You flew all the way to San Francisco. Now take the short hop north.
You crossed an ocean to get here. Ten, eleven, fifteen hours in the air, a passport line, a city you have wanted to see for years. And then most visitors spend every day of the trip within an hour of the Golden Gate and fly home. That is a shame, because the part of California most people never see starts a 90-minute flight away, and getting there costs less than one more night in a downtown hotel.
Who flies into San Francisco
San Francisco International is one of the great gateways to the United States. By our count of passengers on its busiest international routes, these are the ten countries sending the most travelers. The ranking is our estimate from route-level counts, and fares are typical round-trip economy prices over the past year, so check current prices before you book.
Canada: from Vancouver or Toronto, about 2.5 hours from Vancouver, typically $250 to $410 round trip
United Kingdom: from London Heathrow, about 11 hours, typically $620 to $910 round trip
Taiwan: from Taipei, about 11.5 hours, typically $750 to $1,190 round trip
South Korea: from Seoul, about 10.5 hours, typically $490 to $950 round trip
Germany: from Frankfurt, about 11.5 hours, typically $680 to $950 round trip
Singapore: from Singapore, about 15.5 hours, typically $760 to $1,070 round trip
France: from Paris, about 11.5 hours, typically $730 to $1,100 round trip
Mexico: from Mexico City or Guadalajara, about 5 hours from Mexico City, typically $410 to $580 round trip
Japan: from Tokyo, about 9.5 hours, typically $790 to $1,540 round trip
Australia: from Sydney or Melbourne, about 13.5 hours, typically $850 to $1,330 round trip
Compare those numbers with the hop north: about 90 minutes and a few hundred dollars round trip. After eleven hours in the air, that is nothing.
The hop: San Francisco to Medford
United flies nonstop from SFO to Medford, Oregon (MFR), usually two or three times a day, in about an hour and a half. Round trips typically run about $250 to $390. Pick a morning flight and you are in the mountains by lunch.
At Medford, rental counters are in the terminal. Enterprise is right across from baggage claim. If you want to drive electric, book an EV class and confirm with the counter before you fly. Charging is included at the house.
Before the summit: Ashland
Ashland is about 20 minutes south of the Medford airport and right on your way, so give it an hour, or an evening if your flight lands late. After a long-haul flight, this is the moment the trip turns slow.
Where to eat. Decide by mood:
Something special: Cocorico, modern Mediterranean with a menu that changes daily. Reserve.
Relaxed, with a pint: The Noble Fox on Oak Street, with its own beers and vegan and gluten-free options.
A drink above the Plaza: Brickroom, with a deck over the Plaza and live music on weekends.
Latin soul food: Tlalli. Order the mole over duck confit.
Farm to table: Larks, for dinner (closed Sunday and Monday).
The splurge: MÄS, one seating of twelve at the counter, Thursday to Sunday. Book well ahead.
Coffee for the road: Noble Coffee Roasting, roasted in house.
Then take a stroll through Lithia Park. It starts right off the Plaza and runs for 93 acres up along Ashland Creek. It was laid out in 1914 by John McLaren, the designer of Golden Gate Park, so if you just left San Francisco, you will feel the family resemblance. It is worth a walk any time of year, for different reasons:
Spring: the creek runs high and loud with snowmelt, and the whole park turns green at once.
Summer: shade. The creekside trails stay cool on the hottest afternoons, and the duck ponds and rose garden are at their best.
Fall: color, often peaking in late October, and the Japanese Garden at its most beautiful.
Winter: the outdoor ice rink, quiet trails and a warm drink back on the Plaza.
For a full day there, see our Ashland wellness day. If anyone is drinking with dinner, plan a sober designated driver for the mountain pass ahead.
The road: Oregon, the Siskiyous and the mountain that welcomes you
Here is the part nobody tells you. Your side trip starts in Oregon. You land among orchards and vineyards, roll south past Ashland, and then the road climbs into the Siskiyou Mountains. Siskiyou Summit, at 4,310 feet, is the highest point on the whole length of Interstate 5, a lesser-known wonder of a mountain pass that most travelers only ever see on a map.
Cross back into California and the view opens: Mount Shasta, white and enormous, standing alone on the horizon to welcome you home. Then you leave the freeway behind. Head through Yreka, over one more mountain on Highway 3, and down into Scott Valley. Around here we take the back roads every time, so roll the last stretch into Etna on Eastside Road, past ranches and the river. Blossom Sanctuary is tucked away over that mountain, off the freeway and off the beaten path. Door to door from Medford is about an hour and a half.
Mount Shasta and Shastina at sunrise. Photo: Nandita Damaraju on Unsplash
What it costs, all in
For two people adding three nights in Scott Valley to a Bay Area trip:
SFO to Medford, round trip: about $500 to $780
Rental car from Medford, four days: about $170 to $380, depending on class and company
Charging the car: included at the house
Your stay at Blossom Sanctuary: see open dates and prices; stays of three nights or more and full weeks are discounted
So the getting-there part of the side trip comes to roughly $700 to $1,150 for two, before your stay. You already paid for the long flight. This is the short one.
Tell us what you love
Blossom Sanctuary is a private retreat house, and the valley around it is yours to explore at your own pace. Tell us what you are into and we will point you in the right direction, with an itinerary you can follow or ignore as you like. There is a lot to choose from, from campsites to luxury.
Slow days: one perfect day in Etna, or a weekend of Main Street, a facial and the hammock.
Mountains and rivers: three days with the high lakes, or four days with a day on the Salmon River.
Mount Shasta: five days with a day at the mountain. Go over Gazelle and come home through Yreka. It is only a touch longer, but you will see gorgeous land and Lovers Leap rock, and it is a nice cell-phone-free drive.
Dark skies: the best stargazing weekends left this year.
Wellness: an Ashland wellness day on your way in or out.
The land itself: whose land this is, and how to visit with respect.
Good to know
Most visitors from the UK, Taiwan, South Korea, Germany, Singapore, France, Japan and Australia enter the US with an ESTA, currently about $40. Canadians do not need a visa; travelers from Mexico do. Check the official ESTA site before you travel.
Siskiyou Summit can see snow from late fall into spring. Check TripCheck and Caltrans QuickMap and carry chains or traction tires in winter.
Drinking? Plan a sober designated driver. There is no taxi or ride-share in Scott Valley, and the roads are dark and full of deer.
You came all this way. Give yourself the rest of California. See open dates and prices for your stay at Blossom Sanctuary, and join the Orbit for letters from the house, with 20% off a first stay booked on our website as your welcome gift.