Central Valley

The Central Valley fills the broad agricultural heart of California, the flat, fertile basin between the Sierra Nevada and the Coast Ranges. The valley runs roughly 450 miles north–south, drained by the Sacramento River in the north and the San Joaquin in the south. Most of it sits below 500 feet, with climate ranging from the wet, foggy delta to the hot, irrigated farmland around Fresno. Colusa, Glenn, Yolo, Solano, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Fresno, and Kings counties cover the region. Sacramento (the state capital) is the dominant urban anchor; Stockton, Modesto, Merced, and Fresno carry the southern stretch. Lake and Napa counties extend the region into the Coast Range foothills with Clear Lake and southern Napa wine country. Most travel is agricultural and historical. Sacramento handles the Capitol, Old Sacramento, and the Crocker Art Museum; Lodi and the Delta carry small-town Zinfandel country and houseboating; Fresno gives access to Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia. The valley is more a passage than a destination — most visitors cross it heading for the Sierra or the coast.