Northern CA trip with teen
 

We will be visiting relatives in Chico this July and would like suggestions on where we could go with our 14 yr. old for 3 or 4 days not too far from there. We've been to the central coast and really loved it. Is the northern coast as nice? We'd really like lodging suggestions, probably not a B and B and hopefully under $150 a night.

The northern california coast is gorgeous! You might enjoy spending a few days at Bodega Bay, an easy drive from Sonoma, to get away from the valley heat in July. A nice place to stay is the Bodega Bay Lodge, but the town has quite a few inns and motels.

Alternatively, you could head up to the charming and picturesque town of Mendocino, which has all kinds of lodging, but you would do well to get reservations very soon. If you go to Mendocino, be sure to grab a meal at Mendo Burgers! It's a funky little place with great food; you can get all different kinds of French fries.

Is $150 your lodging budget for 3 of you?

Alternatives to the north coast are Lake Tahoe, Yosemite (although reservations may be hard to come by), Lassen, Shasta, and the Gold Country.

In July, whatever you choose, I would suggest coast or mountains to get away from the murderous summer heat of the central valley.

The Bodega Bay Lodge is very nice. I think our suite was around $265/night tho. We previously had reservations at one "inn" there which looked nice on the website, but when we got there we were repulsed and left.

Checked into the Bodega Bay Lodge & went from &*(^ to heaven in 2.5!! LOL Just be careful where you stay in this area.

Lake Tahoe is an excellent suggestion. We like the Inn by the Lake in South Lake Tahoe. www.innbythelake.com The hotel manager went to a local high school here and relocated to Tahoe a few years ago. Very nice, small, hospitable place with a great pool and bi-level jacuzzi.

Have fun! ***kim***

If you are going all the way to the Coast from Chico, don't forget to plan a few hour marvelling at the Redwood groves near the No. Coast - No. of Ft. Bragg. That area (FB) is more reasonably priced for hotel stays than Mendocinno.

For a teenager's delight, I would recommend as someone did already, the Gold Country for a day of panning and swimming in the Yuba River, near Nevada City. Beautiful scenery. Another would be Clear Lake for water-skiing and/or jet skiing activities.

Trinity County, Clair Engle Lake, is spectacular and may be on your way to the coast? But is a reasonable area as well.

The north coast is the perfect idea, especially when you're going to be in hot, hot Chico in July!

I highly suggest that you drive to Mendocino. It is an incredibly beautiful area and less than 200 miles from Chico. Just take Nord Ave./Hwy 32 to I-5 South, then take the Hwy 20 Colusa exit and head toward Mendocino. There are motels, hotels and inns all over that area. Reserve a place now before they fill up. It's a destination place in the summer. Fabulous!

HI Tess! We are thinking about going through Mendocino on our way to Oregon in April. Do you have any suggestions on lodging? How about the Agate Cove Inn? We would like to be very close to the water. ***kim*** :)

Several day trips from Chico come to mind. Hike to the top of Mt. Lasson (more of a hike than a climb). My teenagers loved it. Packed a back-pack lunch and enjoyed the views from the top.
Interesting story. On the way up, we kept finding articles of clothing on the path; a tennis shoe here, a shirt there, then shorts, socks, etc. We were curious, but didn't think much about it until we staked out our spot for lunch (very broad, flat top on Mountain; volcano blew the topp off). We were eating when suddenly this guy went casually walking by quoting the Bible and stark naked. The rangers gave chase (he ran) and they finally caught him and threw a blanket around him. Really happened. Can't promise you the same though.
Lasson National Park has some great hikes. Many glacial lakes.
Burney Falls is a fun picnic/hiking destination. Very pretty fall and you can hike down to the base.
Mt. Shasta is a couple of hours North and, again, a good place for hiking/picnicing.
You are about 200 miles from the Northern Coast at Chico. Because of indirect routing and some two lane mountain roads, it takes about four plus hours going to Eureka or Mendocino. Both of these are fun locations on the North Coast, but would be better for two or three days (even four) if you would consider that. If you would, you'll pass Weaverville going North and then on 299 to Eureka. There is a very interesting Joss House (temple) in Weaverville. Cute town as well.
If you take the Southerly route, you'll pass Clear Lake on 20 and continue out to Medocino. Clear Lake is good for water sports; warm water in July.
Blackberry Inn would be good place to stay in Mendocino. It's a motel, but a nice one on a Western Town theme with large rooms, well decorated, a kitchen and ocean views. It's in your price range. Can't help you with Eureka since we have only stayed in more expensive places.
If you go to Medocino, follow highway 1 south to Firt Ross. It was a Russian Settlement in the trapper days before California was part of the United States. Very well refurbished and interesting. My kids loved it.
Come back when you decide which way you want to go and we'll try to fill in more details on the area you decide on. Good luck.

When I was that age we used to camp at Lassen and I loved it. There are so many different things to see.

Also up there is Burney Falls Park. Great swimming.

Such great suggestions to my question - thank you! We are now pretty settled on spending one day up around Mt. Shasta and two days over on the coast around Mendocino. Will definitely check out the Blackberry Inn. Any recommendations on where we should stay near Mt. Shasta? Should we stay in Mount Shasta the town or go to Weed or down around Redding? Really appreciate the input. I have scads of California travel books, but firsthand advice is always better.