Northern California Self-Drive Tour

Enjoy a full day exploring San Francisco. You may wish to take a boat trip out on the bay, visit Chinatown with its quirky shops and decorative gate, take a stroll along Fisherman's Wharf and see the sea lions at Pier 39, or take a trip on one of the city's iconic cable cars.

Take a boat trip out to the former prison island of Alcatraz. Here you can enjoy an audio tour of the old prison, learning about the lives of former inmates and the ways in which they attempted to escape. Afterwards, you may wish to cycle over the Golden Gate Bridge, have lunch by the water at the bayside suburb of Sausalito, and take a ferry back across the bay to Fisherman's Wharf.

Collect your rental car and drive north over the Golden Gate Bridge to the rolling vineyards of Sonoma County, around an hour away. This afternoon you could visit some of the area's vineyards to sample locally produced wines and indulge in an alfresco lunch.

Today explore further afield in Sonoma's vast county, you could drive out to the coast at Timber Cove or Bodega Bay to spot whales or spend the afternoon paddling down the Russian River on your way to taste some more of the finest wines in the county.

Drive for around three and a half hours up the stunning coast of highway 1 to the pretty Victorian town of Mendocino on the coast. On the drive we can highly recommend making stops at Bodega Bay, Point Arena and Elk, for impressive coastal views. On arrival at Mendocino you can explore its old painted houses and art shops, as well as cafés and wineries. You may wish to visit the nearby Montgomery Woods State Park to admire more ancient redwoods, or head to Mendocino Bay for incredible coastal views.

Journey north along the beautiful coastline of northern California to Trinidad. The drive takes around three and a half hours, but there are many scenic state parks to stop at on the way. Be sure to visit the Avenue of the Giants trees in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Trinidad itself is home to beautifully rugged driftwood-strewn beaches, ideal for a secluded sunset stroll.

Spend the day on a guided tour to learn about the enormous redwood trees of Redwood National Park. Some trees here can grow up to 100 m (328 ft) in height and are over 2,000 years old. Your guide will talk about the trees and their history, as well as the park's wildlife — look out for herds of elk, which thrive in these coastal forests.

Leave Trinidad behind this morning and drive for around four and a half hours north to Mount Shasta. Along the way you pass through the beautiful scenery of Trinity National Forest and Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, where you could stop for a stroll and a picnic. Once at Mount Shasta, you may have time to follow one of the many walking trails. We like the loop trail that takes in several waterfalls along the McCloud River. There's also the Panther Meadow Loop, which follows the spring water through the alpine meadows.

Leave Mount Shasta behind this morning and drive south a couple of hours to Lassen Volcanic National Park. Home to steaming fumaroles, meadows freckled with wildflowers, clear mountain lakes, and numerous volcanoes. We can highly recommend spending most of the day exploring the park and taking a couple of short hikes here before making your way to your overnight accommodation.

This morning, wind your way south enjoying dramatic mountain scenery, passing Lake Almanor and Plumas National Forest before reaching the north of Lake Tahoe. Wherever you stay around the lake is sure to afford sweeping views of the surrounding mountain ranges and the 72 miles of stretching shoreline as it sinks into glistening blue waters.

Today you have a whole day exploring Lake Tahoe, try your hand at stand-up paddle boarding, take a boat cruise on the lake to Emerald Bay on M.S Dixie or enjoy a high altitude gondola ride to the top of Heavenly Mountain. The lake offers a plethora of exciting outdoor activities to enjoy during your day here.

Make your way back west through the mountains and back to San Francisco — a drive of around four hours. Once at the airport, you can drop off your rental car before boarding your onward flight.