Surrounding San Francisco itinerary help
 

I'm wondering if I could get some help piecing together an itinerary for a trip outside of San Fran coming up at the end of Feb?

My husband and I will have about a week, maybe a little more and we're planning to spend 2-3 nights in San Fran and then want to get out of town and see some nature. I would like to see the redwoods and the coastal hwy and maybe have time to do both but want to see what people think.

I've done the coastal hwy from Monterey south but haven't seen from there north to SF.

I would love to see some beautiful beaches, do some nice drives and love small towns with charm. Maybe get in some short hikes (not real difficult ones). My main question is if I have around 5 nights am I best to stay north or south of SF? I was leaning toward south, maybe Half Moon Bay but wanted to get some thoughts on what a possible itinerary might be?

If we did 2-3 nights in San Fran then got a car early morning and headed up to the Muir Glen for the day, then went sound to Half Moon Bay to stay for the rest of the week and did 4 days around that area, would that be a good idea?

Neither of us are wine drinkers so we hanen't really thought of Napa at all at this point. Maybe we'll acquire a taste someday and go then.

Would love to hear thoughts on our agenda. Many thanks!

February is generally the wettest month, but there has been a drought, so it's hard to say how it will be.
Both north and south of San Francisco are wonderful and you will find redwoods, coastal views, hiking trails, quiet country roads, and tiny towns with restaurants and lodging.
I'll suggest a North Coast option as I'm most familiar with this area, having lived in Marin for more thatn 23 years.
Drive across the GGBridge, explore the Marin Headlands of the GG National Recreation Area immediately north of the bridge. Here's a link to a map:
http://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisi...ap-mahe-2d.pdf
Return to Highway 101, get off at the Mill Valley Highway One/Muir Woods/Tam Junction exit. Drive to Muir Woods. Explore Muir Woods (also shown on the above map). When done continue to the Muir Beach Overlook, which is stunning on a clear day.
When done continue north to Point Reyes National Seashore. You might want to stop in Stinson Beach, for lunch, or walk out to the beach or hike part of the Dipsea Trail (see this map http://www.nps.gov/muwo/upload/muir_woods_pad_map.pdf)
Other places to stop between Stinson and Pt. Reyes: Audubon Canyon Ranch (limited hours), Bolinas. http://www.egret.org/
I would overnight in Olema or Inverness. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g3...ia-Hotels.html These are good bases for exploring Pt. Reyes National Seashore or Tomales Bay State Park.
http://www.nps.gov/pore/index.htm
Pt. Reyes highlights include: Pt. Reyes Lighthouse; Tomales Point Trail, which takes you through the Tule Elk Reserve; Drakes Bay; the Bear Valley Trail. Pt. Reyes can be foggy any time of the year, and its beaches can be buffeted by winds.
The opposite side of Tomales Bay is also worth visiting (the drive to Marshall, oyster farms). Though you can easily pass through here if you decide to continue north on Highway One, which is well worth doing. You can drive north along the beautiful Sonoma Coast, continuing all the way to the Mendocino Coast. Stop for lunch in Bodega Bay. From the Mendocino Coast return south to San Francisco by State Highway 128. You're not wine drinkers, but there are a few breweries along 128.

Thank you for all this great info. I love the ideas that you've put together. My main question though is if you had 5 days, to explore this area, where would you spend it? It would be great to spend some of the time just relaxing but what would be the best area to make camp?

Also, how far north is it worth traveling here for the beautiful scenery? Is there a good place 1/2 way up the coast that we could stay where we could take in most of the coastline? Any other cities or specific beaches worth taking in along the way here?

I love the Marin County coast. But the weather will partly determine your activities. Rain could put a damper on plans for hiking. Point Reyes National Seashore is beautiful, but if you're not hiking, biking, horseback riding, one day would be sufficient.

If the weather is poor, I think you will still enjoy the scenic drive north. While I like the Sonoma Coast, it's best when it's warm and sunny and you can enjoy the beaches. The Mendocino Coast is more beautiful, because the coastline is more rugged, the inland areas more forested.

