Homeschool Road Trip: California Dreaming
Nature study doesn’t get more hands-on than this wonder-packed route.
Thanks to a unique mix of seashores, redwood forests, lava beds, and other natural wonders, northwest California is a mecca for budding naturalists.
DAY 1
Drop off your bags at the Westin St. Francis in Union Square, and take a visual tour of San Francisco aboard the Powell-Hyde line on one of the city’s iconic cable cars — it’s not the fastest way to get around the city, but it’s certainly one of the most memorable. Share a crispy-crust pizza at local favorite Tommaso’s before heading to Pier 33 to catch the boat to Alcatraz. Book your tour of the Rock in advance because spots tend to fill up for this excellent adventure. When you’re hungry, stroll to Chinatown for a dim sum dinner at Great Eastern; stick around to the browse the shops after your meal.
DAY 2
Load up the car and linger over house-made beignets at Brenda’s French Soul Food before making your way to U.S. 101 and Muir Woods National Monument. Follow the self-guided Nature Trail and Watershed Hiking map for a redwood ecology lesson/moderate hike through Cathedral Grove. You’ll probably be hungry after your hike, so jump back on U.S. 101 and head north to Point Reyes, where you can have a CSA-worthy lunch at Marin Sun Farms (open Thurs.-Sun. during non-COVID times). Then hit the beach at Point Reyes National Seashore. You can learn about the history of shore at the Bear Valley Visitor Center, visit Kule Loklo, a replica of a Coast Miwok Indian Village, hike the trails, visit the lighthouse, look for elk on the Elk Reserve, or just play on the beach. Feast on local, organic Italian fare at Osteria Stellina before checking into your room at the Point Reyes National Seashore Hostel.
DAY 3
Fill up with breakfast at Toby’s Coffee Bar, then spend a little time running around on the beach to prep for the longish drive ahead. The drive north on U.S. 101 to Redwood National Park will take about six hours, but there’s plenty of eye candy along the way. Stop for lunch at the Bluebird Cafe in Hopland and again for ice cream at Living the Dream Ice Cream in Eureka. After you check in at the Crescent City Motel in Crescent City, have dinner with a view at the Chart Room, then play on the hotel beach until bedtime.
DAY 4
Eat a hearty breakfast at Good Harvest Cafe, then swing by the Safeway supermarket for picnic fixings before heading to Redwood National Park. Plan to spend the whole day here, breaking for a whale-watching lunch near the Klamath River Overlook or Crescent Beach Overlook. Some of the giant trees here are more than 4,500 years old, but you can also play in the Smith River, explore the tide pools along Enderts Beach at low tide, look for elk in the Elk Meadow, and seeing what’s on the park’s program schedule for the day. You’ll be tired and hungry at the end of the day, so stop for dinner at Kin Khao Thai restaurant before heading back to your hotel.
DAY 5
Wake up early and pick up breakfast on the road as you head toward Oregon on U.S. 199. It should take a little more than two hours to reach Crater Lake National Park. To get amazing views of this landscape, caused by a volcanic eruption 10 times more powerful than the 1980 Mt. St. Helen’s eruption, take the just-under-1-mile hike to Watchman’s Point. Have a leisurely lunch at the Annie Creek Restaurant, then settle back down in the car for the 2.5-hour drive to Lava Beds National Monument. Make advance reservations to join one of the ranger-led Fern Cave tours, where you can still see pictographs left by Native Americans centuries ago. Take the easy 0.8-mile hike to Symbol Bridge and the Big Painted Cave to see more Native American artwork. Call ahead to arrange dinner at the Winema Lodge in Tulelake, and you’ll be ready to settle in for the night.
DAY 6
Have breakfast at the Lodge before following CA-36 south to Lassen Volcanic National Park. Follow the moderate, three-mile Bumpass Hell trail to see bubbling hot-water pools, belching mudpots, and steaming fumaroles at the park’s largest hydrothermal area. To experience the after-effects of a major eruption first-hand, take the Devastated Area interpretive trail, which chronicles the Lassen Peak eruptions of 1914-17. Make reservations for a hearty lunch at Drakesbad Guest Ranch, located inside the park. Once you’re back in the car, it’s about a four-hour drive to Lake Tahoe. Enjoy some authentic tacos at Taqueria Jaliscos, then check in at Lakeland Village, where the kids can splash in the lake-view pool until bedtime.
This was originally published in the summer 2014 issue of HSL, but we’re in the mood for some vicarious travel right about now. We updated some information when we republished this online in 2021, but always double-check before relying on travel information!
