mendocino, Mendocino Coast, Northern California, Northern California Road Trip, Pacific Coast, Redwood Country
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