The drive gets especially pretty at Elk, which is along the Mendocino Coast.
http://www.visitmendocino.com/south-coast/towns/elk

Before you start driving up the coast, fill up you gas tank in SF or Mill Valley.

I'd overnight in Inverness or Olema, as this would allow time to see some of Pt. Reyes National Seashore.

I'd overnight the second night in Bodega Bay or Jenner (which is where the Russian River meets the sea) or just continue all the way to Mendocino town, but it will be a long drive. On the way up, consider stopping at Fort Ross on the Sonoma Coast and at Point Arena lighthouse south of Mendocino.
http://www.pointarenalighthouse.com/
If you were to spend the night in Jenner, you'd have time to explore the Russian River area (around Guerneville), maybe drive to Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve.
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=450

I would stay two or three nights in Mendocino town or just south of it in Little River. These are good bases for seeing the Mendocino Headlands and the other state parks around here, visiting lighthouses and beaches. The weather might be drizzly and foggy, but it's still a beautiful area. There are restaurants and shops in Mendocino town. Yes, it's a bit touristy.
http://www.visitmendocino.com/
http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/442/fi...ngulch_van.pdf
http://www.pointcabrillo.org/

On one of your days in Mendocino, you could drive to Fort Bragg, refill your gas tank, drive to MacKerricher State Park and Glass Beach. Fort Bragg's Skunk Train runs on weekends.
http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/436/fi...ure2012Rev.pdf
http://www.skunktrain.com/index.html
http://www.mendocino.com/?id=4189

Your visit will coincide with the Grey Whale Migration, so you might see whales! (March 1 & 2 is the Mendocino Coast Whale Festival)
http://www.mendowhale.com/

Return to San Francisco by way of Highway 128 south of Mendocino near Albion. It's a beautiful road. I think it will take about 4 hours to reach SF. If you want to break up this drive, you can spend one of your nights somewhere along this return route. If you were a wine drinker, I'd say Healdsburg, as it's a cute town with good restaurants, but the main reason people stay here is to visit the Sonoma wine region. Sonoma town is also cute, but it's not really on the way, but slightly out of your way; I think it holds more of interest for the non-wine drinker, such as historic buildings and Jack London State Park, which is not too far away.
http://www.jacklondonpark.com/
http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/479/fi...ochure2011.pdf
If it were me, I'd spend most of my days up in Mendocino, and just return straight to SF on the way back, though I might stop in Healdsburg to have a look at the plaza and the shops. Maybe drive through Sausalito on the way back.

Thanks for all of the great information Diamantina!

A couple of questions based on these two comments in both pieces of feedback:
"While I like the Sonoma Coast, it's best when it's warm and sunny and you can enjoy the beaches. The Mendocino Coast is more beautiful"

I don't know that I understand where the Sonoma Coast vs Mendocino Coast is.

"I would overnight in Olema or Inverness. These are good bases for exploring Pt. Reyes National Seashore or Tomales Bay State Park."

How many nights would you consider staying in this area? I know some of this might depend on weather but there's no great way for me to know that ahead of time in order to book places.

Here's a start to an itinerary and I'd be interested in getting feedback.
2/28 Arrive San Francisco (likely at night)
3/1-3/2 Explore SF
3/3 - pick up rental and head to Muir Woods, Muir Beach Overlook (if clear day)maybe stop Stinson beach and head toward Point Reyes National Seashore.

Return home 3/8 or 3/9

And then here is where I struggle, I think that I would like to explore Point Reyes and head up the coast to Mendocino or onto Ft Bragg.

I'm not sure though that I want to stay 3 different places during my trip (SF, Olema/Inverness, and Mendocino) maybe that's what I need to do to best see it all but is there something else I'm missing here where maybe I could just stay 2 places and still fit all of this in reasonably? Is there any good place 1/2 way between Point Reyes and Mendocino where maybe the drive is closer to 1-1.5 hours to either of these locations or are there really not any good towns in between that would be worth staying in? I would love to find a little place on the ocean to rent for the remainder of the time and venture out from there each day.

