Rather than heading straight from Monterey to San Francisco on the last leg of our road trip, we took the long way round. We drove up through Santa Cruz, spent a night in the vineyards of Sonoma, and stopped at Muir Woods to walk among the redwoods before crossing the Golden Gate Bridge into the city.
It needs an extra night, but this offers a completely different side of California to the coast we’d been following for a week. This is the final leg of our California road trip with teenagers, a 10-day drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco over the UK Easter holidays.
It didn’t all go to plan (a cancelled kayak trip, a rainy boardwalk and a museum we ran out of time for), but it gave us some of our favourite moments of the trip, including a winery full of Oscars and a lift-sharing robot.
The direct drive from Monterey to San Francisco takes roughly two to two and a half hours on US-101, traffic depending. The long way, via Santa Cruz and Sonoma with an overnight in Healdsburg, turns it into two days. With teenagers, we think the detour is worth it: film memorabilia at a family-friendly winery, the redwoods of Muir Woods and a drive over the Golden Gate Bridge make a far better finale than a motorway.
If you just need to get from Monterey to San Francisco, the quickest route heads inland to US-101 and north through San Jose. It’s about 120 miles and usually a couple of hours, but the Bay Area traffic can stretch that, so check your route on the day.
The long way loops north of San Francisco into Sonoma County before dropping back down to the city. This is roughly how our two days looked:
Day one: Monterey to Santa Cruz, then inland to Healdsburg for the night.
Day two: Lunch and a wine tasting at Francis Ford Coppola Winery, a walk in Muir Woods, then over the Golden Gate Bridge to San Francisco.
It’s more driving, and it means one more hotel check-in, but it gave us a change of scene after a week of coastline.
Sometimes you need a Plan B when you travel, and this was one of those days.
The original plan was to leave Monterey after breakfast and drive about 20 minutes north on Highway 1 to Moss Landing, where we’d booked an Elkhorn Slough kayak trip with Monterey Bay Kayaks. Elkhorn Slough is a protected wetland estuary where you paddle among seals and birds, with the chance to see sea otters up close on the water. It’s exactly the kind of wildlife experience our teens love.
Unfortunately, our trip was cancelled because high winds were whipping up waves on the estuary. Waves make it much harder to spot the otters, so the company refunded us. It was disappointing, but we’d already seen sea otters in Morro Bay on the drive from Pismo Beach to Big Sur, and kayaking in a gale probably isn’t much fun anyway. We’d book it again next time, and we’d leave a little slack in the day in case the weather has other ideas.
With the morning suddenly free, we stayed in Monterey for a couple of hours and visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which we wouldn’t otherwise have done. You can read how we got on in our guide to the Big Sur to Monterey drive.
If the kayaks are off, or you’d rather be on a bigger boat, whale watching trips also run from Moss Landing. We haven’t done one ourselves, but the From Moss Landing: Monterey Bay Whale Watching Cruise leaves from the same harbour and is on our list for next time.
From Monterey it’s around 45 minutes north to Santa Cruz. We parked opposite the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and took a walk through the amusements and food stands, which were looking a little forlorn under grey skies. There were no takers for the rides that day.
To feel the vibe, one of us tried a corn dog, because “it’s a classic piece of Americana”. I doubt we’ll have another one!
Despite the rain and the corn dog, I loved knowing that The Lost Boys was filmed on the boardwalk, a film I adored as a teenager. If your teens haven’t seen it, it’s a fun one to watch before you go (it’s rated 15 in the UK, so check it suits your family first).
To be honest, I think we probably missed the best of this laid-back surf town, and the rain didn’t help.
From Santa Cruz you have two choices for the next stretch, and it’s worth deciding before you set off.
The scenic option follows Highway 1 up the coast towards San Francisco, then continues north over the Golden Gate Bridge into Sonoma. It’s the slower drive, but it passes Half Moon Bay and the lighthouse at Pigeon Point, both well known stops on this stretch. We didn’t drive it this time, but having read up on it since, it’s the route I’d choose next time, especially in better weather.
We left the coast behind and headed inland, which is roughly two and a half hours and around 144 miles to Sonoma. It’s the quicker route but the tougher drive: very hilly roads with lots of bends to start with, then busy interstates around the San Francisco Bay Area.
The bonus was finding a Whole Foods just off the interstate, where we picked up lunch and a bag of Cherry Chocolate Trail Mix, which you can’t get in the UK. Tick! After swapping drivers the roads eased, and the vineyards of Sonoma started to appear.
If you have time, the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa celebrates the creator of Charlie Brown and Snoopy, and it’s right on the way into Sonoma County. We’d wanted to go, but we ran out of time. Looking back, maybe we should have traded a rainy Santa Cruz Boardwalk for a stop in Santa Rosa. Check the museum’s website for opening days before you plan around it.
There are lots of places to stay in the Sonoma wine region, and we chose Healdsburg because it’s a pretty, walkable town close to the wineries we wanted to visit.
