San Joaquin Valley

Understand

Between the Diablo Range and the Sierra Nevada is the Central Valley. There are two major rivers in the Central Valley, the Sacramento and the San Joaquin, and the Central Valley is a good agricultural area (at least after very extensive irrigation). For the tourist, it does not have great sightseeing opportunities or many locations of great historical value; however, the Central Valley's location fairly close to both the Bay Area and the Sierra Nevada Mountains is worth noting.

The main activity in the region is farming, and generally not much else happens, and the valley isn't an important tourist destination. But driving the through the region, especially on country roads, can be a wonderful and enjoyable experience.

While most of the land is treeless, there are a few preserves that are scattered through the Central Valley where woodlands can be found.

Cities

The cities of the most importance are Bakersfield, Fresno, Stockton, and Modesto. A more complete list of major cities within the San Joaquin Valley would include:

• Bakersfield Third largest city in the central valley. Cattle ranching and petroleum are the major industries in this city, which is very hot in the summer.
• Fresno - The largest city in the Central Valley and home to many major farm corporations and food corporations.
• Merced - Home to the University of California, Merced. Built in 2005, it is the newest and "greenest" UC. The midsize city also boasts an up and coming downtown. There is a small winery scene in the area including Gallo farms and Vista Cellars.
• Modesto- Midsize city with decent food in its downtown.
• Stockton - Home to the University of the Pacific and one of America's most diverse cities.
• Tracy - Considered a bedroom community for Bay Area commuters and a crossroads for people traveling between Central Valley, Bay Area, and Los Angeles.
• Visalia

Other destinations

• The Sierra foothills on the eastern side of the valley have good scenery.

Get in

By plane

You can get in to San Joaqiun by flying into Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FAT). Fresno has flights from Mexico and the West Coast. Other options include Bakersfield’s Meadows Field Airport (BFL) and Stockton Metropolitan Airport (SCK).

By car

Interstate 5 and State Route (SR) 99 are the main routes through the region; they go from north to south. SR-99 connects the major cities of the San Joaquin Valley from Stockton in the north to its junction with I-5 at Wheelers Ridge (Exit 221 of I-5) south of Bakersfield. I-5 bypasses the San Joaquin cities and run parallel to SR-99 at 40 to 48 miles (64-78 km) apart. The San Joaquin cities can still be reached by I-5 at various points along the way. It would just be another 40 mi east to reach any city along a two-lane highway. They are not scenic drives, but instead routes into, and through, the region.

By bus

Intercity bus lines and shuttles typically pass through the San Joaquin Valley on their way between Tijuana/Tijuana Airport, Los Angeles/Huntington Beach and Sacramento along SR-99. In between they typically stop in Bakersfield, Tulare/Visalia, Delano, Goshen Jct, Fresno, Merced, Turlock, Modesto and Stockton. Not all companies will make all of the above stops while others may make stops in addition to the above or skip through the area. Some go towards the SF Bay area from the San Joaquin Valley without going through Sacramento. In the cities, each company typically has its own bus station or stops. Check their websites for schedules, routing and stop/station locations:

There may be additional Hispanic bus companies connecting the San Joaquin Valley from southern California and the Mexican border in the south to as far north as Wenatchee or Yakima WA.

By train

• Amtrak Gold Runner passes through the San Joaquin several times daily between Stockton and Bakersfield with stops in Modesto, Turlock, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Hanford, Corcoran, Allensworth and Wasco. Going the opposite direction from Stockton some trains go north towards Sacramento via Lodi while others go west towards Oakland via Antioch-Pittsburg, Martinez, Richmond & Emeryville (nearest station to San Francisco). Nearest stops with Amtrak Thruway bus connections to Yosemite NP are in Merced and Fresno.
• Amtrak Thruway There are multiple Amtrak Thruway bus connections to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Long Beach, Victorville, Yosemite NP and other parts of the state from different stops along the Gold Runner route. A Thruway bus trip can only be used as part of a train journey. It cannot be booked separately for bus only.

Get around

This is a car-based area. Some public transit is available in the form of buses, but they are highly inefficient. Taxi and ride share services are available by reservation and can get expensive.

Distances are large. Even crossing the San Joaquin Valley is a long drive; driving along either of the freeways north or south through the valley is a long, boring drive, with few interesting sights along these highways themselves.

Stay safe

The Central Valley can get very foggy in winter, making driving extremely dangerous with visibility of 100 feet (30 m) and less. On the faster highways, such as Interstate 5 and State Route 99, the fog can turn small accidents into smash-ups of dozens of cars.

Gang activity is quite common in the larger cities. Avoid being out alone after dark, and avoid wearing solid red or solid blue, as these are gang colors and may make you a target.

Stay healthy

San Joaquin cities such as Bakersfield, Fresno, Visalia, Merced, and Modesto have poor air quality. In fact, all of these cities rank among the top 15 smoggiest cities in the U.S. Summer temperatures can soar above 110°F (45°C), even in the hills. Drink plenty of water; heat strokes and dehydration are very common during the summer.

Also, the Sierra Nevada and Coastal Ranges are nearby, and wildfires are fairly common in these ranges. The smoke — and even the fires themselves — can spread into the valley, especially from the Sierra Nevada, greatly worsening the air quality to smog conditions. While these fires typically occur in the mountains either east or west of the valley during late summer, they can happen at any time of year.

Go next

• Sacramento Valley and the Gold Country are to the north.
• Sierra Nevada, to the east, is one of the highest mountain ranges in the U.S. Popular destinations in the mountain range include Yosemite National Park and Lake Tahoe.
• The Central Coast is to the west.
• Surprise, surprise — Southern California to the south. This is the location of Los Angeles and San Diego.

Counties