Or what about if I would take an extra day in SF and go out to Point Reyes for the day and then back into SF and head out from there the next day up toward Mendocino for the next 4 days? I know that's some backtracking but it might prevent a move :)

we have visited the areas both north and south of SF - they are both very beautiful. However realize the coast in this part of California is quite rugged and windy, even in the summer. Mendocino feels like a small Maine fishing village perched on a cliff in the middle of nowhere.
This time of year, I suspect the weather will be more pleasant away from the ocean. Even if you are not wine drinkers, you might want to consider spending at least some of your time in the very scenic Sonoma valley area. The drive from Mendocino thru the Anderson Valley to Cloverdale is one of the most beautiful anywhere, rivaling Tuscany. Healsburg is a great little town with interesting shops and restaurants. Geyserville is a tiny little wild west feeling town close to the Coppola winery, which is worth visiting just to see the movie memorabilia and over the top grounds and buildings.

I Do think that would be a good idea to go up to Pt. Reyes separately as a day trip from SF if the weather is good. You could take in Muir Woods, Muir Beach Overlook, Stinson Beach on the way up. This way you wouldn't have to go through here if you decide to go to Mendocino-you could get up there much faster.

If you get off to an early start, you could even drive a bit into Sonoma, see Bodega Bay. http://www.visitbodegabayca.com/#!membership/cee5

But if you are lucky enough to get good (clear, dry) weather don't rush your time in Pt. Reyes.

You can return from Pt. Reyes by way of Sir Francis Drake at Olema. This will take you through the grove of redwoods at Samuel P. Taylor State Park and eventually to the small town of San Anselmo. Here, you can veer left and continue on 4th Street to the Highway 101 onramp in San Rafael (this gets you to the freeway faster) or continue on Sir Francis Drake to the Highway 101 onramp in Greenbrae (this route can be a slow-going and traffic-choked during the day). Go to Google Maps and put in "Sir Francis Drake, San Anselmo, CA", zoom in on this junction.
http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/469/fi...ochure2012.pdf

Or you can retrace some of your drive and return to Stinson Beach, but, here, instead of returning to SF by way of Highway One that goes through Muir, turn onto Panoramic Highway (the road that goes up the hill). This will take you through pretty Mt. Tamalpais State Park. If you have time and it's clear, drive up Pantoll Rd. to East Peak (what a view--see videos below). Or you can stop at Mountain Home Inn to have a look at the view from their restaurant (again, only if it's clear). This road is more demanding than Sir Francis Drake (more winding) but way less busy, so you could take your time. Panoramic Highway will end up in Mill Valley, where you can visit its cute downtown plaza or just rejoin Highway 101 for your trip back to SF.
Map:
http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=St...Beach&state=CA
Mt. Tamalpais State Park
http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/471/fi...isSP041310.pdf
http://www.friendsofmttam.org/park/m...irections.html
A You Tube of a motorcycle ride on Panoramic Highway:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8lqRpaHUwY
Mountain Home Inn:
http://www.mtnhomeinn.com/

The road Zoots described ("The drive from Mendocino thru the Anderson Valley to Cloverdale is one of the most beautiful anywhere, rivaling Tuscany.") is State Highway 128.

You could easily spend all your time making day trips from San Francisco, visiting places of natural beauty south and north of the city. Even though it is so densely populated, the Bay Area has an abundance of state parks and other wilderness areas. It is well worth driving on Highway One to Santa Cruz, passing through Half Moon Bay along the way. If you are interested in doing this trip just search through the archives of Fodor's forum--many folks have commented on this route, including myself. Mt. Tamalpais, too, is worthy of a entire day's explorations if you enjoy hiking. Or Angel Island. Too much to see!