We booked into the Hotel Trio Healdsburg and had pre-dinner drinks at the hotel, which helped us decompress after the long drive. Interestingly, the bar served wine and beer only, no spirits.
The hotel is slightly out of town and runs a shuttle into the centre of Healdsburg. It was the comfiest minibus ever, with plush leather seats and holders for your wine glasses, because these are the same minibuses used for touring the vineyards. Check with the hotel whether the shuttle is running when you book.
We had dinner at Spoonbar, the restaurant at h2hotel in the middle of town. It’s a modern building, all concrete, wood and lots of plants, and it made a relaxed end to a long day.
The best bit came when we got back to the Trio. We were joined in the lift by a robot delivering drinks to the rooms. It politely asked to go to floor three, but of course it couldn’t press the buttons, so it had to wait for a human to do it. You could be waiting a long time for your drinks!
When you’re in Sonoma, you’ll probably want to visit at least one winery. With our teenagers in tow, we researched which wineries were family friendly and chose the Francis Ford Coppola Winery, just north of Healdsburg, because of its film memorabilia. We thought the kids would enjoy that far more than a cellar tour.
When we parked up, we were met by the Easter Bunny handing out eggs (it was Easter weekend). Inside, the main building was full of glass cabinets showing Coppola’s Oscars, Golden Globes and other awards, with displays for his films including The Godfather, Apocalypse Now and Tucker: The Man and His Dream.
We had lunch on the terrace overlooking rows of vines, with stone-baked pizzas for the kids, then went upstairs in the main building for a wine tasting. The only problem you’ll have is deciding who is the nominated driver!
We’ve only taken the teens to one Sonoma winery, so this is what we looked for when we were researching, rather than a ranked list. Wineries change what they offer, so check each one’s website before you go.
Proper food: A winery with a restaurant or a café menu, not just cheese boards, keeps everyone happy at lunchtime.
Something to see: Film memorabilia, gardens or a view over the vines gives non-drinkers something to do while the adults taste.
Space outside: A terrace or lawn means younger teens aren't stuck at a tasting bar.
Non-alcoholic options: Look for soft drinks, juices or alcohol-free tastings, which some wineries offer.
Minors policy: Check whether under-21s are welcome in the tasting room itself, as rules vary from winery to winery.
After lunch we started the final stretch towards San Francisco, with one more stop at Muir Woods National Monument in Mill Valley. It’s roughly an hour and ten minutes’ drive from the Coppola winery, depending on traffic.
Just getting there is part of the fun. Once you leave the motorway, you climb a series of hills on very bendy roads, past amazing houses with incredible views and trees.
Muir Woods is named after the Scottish-born naturalist John Muir, and it’s home to towering coast redwoods and some very tall Douglas firs. The redwoods can grow to around 260 feet (roughly 80 metres), many of the trees here are thought to be 600 to 800 years old, and the oldest are over 1,200 years old.
Boardwalk trails lead you through the woods, so it’s easy walking with kids of any age. It was so peaceful, with just the occasional woodpecker breaking the silence.
This is the one thing not to leave until the day. Muir Woods is very popular and the car park was busy when we visited. At the time of writing, everyone arriving by car or shuttle needs a reservation, which you book online in advance through the official Muir Woods reservations website.
Once you’ve booked, download or print your parking pass before you set off. There’s little or no phone signal at or near Muir Woods, so you won’t be able to pull it up when you arrive. Entry to the monument itself is separate from the parking reservation, so check the National Park Service website for the current requirements before you go.
If you’re finishing your road trip in San Francisco, you won’t need the car in the city, so this is a good moment to return it. We dropped ours at the AVIS depot at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The drive from Muir Woods takes around 45 minutes to an hour, and the bonus is that the route takes you over the Golden Gate Bridge, which is a great way to see it for the first time.
With the car returned, we caught a taxi into the city and checked in at the Kimpton Alton Hotel in Fisherman’s Wharf. It’s a busy boutique hotel with record players in the bedrooms and vinyl to borrow from reception. We had a very slight view of Alcatraz from our window, while the kids’ room looked over the car park, so it’s pot luck!
If you’re staying near Fisherman’s Wharf, take a stroll to Pier 39 to meet the sea lions who hang out on K Dock. Marine biologists think they chose this spot because there’s plenty of food nearby, without the threat of their natural predators in the bay, great white sharks and orcas.
We watched them jumping on and off the dock, sleeping, squabbling and generally having a nice time, while the sun set behind the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a lovely introduction to San Francisco. The next day we were biking across the bridge, and you can read all about it in our San Francisco with teens guide.
In closing
Taking the long way from Monterey to San Francisco added a night and a fair bit of driving, but it gave the last leg of our road trip a completely different feel. We swapped sea views for vineyards and redwoods, and found a winery full of Oscars and a robot waiting for the lift.
If I did it again, I'd drive the coastal Highway 1 route via Half Moon Bay, leave time for the Charles M. Schulz Museum, and keep everything crossed for calm weather on Elkhorn Slough. And I'd book that Muir Woods parking reservation the moment our dates were fixed.
Next stop, biking the Golden Gate Bridge.
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