California is a dream state for the adventurous. Explore the many nooks and crannies this year and you’ll never forget them! The options for day trips around San Francisco seem to be endless, so check out these great trips as soon as possible. Here are some of the most amazing places in San Francisco you can make a day out of:

1. Redwood Canopy Tours - Felton
17 Conference Dr, Felton, CA 95018, USA
Clee W/Yelp
Redwood Canopy offers six ziplines with different lengths and difficulty levels. The best part is that the ziplines are in a redwood forest! The two-hour, guided eco-adventure includes six ziplines and two sky bridges at heights of up to 150 feet. Amazing isn't even the right word. Epic is.
2. Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park - Gilroy
3050 Hecker Pass Hwy, Gilroy, CA 95020, USA
Ali M/Yelp
Try out Gilroy Gardens Theme Park, a family theme park you're sure to love. This is the perfect place to spend the day with your family and enjoy nature, rollercoasters, and more. The park has 22 rides and five attractions as well as six unique gardens, such as the Monarch garden, contained in a 60-foot greenhouse.
3. Performing Animal Welfare Society - San Andreas
1065 Pool Station Rd, San Andreas, CA 95249, USA
Performing Animal Welfare Society/Facebook
A wildlife sanctuary is a place of refuge where abused, injured or abandoned wildlife can live in peace for the remainder of their lives. The Elephant Sanctuary located herein is 2700 acres in size and is a protected environment home to 17 elephants. It's a place of wonder and awe you won't find elsewhere.
4. The Robert Mondavi Winery - Oakville
7801 St Helena Hwy, Oakville, CA 94562, USA
Robert Mondavi Facebook Page
Mondavi is a well-known brand and must-do winery in Napa Valley. Walk around the Mondavi grounds and take in the beauty of this grand estate. Enjoy a tour with a sit-down guided tasting of three wines and one food pairing.
5. The Heavenly Ridge Rider Mountain Coaster - South Lake Tahoe
4080 Lake Tahoe Blvd, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150, USA
Heavenly Mountain/Facebook
Lake Tahoe is great for a variety of things all year round. Heavenly Mountain Resort created a mountain roller coaster that will take you on a thrilling adventure you won't forget. You'll go through forest, boulders, and zoom by within view of Lake Tahoe!

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6. Alamere Falls - Point Reyes National Seashore
Alamere Falls, California 94924, USA
Shikhar M/Yelp
Get close to nature and feel the beauty around Alamere Falls. There is more than one waterfall that you can get near and walk behind. Outside of the main tide fall on the beach, there are a number of little creeks and falls to explore!
7. Orr Hot Springs - Ukiah
13201 Orr Springs Rd, Ukiah, CA 95482, USA
Orr Hot Springs
Orr Hot Springs is a peaceful resort tucked in the rolling hills of the Mendocino Coastal Range. The pool is an area where springs flourish on 27 acres at the headwaters of Big River. There is a 15’ x 60’ cold pool, which is built directly into the rock of the hillside. It's paradise. Seriously.
8. Mount Umunhum - Santa Clara County
Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve, Mt Umunhum Rd, San Jose, CA 95120, USA
Allison Chaiken/Flickr
This is a 12-acre mountaintop located within the 18,000-acre Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve south of Los Gatos. Closed to the public since 1980, the summit of Mount Umunhum only recently reopened to hikers. What a treat this one is.
9. Clear Lake volcanic field - Kelseyville
5300 Soda Bay Rd, Kelseyville, CA 95451, USA
Steve Boland/Flickr
If you go north of San Francisco you’ll discover an active volcano in Clear Lake on Mount Konocti. If you're adventurous, try out some hiking, horseback riding, or any number of off-the-beaten-path wineries you'll find in the area.
10. Lavender Bee Farm - Petaluma
764 Chapman Ln, Petaluma, CA 94952, USA
Tiffany T/Yelp
Established in 2001, this farm has been dedicated to bringing lavender and oh-so-helpful bees and pollinators to the area. Shop for goods like lavender bouquets, sachets, and honey. This one is so amazing it feels borderline luxurious.
11. Windsong Cottage Guest Yurt - Point Reyes
25 Mc Donald Ln, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956, USA
Winding Cottage Guest Yurt Site
Windsong Cottage Guest Yurt is located only about an hour from San Francisco in the rolling hills of Point Reyes. This magical glampground offers a yurt with plenty of amenities like a hot tub, hiking, and more.

Have you been on any of these day trips near San Francisco? Let us know. And if you are looking for just one more day trip idea, take a drive down San Francisco’s loneliest road.

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More to Explore

Best Day Trips in San Francisco

Tori Jane | July 11, 2022

What are the best unique things to do around San Francisco?  

San Francisco is a pretty darn unique, groovy little city if you ask us. Almost everything about the experience is uniquely “it,” and it’s famous for the hippie vibe it’s still got if you go to all the right places. Some of the most amazingly unique things to do around San Francisco include visiting the famed Haight-Ashbury, where you might want to check out the Ben & Jerry’s shop, and visit the park where the spirit of the 60s was born. Tour the Golden Gate Bridge or perhaps pay a visit to some of the beautiful piers of San Francisco and enjoy shopping and eateries. Take a Cable Car Tour. You might never run out of stuff to do around here.  

Where can I go on some fun day trips near me?  

There are lots of ideas for epic day trips in San Francisco, some of which might be more obvious than others. For example, you can visit – and tour – the one and only Alcatraz Island and learn why it was so deadly serious to be stuck there. It’s one of the most haunted places around San Francisco, too, so fans of the supernatural won’t want to pass that up. Alternatively, you can visit any of the beautiful small towns around San Francisco if you’d like to stay away from the bustle of the city; Napa Valley is astonishingly beautiful and it’s home to some of the best wineries in Northern California, making for the perfect day out.  

What are the best getaway spots near me? 

San Francisco can be a ridiculously wonderful place if you’d like to get away from it all; it’s got the perfect mixture of amazing natural beauty, historic significance, cultural variety, and more, making it one of our favorite places in California to vacation. Escape to beautiful Half Moon Bay and fall in love with this small, idyllic little coastal town. Rent a beach house and stay a while; you might just want to move here by the time your time is up! Yosemite National Park is another must-do natural wonder near San Francisco, and if you’ve never been, you need to. Rent a room at Stinson Beach or stay the night in Carmel By The Sea. Northern California is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and San Francisco is lucky to call it home.

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