Here's a map of California counties to help orient you:
http://geology.com/county-map/california.shtml

There are lots of You Tube and Vimeo videos that can show you what these areas look like (keep in mind, most of these were made in ideal weather), This is about the best way of seeing what these places look like short of going there yourself:
Mt. Tamalpais:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XJXJ88_uz0
Mt. Tamalpais in the fog:
http://vimeo.com/46967932
http://vimeo.com/27580276
Pt. Reyes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0Qjuho4jLY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg8raNwHjXs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv4l5SCg2iU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_wYJ0ApSFI
Pt. Reyes Lighthouse in the fog:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKkvVy8HzDU#t=27
Country roads:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcvyylEz_YE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaSeBRCzMoI
Sonoma Coast slideshow:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzeEkKrMVCE

After looking at some videos, you might be able to decide which areas look best to you and where you'd like to spend your time. I lived for more than 23 years in north Novato (northern Marin County close to the Sonoma boundary). We often visited Pt. Reyes on our days off as it was only a 40-minute drive away and because it is one of our favorite places to hike, to see elks and birds or elephant seals, to take in coastal views, or to be on a beach all to ourselves. But we never knew what weather to expect. It could be sunny in Novato, but when we'd drive half way to a point where we could see areas close to the coast, we'd sometimes find a thick blanket of fog hovering over the hills. If this was the case, we'd often turn around and head elsewhere (because we preferred a bit of sun). You have a few options: you can call the Pt. Reyes Visitor Center in Bear Valley ask them what the weather is like before you head off
http://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisi...torcenters.htm
or the lighthouse:
http://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisi...#CP_JUMP_63134
You can also call Stinson Beach weather:
http://www.nps.gov/goga/stbe.htm

I have also lived very close to Mt. Tamalpais State Park.

It can be sunny in Stinson but foggy in Pt. Reyes, or vice versa, even though they aren't far from each other. The weather can change over the day, and often does!

The best weather for Northern California (drier, warmer, less foggy) is generally in September-October-early November, but outside of this time, there are many clear, fog-free days, too. With luck, you'll enjoy some good coastal weather. Climate change seems to have wreaked havoc on California's weather, as evidenced by the current drought (in winter). I can tell you Californians are looking forward to rain.

I hope this has helped. I don't really have more I can add. There is a lot of research you can do on the net, but the only true way of knowing is to go there yourself. Good luck and I hope you have a wonderful time!

Lots of great info on the area north of SF.

jlbartley - I am planning a similar trip just three weeks after your trip. Could you please post back here after your trip and say how it went/highlights/etc. It would be really helpful. I hope you have a great time.


For you No. California experts I have a question. I don't have much time for this portion of my trip and I'm trying to decide how best to spend it. The first week of my trip will be spent staying in Lafayette and spending the days in San Francisco. Then I have 8 more days. The first two and a half to three and a half will be spent in Yosemite (I have reservations for the first two nights), the last 2 and a half to three days will be spent in Eureka (The last two nights, the final day I don't fly out till 10 at night so we'll drive from Eureka to SFO that day.

So that leaves me with something like 3-4 days to get from Yosemite to Eureka and we plan to go the coastal route. Can Pt Reyes be seen in half a day (no serious hiking, just driving out to the overlooks, probably walking down to the lighthouse)? Can you get from Pt Reyes to Mendocino in an afternoon? How about from Mendocino to Eureka - can that be done in a day? I realize that this doesn't leave time for much hiking, or exploring every state park. I'd like to stop for a few short (less than an hour) walks, see a couple lighthouses, that kind of thing. Is this doable in this time? My other option is to add another day but then we'd only have 2 days in Yosemite instead of three. What do you think?

Thank you so much everyone for all of the awesome help here! I always wonder what we did to plan vacations prior to having so much help from wonderful people on forums.

So I've spent the last couple days reading, watching, and mapping and have come up with these thoughts:

Itinerary direction depends on flight time out of SF. I may do it in this direction or reverse it depending on what I end up booking.

