Route 12--Valley of the Moon Highway 12
Route 12--Valley of the Moon Highway is a State Scenic Byway in California. Within California it covers roughly 21 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Route 12--Valley of the Moon Highway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Valley of the Moon Highway, California's Route 12, is a scenic drive through Sonoma County wine country, named for a Native legend about the valley's moonrise. The Coast Miwok and Pomo saw the moon appear to rise and set seven times behind the Mayacamas Mountains, creating the illusion of a valley of many moons. Author Jack London popularized the name more widely in his 1913 novel The Valley of the Moon, and the highway itself passes directly by Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen, where the writer lived out his final years. The route begins in the west at its junction with State Route 116 in Sebastopol, runs east through Santa Rosa, then turns south into the Sonoma Valley through some of California's most storied wine country. A retired state parks archaeologist has suggested the corridor may trace an ancient mammoth migration trail linking San Francisco Bay to the Russian River, long before it carried Spanish missionaries; a portion of the route is in fact officially designated part of El Camino Real, California's historic mission road.
- Sebastopol to Sonoma Valley (SR-12)
- Jack London State Historic Park, Glen Ellen
- Coast Miwok/Pomo moon legend
- Jack London's 1913 novel
- possible ancient mammoth trail
- part of El Camino Real
Plan a drive on Route 12--Valley of the Moon Highway →
What is a State Scenic Byway?
State Scenic Byways are roads a state has formally recognized for their scenic, natural, historic or cultural value — each state's own curated collection of drives worth taking slowly.
Where to Stay along Route 12--Valley of the Moon Highway
No campgrounds are listed close to Route 12--Valley of the Moon Highway yet, but there are rooms near the route.
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