Corona Day Trips: SF Bay Area
If you’re like me, you’re probably antsy to get back to traveling. However, I still don’t think that leisure travel, especially flying abroad, is the best idea. So, that leaves us with road trips. Now, I’m going on a long road trip in just under 2 weeks, but for those of you who don’t have the stamina to travel for an extended period of time in your car, day trips are a perfect way to break out of the cabin fever and explore some new places close to home. I know I’ve enjoyed doing that!
Without further ado, here are my favorite car day trips from my home in the San Francisco Bay Area, that take into account social distancing requirements and generally avoiding other people.
Going South:
The Pacific Coast Highway (PCH, or CA-1) is one of the most legendary drives in the world. It technically spans from up near the Oregon Border down to San Diego, but the most iconic stretch is from San Francisco to Los Angeles. This day trip encompasses the first part of that drive.
Crossing over to CA-1 in Pacifica, you’ll start the 60 mile scenic drive down the coast to your first stop, Santa Cruz. Along the way, you’ll drive through some small towns like Half Moon Bay, Pescadero, and Davenport. Feel free to pull over at any turnout or viewpoint you like and snap some photos of the iconic coastline.
Eventually, you’ll pull into Santa Cruz at the northern tip of Monterey Bay. There’s plenty to do here, from surfing to relaxing on the beach to visiting the famous boardwalk (may be closed due to coronavirus). Whenever you’re ready, continue down CA-1 another 45 miles to Monterey, on the other end of the bay.
Here, you can hike at Jacks Peak Park and see an incredible view of the surrounding region. Or, head into town to the old Fisherman’s Wharf and look at the boats bringing in the fresh catch. But, no trip to Monterey is complete without a stroll down Cannery Row, the city’s main drag, which used to be a big hub for sardine canning (hence the name) but now has lots of shops, restaurants, and the world-famous Monterey Bay Aquarium (also may be closed due to coronavirus).
However, your day isn’t over yet! Continuing down south CA-1 another 18 miles, you’ll find the second-most famous bridge in California (after the Golden Gate, of course): the Bixby Creek Viaduct. Built in 1932 to finish the PCH, now it looks like something right out of a car commercial with its glorious arch and stone design.
Once you’re finished imagining driving across the bridge with a sports car, head back up north CA-1 through Monterey. From Monterey, you have several choices of heading back to San Francisco. Either continue north on CA-1 all the way up the coast the way you came, take CA-1 north to Santa Cruz where you can cut over to CA-17 north and I-280 north, or take CA-1 north to CA-152, where you cut across to US-101 north and ride that road all the way back to San Francisco.
Going North:
North Bay has some incredible sights too, including another drive on the lesser-known parts of the PCH! Start your day by driving across the most famous bridge in California, the Golden Gate. With its iconic red hue, you can’t miss it! Drive across the bridge and take the exit just after you reach the northern edge of the bridge to the vista point.
Snap as many photos as you want, and then continue on US-101 northwards for 11 miles to the town of San Rafael. Here, get off the freeway and drive through the town until you reach Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. The 18-mile-long road is twisty, but incredibly scenic so sit back, relax and enjoy the drive.
Eventually, you’ll hit a fork in the town of Olema where the road connects with CA-1, or the PCH. Take CA-1 northwards 2.5 miles to the town of Point Reyes Station, where you can stop and refresh yourself before heading back out onto the road. Grab some snacks or something.
You’ll have to backtrack about a quarter mile, but Sir Francis Drake Boulevard continues into Point Reyes National Seashore. Follow that road up about 5 miles to Inverness, a small, pretty uninteresting town except for the fact it has a shipwreck called the SS Point Reyes that’s pretty cool to check out.
About 6 miles up Sir Francis Drake Boulevard from Inverness is the Cypress Tree Tunnel. The road is very decrepit and made of dirt in some parts, but trust me, the effort to get to the tree tunnel is worth it. In the middle of all this farmland with cows and horses, a line of trees suddenly appears, with a road paved through the middle of it to a far off building. The building was some sort of radio station during WWI, but the trees bended in a sort of way to form a natural tunnel, perfect for some photos.
After the tunnel, you can continue up the road to the lighthouse at the end of the point, or you can turn around and go home like I did. Except the drive home is part of the fun! Drive down Sir Francis Drake Boulevard through Inverness until you reach the intersection with CA-1 just south of Point Reyes Station. Then, instead of taking the road back through San Rafael, continue down CA-1 south along the coast.
The road is even windier than it was on the way here, but, trust me, it’s worth it. You’ll pass through farmland, then redwood forest, then the beach, and finally, you’ll start to climb up the jagged rock coast. There aren’t many places to stop and take photos, but the views are unbeatable.
Finally, you’ll meet up again with US-101 south and take the Golden Gate Bridge back into San Francisco.
Going East:
This trip starts by heading across the other bridge out of San Francisco, the Bay Bridge. Once you reach the eastern side of the bridge in Oakland, take I-580 east towards CA-24. Switch onto CA-24 and drive on that freeway until just after the Caldecott Tunnels, where you’ll take the Fish Ranch Road exit.
Follow that road, then turn right onto Grizzly Peak Boulevard and drive up the road. Feel free to stop at any viewpoint or pull out along the road to snap some photos of the views over the bay. From Grizzly Peak Blvd, continue down the road through the hills and into the residential area until you reach the Berkeley Rose Garden. (Just put it in your GPS.)
The Rose Garden is a nice place to stop and relax for a little while and take a bit of a break. Whenever you’re finished, go back into the hills and into Tilden Park on Wildcat Canyon Road. Tilden Park is great for hiking, wandering, and scenic viewpoints like Inspiration Point, so stay here as long as you like.
Afterwards, the fun part of the drive begins. Continue up Wildcat Canyon Road until it reaches the stoplight at San Pablo Dam Road. Go straight through the light, where the road turns into Bear Creek Road for 8.5 miles and curves through the golden hills of the East Bay. Stop anywhere you want to take photos.
After the 8.5 miles, the road reaches another fork, where you’ll turn right onto Alhambra Valley Road, equally as scenic as Bear Creek Road. When you reach the fork with Reliez Valley Road, turn left to stay on Alhambra Valley Road. Eventually, Alhambra Valley Road leads into Alhambra Avenue, which you’ll turn left at and take for a half mile.
Just before the freeway entrance onto CA-4, turn left onto Franklin Canyon Road. This road has incredible views of the Carquinez Strait, so stop wherever you like and take some photos! About 3.5 miles up Franklin Canyon Road, turn right onto McEwen Road, a windy road through the hills, where you’ll eventually reach the small town of Port Costa. Here, you can rest for a couple minutes and catch your breath from all that scenic driving, or continue onto the Carquinez Scenic Drive for another 3.5 miles to the town of Crockett.
There’s more eating options in Crockett than in Port Costa, but either way, whenever you’re ready, make your way to I-80 and take it westbound towards San Francisco back across the Bay Bridge. If you want a nice view of the city, take the Ashby Avenue exit off of I-80 and park anywhere along the Frontage Road for a good photo. Then, hop back onto I-80 west and ride it back to SF.
Going West:
Seeing as going west would lead straight into the Pacific Ocean, I don’t think that’s a good idea. However, you can head to Baker Beach (which might currently have a closed parking lot due to coronavirus), one of the western-most points in the city, for the absolutely iconic view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the San Francisco side.
