San Francisco to Sacramento Road Trip Guide
Introduction
Founded in 1776, San Francisco is a popular city in the middle of California on the coast. Home of the Golden Gate Bridge, the city is known for its sunny skies and nice weather year-round. With an average high of 64 and low of 51, the mild winters and warm summers make San Fran a great place to visit and to live. Tourists enjoy seeing the famous places seen on television such as the Painted Ladies in Alamo Square and Alcatraz Island, riding on the cable cars, and the many museums in the city. Some of these include the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Asian Art Museum, and the Exploratorium.
Stop at the San Francisco Dungeon where it’s Halloween all year long. They have rides, games, and several haunted tours. There’s even an escape room where you have an hour to solve puzzles and get out of Alcatraz. You cannot visit or live in San Francisco without checking out some of the beaches. Ocean Beach and Baker Beach are both popular surfing spots and China Beach is known as being one of the cleanest beaches in the state. Visit Fisherman’s Wharf, the Marina District, and Chinatown while you are there. Don’t forget to stop and eat at one of the fabulous eateries in town like the Burger Bar or John’s Grill in Union Square. Then head out onto your next adventure.
Point of Interest
San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Only about 30 minutes down I-880, San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge is 30,000 acres of wild space for millions of birds, including many endangered species. This was the country’s first urban national wildlife refuge, created in 1972 as a way to preserve some of the wetlands needed to keep certain species alive. Start out at the Visitor Center on Marshlands Road in Fremont where the kids can enjoy the Children’s Discovery Area and get a Junior Refuge Ranger Activity and Coloring Book.
The Environmental Education Center on Grand Boulevard in Alviso at the other end of the park is another great place to stop by where you can learn along withyour kids about the flora and fauna in the area. Then get out on the trails where you can enjoy nature at its finest. Explore and enjoy the 1.8-mile Tidelands Trail and climb the Hilltop Overlook or try the 0.7-mile LaRiviere Marsh Trail to see the marshlands and some of the wildlife that live there. You can even do some fishing at the refuge before heading out to your next stop.
Mount Diablo State Park
Are you ready to climb a mountain? Mount Diablo is one of the most popular climbs in the state with a peak of over 3,800 feet. The view from up there is stunning. As part of the Diablo Range in Contra Costa County, you can climb on more than just the summit of Diablo. But, while you are there, make sure to take some photos of the views you can get from up there to share on your favorite social media sites.
After the climb, enjoy some of the fun activities in the 20,000-acre Mount Diablo State Park. Do some hiking or biking on some of the miles of trails and have a picnic at one of the 50 picnic sites. Pack a lunch or use one of the barbecue grills to cook up some burgers and dogs. Make sure you stop by the visitor center to see some of their exhibits and learn about the park’s history. Then you can pile back into the motorhome and head for Sacramento.
Summary
Heading north on I-80 for about 1.5 hours, Sacramento will be easy to get to no matter what size rig you are driving. Although some of the roads near major cities in California can be hard to maneuver with larger motorhomes, the route to Sacramento is wide and easygoing. One of the most interesting places to visit in this awesome city is the Sacramento Zoo, with over 140 different species on 15 acres. Popular with the little ones, Fairytale Town is like a storybook of nursery rhymes come alive. See Humpty Dumpty’s Bridge, the Old Woman and her Shoe, and Peter Rabbit to name a few.
Sacramento also has quite a few museums. The California Museum has tours, exhibits, and educational programs all about the state of California. The Old Sacramento Schoolhouse Museum is a 19th-century schoolhouse you can visit and talk to the staff who are dressed in costume. And the California Railroad Museum is full of antique train artifacts including 19 old locomotives from the late 1800s and early 1900s. If you are going to stay in town for the night, make a reservation at the Placerville KOA, which has over 100 sites that have full hookups and can accommodate rigs up to 110 feet long. You can also choose one of the many state parks in the area with a campground but be sure to make a reservation before heading out.