2/28 arrive (likely around 2pm), get car from airport drive Hwy 128 to Mendocino, stop along the way in Headlsburg

2/28-3/4 in Mendocino, visit Ft. Bragg, Elk, and various beaches along the cost. Likely travel down around Hwy 1 about 1/2 way or so to check out the coast and just enjoy some down time in Mendocino.

3/5 drive from Mendocino to Bodega Bay (maybe overnight here, I'm undecided about this) I'm thinking that maybe I just spend the day in Bodega Bay and then keep going to Inverness/Olema

3/6 check out Pt Reyes, stay in Inverness/Olema

3/7-3/8 San Francisco

3/9 fly home

I'm hoping that this will give me a good balance of exploring and relaxing. I have a hard time relaxing if I don't really force myself to slow down so I'm doing that for the first 1/2 of the trip that I'm in Mendocino.

I recognize that early March is probably not the best time to visit the coast, however work is flying me to SF so I figured I'd take advantage of it and see the country a bit since I'm already there and it's about 6 hours for flights. Also, it's been around -30 with the windchill here lately while I know 50 and windy is not 70 and sunny it should still feel much better than what we're dealing with!

Think this is a good itinerary?

Looks good. My immediate concern is what time you will be hitting Highway 101 north. I think this is a Friday, no? So the commuter traffic headed north starts to get bad after 3 p.m. (many folks leave the city early on Friday). You could easily be sitting in traffic, going slowly for hours. If there's a small fender-bender or if someone breaks down on the roadway, you could be there even longer.

Isabel, if you are planning to drive along the coast from Pt. Reyes to Mendocino in one afternoon in April, remember it will get dark around 6. Some of the roads are winding (Jenner grade in Sonoma). When it gets dark, you'll have to watch out for deer jumping into the roadway.

You can drive along Highway 1 up to the start of the Lost Coast and rejoin Highway 101 near Leggett to get to Eureka (see links below and look it up on Google maps).

My husband used to go to Eureka for work, one to two weeks at a time. It would take him a little more than 4 hours to get there from Novato, using Highway 101 all the way. He loved it up there, did a lot of hiking in the redwoods and walking along the beaches when he wasn't working. Sadly, I couldn't accompanying as I was working myself down in Marin, so I don't know this area well. It's been years since I've been there. It has its own unique character. There's a university in nearby Arcata. There are a lot of marijuana growers in this area ("the Emerald Triangle"); northern California's marijuana industry is said to be a multi-billion a year industry, making it the state's largest cash crop.

Have a look at these links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_1
http://gocalifornia.about.com/od/cac...rview.-Qu5.htm
http://redwoods.info/showrecord.asp?id=1579
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Coast

One of the prettiest places to stay on the Sonoma Coast (just north of Jenner and Bodega Bay) is Timber Cove Inn:
http://www.timbercoveinn.com/

Isabel, while you are in Lafayette, you might want to take a hike to the top of Tilden Park in Berkeley. Great views from the top. March/April should be a great time for wildflowers.

Thanks for those links. Great information.

Does this plan sound reasonable: Tuesday night spend night around San Rafael. Wednesday morning drive to Pt Reyes and spend 3-4 hours there (approximately 9-1). Then drive to Mendocino. Seems like the actual driving time would be 3½ to 4 hours. Spend the night in Mendocino (or if necessary Fort Bragg). Thursday morning spend a couple hours in Mendocino, then drive to Eureka (drive time about 3 hours). We would want to get there around 3-4pm.

I realize this doesn't leave time for things like hiking, etc. (but we'll be doing that on other parts of the trip - this is mostly to have a pleasant, scenic drive and 'see' the coast, rather than just drive both directions on 101). I would want to have time to see the couple of lighthouses (not tour them, just photograph them) and stop several times at scenic overlooks for photos.

My other option is to take a day from Yosemite and add it to this but then I'm not sure where to put the overnights. I'd really rather not have to reserve ahead of time as I want to leave this portion of the trip loose in case I need to change it. And the only places with enough lodging options seem to be Mendocino/Ft Bragg and San Rafael. I realize there are lots of small B&Bs and Inns in the small towns along the coast but it seems like you'd need to reserve them ahead of time.

