Northern California Destination Guide

Northern California Transport

Northern California is well serviced by many airports. San Francisco and Oakland International Airports serve the Bay Area. Mineta San Jose International Airport has daily flights from most major cities and Sacramento International Airport receives flights from 10 major airlines. There are no major airports California’s most northerly region. Depending on which city you are headed to, you may be better served by flying into Reno/Tahoe International Airport.

By car, Interstate 5 runs north and south from Oregon and goes through Sacramento. You’ll have to exit onto I-80 or I-580 to get to San Francisco and Oakland. From the East, I-80 runs through downtown Oakland from Lake Tahoe, Cheyenne, WY and Omaha, NE. Once in Oakland, a scenic drive over the Golden Gate Bridge takes you into San Francisco. Interstate 880 continues South from Oakland into San Jose and towards Monterrey.

Northern California FAQ

1. What are Northern California‘s biggest attractions?

Millions travel to San Francisco each year to visit Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghirardelli Square or take a ride on the famous cable cars. Other vacationers head straight for Lake Tahoe’s sparkling lake and gambling establishments. Some the most amazing natural sites in the world are here. Beyond Lake Tahoe and its expansive beaches, Northern California is home to Yosemite National Park. More than a million visitors stop here every year.

2. What are some of the best golf courses near Lake Tahoe?

If you want to play in the Tahoe Basin, you can’t go wrong with Edgewood-Tahoe Golf Course. A beautiful course set above the shoreline of Lake Tahoe, Edgewood is a George and Tom Fazio design. Large pine trees and big, rolling greens make the course a favorite of celebrities who play the Isuzu Celebrity Golf Championship held at Edgewood every year.

Because most of the space surrounding the lake has been built on, newer courses are popping up off of I-80, near the exit to Lake Tahoe. The spectacular Coyote Moon Golf Club opened here in 2000. Designed by Brad Bell, Coyote Moon was carved out of a logging tract in Truckee, CA. Stretching to 7,177 yards with a 138 slope rating from it championship tees, Coyote Moon will test golfers’ accuracy and length. There aren’t many bunkers here, but tree-lined fairways open and close rapidly. You’ll find yourself behind one of these towering pines if you aren’t careful.

3. What’s a good municipal courses to play in the Bay Area if I have to stay near the city?

Presidio Golf Course is part of the lavish 77,000 acre Golden Gate Recreation Area. Originally laid out in 1896, it is one of the oldest golf courses west of the Mississippi. A military course until the Presidio Post was decommissioned, it reopened to the public in 1997. With any prevailing winds, Presidio can become troublesome. Otherwise it offers a great combination of historical and relaxing golf.

4. Why is Yosemite National Park so famous?

The size of Rhode Island, Yosemite National Park offers a stunning combination of mountain and valley land. A collection of waterfalls, giant sequoia groves and sub alpine meadows, Yosemite welcomes millions of visitors every year. Some of its most popular sites are Mariposa Grove, filled with hundreds of the world’s oldest living trees, Glacier Point and abundant cliffs and waterfalls.

5. What nearby course should I play if I visit Yosemite?

A few miles west of Yosemite National Park is Groveland, CA. Pine Mountain Lake Golf Club is the area’s premier championship course. Designed by Billy Bell in 1969, Pinie Mountain Lake offers majestic views of the Sierra peaks in Yosemite and the Tuolumne River Canyon.