Activities in Central Valley California
- One of several agriculture staples in the Central Valley.Grapes image by irum from Fotolia.com
The Central Valley is flanked by mountains, creating a large flat area in the middle of California, about the size of Tennessee. The Central Valley is split into two regions: the southern, San Joaquin Valley and the northern, Sacramento Valley. There are several attractions in the Central Valley including wineries, train tours, recreation and national forests. - This recreation area is east of Highway 101 and west from Interstate 5, near Pacheco Pass. The state recreation area offers boating, camping, board sailing and picnicking opportunities. The reservoir stores runoff water from the delta. It's open all year, sunrise to sunset. Four campgrounds are located at the reservoir including Basalt, San Luis Creek, Medeiros and Los Banos Creek. O'Neill Forebay, San Luis Reservoir and Los Banos Creek Reservoir are the three lakes located at the reservoir. Boating and other recreational activities take place on these lakes. However, some areas around the recreation area can get windy.
San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area
31426 Gonzaga Road
Gustine, CA 95322
209-826-1197
parks.ca.gov - This tour is offered by the Sacramento Wine and Nightlife Tours. Lodi Wine country is located within the Central Valley, just south of Sacramento. It's home to about 24 wineries, and the Lodi Wine Tour visits up to four wineries including Borra, D'Art, Vino Con Brio and Michael-David. Borra Vineyards has been in business since 1967 and makes chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon, along with other wines. D'Art Wines produces handcrafted wines on a seven-acre vineyard. Vino Con Brio is an eclectic winery and produces wines like petite sirah, zinfandel and sauvignon blanc. Michael-David Vineyards uses all-natural methods to produce wines like its flagship wine, zinfandel. Guests can choose their times for this tour and itinerary. Door-to-door service, refreshments and private coaches for transportation are all included in the price. Tours last about six hours.
Sacramento Wine and Nightlife Tours
1017 L St. #580
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-443-8741
sacramentowinetours.com - This company offers three railroad tours, two of which travel through the Central Valley. Its first, the Sacramento River Train, picks guests up in Woodland, about 15 minutes north of Sacramento and travels to Luvdahl. This gold and blue train takes guests on a 28-mile journey lasting 2.5 to 3.5 hours. Guests are able to enjoy brunch, lunch or dinner. On certain dates, the train offers special trips like a Great Train Robbery and Murder Mystery Dinner. The company's Sierra Railroad takes guests from Oakdale to eastern Stanislaus County. The train takes a 32-mile journey and offers a Murder Mystery Dinner and Sunset Dinner.
Sierra Railroad
330 S. Sierra Ave.
Oakdale, CA 95361
209-848-2100
sierrarailroad.com - This national forest is connected to the Sequoia national park and is located in southwestern Sierra Nevada. The four ranger districts within the national forest are Tule River, Hot Springs, Cannell Meadow and Greenhorn. The Sequoia trees grow in 30 groves of the forest's lower slopes. The national forest offers several hiking, biking, horseback riding, backpacking and camping opportunities. Elevations at the forest range from 1,000 to 12,000 feet.
Sequoia National Forest
1839 S. Newcomb St.
Porterville, CA 93257
559-784-1500
fs.fed.us
