Our favorite must-see small towns in Northern California

SONORA



Washington Street runs through historic Sonora, a one-time mining camp that is located on the edge of both the Stanislaus National Forest and Yosemite National Park. (Drive time: 2.5 hours)



Read more: Washington Street runs through historic Sonora, a one-time mining camp that is located on the edge of both the Stanislaus National Forest and Yosemite National Park. (Drive time: 2.5 hours)Read more: Gold town Sonora still strikes it rich less SONORA



Washington Street runs through historic Sonora, a one-time mining camp that is located on the edge of both the Stanislaus National Forest and Yosemite National Park. (Drive time: 2.5 hours)



Read more: Washington Street runs through historic Sonora, a one-time mining camp that is located on the edge of both the Stanislaus National Forest and Yosemite National Park. (Drive time: 2.5 hours)Read more: ... more Photo: Jeff Simpson/CaliforniaFallColor.com Photo: Jeff Simpson/CaliforniaFallColor.com Image 1 of / 37 Caption Close Our favorite must-see small towns in Northern California 1 / 37 Back to Gallery

If you're currently queuing up your list of future road trips, we've got a great starting point for you.

Keeping in mind different budgets and time allowances, we've put together our list of must-see small towns in Northern California. By design, we've chosen towns that are in easy driving distance, perfect for day trips or long weekends. A few towns are more than three hours away — but they're pretty great to be worth the extra trip.

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Estimated drive times were calculated by Google Maps using a starting point of central San Francisco. Traffic, restroom stops, wrong turns, photo opportunities, "don't make me turn this car around" moments, etc., were not factored in.

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Let us know your favorite NorCal small towns in the comments.