Scenic Route 116 116
Scenic Route 116 is a State Scenic Byway in California. Within California it covers roughly 30 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Scenic Route 116 with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
State Route 116 is a California Scenic Highway following the Russian River from the Sonoma Coast through redwood country toward Sebastopol. From its western end at State Route 1 near Jenner, the highway, known locally as River Road, tracks the river's north bank east through Duncans Mills, Monte Rio, and Guernewood Park on its way to the resort town of Guerneville, before continuing on toward State Route 121 south of Sonoma. Only the western stretch, from Route 1 to the Sebastopol city limits, carries the official state scenic designation, granted in 1988 as Designation Number 51. That segment passes through a historic resort and logging district shaded by second-growth redwoods and eucalyptus groves that form a near-continuous canopy over the road, a legacy of the lumber industry that once dominated this stretch of the Russian River. The drive is popular with both day-trippers headed to the river beaches around Guerneville and cyclists using River Road as a scenic, low-traffic route between the coast and Sonoma County's inland wine country.
- State Route 116 (River Road)
- SR-1 (Jenner) to Sebastopol
- scenic designation #51 (1988)
- Russian River
- Duncans Mills, Monte Rio, Guerneville
- redwood & eucalyptus canopy
Plan a drive on Scenic Route 116 →
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 Scenic Route 116
1 campground or RV park sits within about 5 miles of Scenic Route 116.
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