Oh, I checked sunset times and that week (last week of March) sunset is 7:30pm

Going south on Rt. 1 from SF There are 2 lighthouses that you can photograph. First is Point Montera and second is Pigeon Point. They each have HI Hostels at them if you are looking for cheap dorm type lodging. I have stayed at Pigeon Point twice. They have a nice kitchen if you wanted to bring your own food to prepare.
Just south of Pigeon Point is Ano Nuevo State Park which has some great sand dunes and beach walking.
Opposite Ano Nuevo is a grove of Coast Redwoods that I believe is connected to the grove at Big Baisin.
These areas seem to get a lot less visits than Muir Woods.
Continue south from Big Basin and go back to Monterey.

I agree, Tom, Highway One south of San Francisco is beautiful, too. No matter which direction one takes, Highway One is a spectacular road.

Isabel, don't take a day away from your time in Yosemite! Your plan looks okay and your driving times look correct, especially if you're not planning to get out and do much walking, but just drive and stop for photos. You'll be driving lots that first day, but it sounds like you're prepared for this. Keep in mind you could be driving through rain or fog, or conditions could be perfect.

San Rafael is not that far from Lafayette, something like 32 miles. I don't know exactly how long it would take to get there, but your friends in Lafayette could certainly tell you. Seems if you already have a place to stay in Lafayette, you might as well just stay there but just leave a little earlier for Pt. Reyes, rather than overnight in San Rafael. Is it because you are worried about the morning commute and how this might slow you down? If so, I can see your point, though I think most people will be heading toward SF or Oakland.

Do you plan on driving over the Richmond Bridge? Do you know San Rafael? It's Marin County's biggest town (pop. around 58,000), Highway 101 runs right through it. Yes, there's more accommodation and restaurants in San Rafael than in Inverness. My favorite restaurant in San Rafael is Royal Thai, ate there often. There are a few music venues (George's,Fenix, Terrapin Crossings), though I never went to them and don't even know if they're still open. On Thursday nights there's a lively Farmers Market on 4th St. but I'm not sure what months it operates. It's easy to get to Pt. Reyes from there--though it could take an hour because Sir Francis Drake can be slow-going. It meaders through San Rafael, then the smaller towns of San Anselmo and Fairfax, before the traffic disappears. Have you seen this site: http://www.ptreyes.com/
Unless you are going up on a weekend, I don't think you'll have trouble finding accommodation around Pt. Reyes.

As you're not hiking, drive to the Park Headquarters at the Bear Valley Visitor Center, pick up a park map, and then drive out to the Pt. Reyes Lighthouse. It's just a short walk from the parking lot to the lighthouse. From December to March, you can see Elephant Seals at nearby Chimney Rock. After you leave the lighthouse, drive to the visitor center at Drakes Beach, then North Beach. These areas are close to one another, in the same area of the park, off Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, so they're all on your way to or from the lighthouse. Pt. Reyes' beaches can be windy and foggy and you must watch out for sneaker waves. Given the long drive ahead of you, I don't think you should visit other areas of the park, especially as you're not hiking.
Some good info and photos here:
http://www.sfgate.com/outdoors/artic...t-5093099.php#
http://blog.sfgate.com/nolte/2013/05...0photo-5642615

While in Inverness, you might want to visit a beach on Tomales Bay; these beaches face the placid bay rather than the ocean. Small Heart's Desire Beach is the most popular, but admission is charged, which may not be worth it if you are just looking. You'll also have a chance to visit some oyster farms around here. The oysters are delicious.
http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article...ay-2583340.php

Accommodation in Fort Bragg is definitely cheaper than in Mendocino town or Little River. Mendocino is more scenic by far. But they are close to one another.
http://www.sunset.com/travel/califor...0418000067125/
http://www.sunset.com/travel/califor...0400000011815/
http://www.sunset.com/travel/califor...0400000055160/

