Directions to Quail Hill From San Francisco

It is 3.5 hours from the SF Bay Area to Quail Hill, assuming you are driving so as to get here as quickly as possible.

We suggest the following route: (assumes a departure from downtown SF)

Your trip will take you through several distinctly different and interesting regions of California and I am sure you will enjoy it very much.

Departing downtown SF, take Interstate 80, cross the Bay Bridge and follow the signs for I-580 going east. You will need to be watchful after you cross the Bridge to be sure you are in the correct lane to get onto 580, as there is a MAJOR freeway interchange (which covers the better part of a mile) where 5 freeways converge (known locally as the Macarthur maze ). Unfortunately it is the only way to exit to the east which does not take you many many miles out of your way. However with care you will have no problems as the freeways are very well marked.

It is a very pleasant trip out of the Bay Area on 580, as it takes you through what are known as the Oakland Hills, and on through the Tri-Valley area. This is an inter-mountain region between the Oakland Hills and a second range of hills which divides the Bay Area from the Central Valley. As you leave the Tri-Valley area you will cross the Altamont Pass, which has one of the world's largest wind turbine electrical generation farms, clearly visible as you pass by.

Once you are over the Altamont, you enter the Central Valley. There I-205 splits off the main freeway. Stay on the I-580 which will bear south and east along the edge of the valley skirting the urban centers of the western part of the Valley and taking you through a lovely example of the rolling range/ranch land which once covered most of the coastal hills of central California. It also affords a splendid view east across the Valley toward the Sierras which will be visible on a clear day.

Watch for the signs indicating Highway 132 and Fresno. Exit on 132. This is a secondary highway which will take you directly across the Valley and show you fine examples of the vast and varied agricultural activities for which this region is famous.

Hwy 132 will take you into the City of Modesto, which is a very typical Valley town, now grown into an urban center. In Modesto you will get onto Hwy 99 going south. This is the main freeway in the eastern part of the Valley. It parallels the Sierras (mountains) and on a clear day you may be able to see them in the distance on your left. Certainly as you drive south and the freeway gradually gets closer to the foothills, they will come into view.

Stay on 99 at least until you reach the town of Chowchilla, which is about an hour south of Modesto. At this point you have a choice. The very scenic and much more direct route from Chowchilla to Coarsegold (where Quail Hill is), will take you across beautiful ranch country and then into the foothills. However this route is not a highway, which means that although paved, it is narrower and less smooth than the highways you have been on until now. Once you hit the foothills it is also, of necessity, winding. But it will afford you incomparable vistas and a taste of the rural life of the Sierra foothills.

To take this route, exit onto Avenue 26 at Chowchilla. When you exit the freeway, turn left and cross over the freeway at which point you will be heading East. The road is absolutely straight for 13 miles, then jogs right 1/2 mile and then proceeds straight again for several more miles. At this point you are entering the foothills and the countryside, as well as the road begins to roll dramatically.

There are several intersections, where you will follow the signs for the town of Raymond. Once you reach this tiny hamlet, proceed through it and follow the signs for Coarsegold. You will now be on Road 415. Proceed 10 miles beyond Raymond on 415, at which point the road descends into the Fresno River Valley, crosses the river, and shortly afterward (about 1/2 mile) you will see Rivercrest Rd. on your left. We are about 1/2 mile up Rivercrest. You will see our sign at the end of the drive.

If you get to a 'T' intersection on Rd. 415, with Road 400 coming from the right, you have gone too far. Rivercrest Rd. is about 1 mile back.

Alternately, you can stay on Hwy 99 at Chowchilla and proceed south to the City of Fresno, where you can follow the signs for Hwy 41 north toward Yosemite. About 30 miles north of Fresno, watch for a sign indicating a left turn for Road 416. Take that left and proceed 2.5 miles to the end of 416 at which point you turn left again onto Road 415 and proceed approx. 2 miles to Rivercrest Rd. which will be on your right. This route, while less scenic, is still very pleasant and easier to follow, but will add an extra hour to you drive time.