from wine country to Yosemite
Jul 10th, 2007, 09:41 AM
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from wine country to Yosemite
I will be traveling from San Francisco to Wine Country then to Yosemite. We are just making a quick stop in Wine Country. Will it be better to stay in Napa or Sonoma? It seems that people have their opinions on which they like more but I am wondering which is on the way. Thanks!
Jul 10th, 2007, 10:03 AM
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Neither are on the way. They are both north of SF while Yosemite is east.
If you are a first time visitor looking for a little bit of California history as well as vineyards, I'd recommend the town of Sonoma. If you are a foodie, I'd recommend Yountville. If you want to be very near the wineries and like boutique shops, I'd recommend St. Helena or Healdsburg. Napa and Santa Rosa are bigger cities. Most of the nice hotels in Napa and Sonoma are very expensive.
An alternative is the Sierra Foothill Wine Country. Both the town of Plymouth and Murphys are surrounded by lovely vineyards and smaller wineries. This area is just a short detour from your route into Yosemite. You'll find that the wineries, hotels, and restaurants are much more reasonable in price in this area.
If you are a first time visitor looking for a little bit of California history as well as vineyards, I'd recommend the town of Sonoma. If you are a foodie, I'd recommend Yountville. If you want to be very near the wineries and like boutique shops, I'd recommend St. Helena or Healdsburg. Napa and Santa Rosa are bigger cities. Most of the nice hotels in Napa and Sonoma are very expensive.
An alternative is the Sierra Foothill Wine Country. Both the town of Plymouth and Murphys are surrounded by lovely vineyards and smaller wineries. This area is just a short detour from your route into Yosemite. You'll find that the wineries, hotels, and restaurants are much more reasonable in price in this area.
Jul 10th, 2007, 11:31 AM
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Jul 10th, 2007, 01:45 PM
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Thanks for the input thus far. I know that Napa/Sonoma are not directly in route to Yosemite, but we were planning on making the drive. Is it worth it to got there(ie.Sonoma) for a day and a half or should we just go to Livermore, towns of Plymouth/Murphys instead?
Jul 10th, 2007, 02:28 PM
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I'd drive straight over the Golden Gate bridge, up highway #101 for an hour, to Healdsburg. Spend the night then wander through Alexander Valley into the North end of Napa Valley. You'll be in Calistoga. Drive South through the Napa Valley and then pick a route to get you to Yosemite. You'll see more of both Sonoma and Napa counties..skip the town of Sonoma, its out of the way. You can visit wineries along the way, or just see the beautiful countryside. If you are doing this mid week, you'll have no problem staying just one night in any of the hotels. If its a weekend you'll have to be more creative. Try www.sonomacountyvacations.com
Jul 10th, 2007, 02:31 PM
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I think it depends on what you want out of the trip in addition to the wine because you will find good wine in each place.
Sonoma is very focused on wine so it has that atmosphere. It is more upscale, has a focus on premium foods as well, locally grown specialty stuff. There are spas in the area too, it is known for being a romantic place. Livermore is a central valley town without a lot of atmosphere per se, but they make some excellent wine there. The sierra foothills are something else entirely - you've got all the gold rush history and some towns still have a bit of a frontier feel to them, things are more rugged, less refined, and they make great wine.
So it just depends on what you want in addition to the wine.
Sonoma is very focused on wine so it has that atmosphere. It is more upscale, has a focus on premium foods as well, locally grown specialty stuff. There are spas in the area too, it is known for being a romantic place. Livermore is a central valley town without a lot of atmosphere per se, but they make some excellent wine there. The sierra foothills are something else entirely - you've got all the gold rush history and some towns still have a bit of a frontier feel to them, things are more rugged, less refined, and they make great wine.
So it just depends on what you want in addition to the wine.
Jul 11th, 2007, 10:55 AM
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Ok - East Bay 
Pretty soon we are going to be classifying Tracy and Stockton as East Bay - LOL.
I actually think that Livermore is a nice place. I just don't think I would choose to stop there as a tourist unless my sole purpose was to get some wine, that's all. I live in San Jose and although I really like it here, I wouldn't recommend it to tourists either.
Pretty soon we are going to be classifying Tracy and Stockton as East Bay - LOL. I actually think that Livermore is a nice place. I just don't think I would choose to stop there as a tourist unless my sole purpose was to get some wine, that's all. I live in San Jose and although I really like it here, I wouldn't recommend it to tourists either.
Jul 11th, 2007, 02:07 PM
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Is it easier to get from Healdsburg to Yosemite than from going from somewhere in Napa? Just by map it is farther from Yosemite, but it seems like there would be a lot more traffic more in Napa that maybe could be avoided. Please let me know how I might get around best to avoid traffic during the week! We want to go through wine country and then get to Yosemite. Thanks
Jul 11th, 2007, 02:23 PM
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Napa or the town of Sonoma are quite a bit closer to Yosemite than Healdsburg. From Napa it's about a 4 hour drive. Add 20 minutes from Sonoma and an hour or so from Healdsburg.
The best route from Napa is to take Hwy 12 through the Delta to I-5, then south to Hwy 120 which takes you East to Yosemite.
Weekday traffic is not that bad but you want to get out of town before 3pm when the back-up begins on Hwy 12 through Jamieson Canyon and at the Cordelia junction.
After that it should be smooth sailing unless there are some whales frolicking at Rio Vista (LOL).
The best route from Napa is to take Hwy 12 through the Delta to I-5, then south to Hwy 120 which takes you East to Yosemite.
Weekday traffic is not that bad but you want to get out of town before 3pm when the back-up begins on Hwy 12 through Jamieson Canyon and at the Cordelia junction.
After that it should be smooth sailing unless there are some whales frolicking at Rio Vista (LOL).
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