I already sent you this link for Humboldt County, but did you take a look at the intineraries page, because this might give you ideas about what to see. http://redwoods.info/category.asp?ca...%20Itineraries

When we were much younger, we did many road trips around the Pacific Northwest, Canada's BC and Alberta, and the Southwest. One of these was the same drive you're about to do, but we kept going past Eureka, along the Oregon Coast to Astoria, then through Washington, up to British Columbia, Canada, then over to Alberta, Canada, (Jasper, Banff, Lake Louise) then returned by way of Idaho, Utah, Nevada's Great Basin National Park, Lake Tahoe, then back to Marin. It was a great trip.

I think that I might have just one more question, at least for now. If we've already explored down hwy 1 from Mendocino for the first 1 1/2 hours or so and we do not need to take time for stops in that area, etc. is it reasonable to travel from Mendocino to Pt. Reyes area In a day and just stay down in the Pt Reyes area for 2 nights instead of staying overnight in Bodega Bay?

Or is that making for a really long travel day (with stops) and is Bodega Bay really worth the overnight (could otherwise just be a stop)?

That's hopefully the last question for right now. Otherwise just shoring up lodging at this point :)

Thanks again everyone for the amazing input!

Oh, and Diamantina, thanks for the traffic advice. I'm thinking that I may change the itinerary to SF for the first two nights (I'm already in town at that point for work so hubby can meet me at my hotel and we can bunk there for the next 2 nights) then we can grab a rental car from in town and head out on a Sunday, hopefully going the opposite direction of traffic?

Then we'll end in Pt Reyes area and just drive to the airport for our flights and leave the rental there. I'm thinking that's going to be easiest for us.

My other thought to add to my questions above is if it would be better to just stay in Bodega Bay and drive down to Pt Reyes for the 2 days. Doesn't seem all that far.

If you're early risers, you can even drive up to Mendocino via Highway 101 on Saturday. Traffic is not nearly as bad as it is on Friday afternoons (though it clogs up a bit around Santa Rosa). If you go up on Saturday, accommodation might be pricier and more scarce, as folks tend to book for Friday and Saturday, but, then again, this is not high season--so this might not be a problem at all.

You might want to check Travelzoo for accommodation specials. I get notified of specials and sales on their website and I just got this one for the Mendocino Coast. If I remember correctly, this is in Elk, a pretty place.
http://www.travelzoo.com/local-deals...z_adid=1678863

But if you decide to stay in SF until Sunday, I'm sure you won't be bored at any point. There's always something to do or see there.

I know there's way too much info already here, but I had to log in with my favorite: We just spent 4 nights at the Beachcomber Motel in Ft. Bragg. It's right on the ocean, very comfortable, just a few minutes to Ft. Bragg but, more importantly, only 15 minutes north of Mendocino, which is my favorite town on the coast. For foodies, Cafe Beaujolais in Mendo is wonderful, and there are several other excellent restaurants. Many art galleries and small shops, as well as the Art Center which features local artists. Small theater on some weekends. All good to do if weather isn't great. But for beach walking, you can't do better than Ft. Bragg, where you can walk for miles on the beach from the Beachcomber motel. We also spent two nights in Pt. Arena, which is 40 minutes south of Mendo. The Wharfmaster's Lodge was terrific, but there the town is only one block long and the food just ordinary, but there are several nice beaches around

Agreed, Nancy, we've stayed at Beachcomber a couple of times and found it economical and convenient, close to services like a supermarket and access to the Fort Bragg-Willits Road (SH20)that leads back to Highway 101. This part of Fort Bragg also retains the charming, nostalgic feel of a fishing port. Plus, as you said, it is close to Mendocino.

Cafe Beaujolais is a top choice, a classic Mendocino town favorite. I also like the restaurant at Albion River Inn for its wonderful ocean views. Of course, if it's all fogged in, it's not as enjoyable.
http://www.albionriverinn.com/Restaurant.php