California’s Trail of Cheese
The new Sonoma Marin Cheese Trail winds about a hundred miles through the redwood canyons, pastures, and oak-covered hills of Marin and Sonoma counties just north of San Francisco. It links more than two dozen artisans who make distinctive cheeses using local milk from grass-fed cows, sheep, and goats.
“The milk’s just sweeter,” says Gabe Luddy, great-grandson of Vella Cheese Company’s founder in Sonoma. “Our climate and temperature make a difference.”
The area looks nearly unchanged since 1865 when Marin French Cheese Company began making semisoft breakfast cheese for San Francisco’s dockworkers. Now the company crafts 20 varieties in its factory near Petaluma. Visitors can tour the plant, buy savory wedges on-site, and picnic overlooking a duck pond.
At Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company, the Fork education center offers an all-day, hands-on cheesemaking class. Nick’s Cove in Marshall serves Point Reyes Farmstead cheeses so guests can indulge without putting on that apron.
In Point Reyes Station, Cowgirl Creamery provides cheese classes, tours, and tastings (try the vermilion-rinded Red Hawk) and runs a tempting deli counter.
This piece, written by April Orcutt, appeared in the August/September 2012 issue of National Geographic Traveler.
Go Further
Animals
- Cougar travels 1,000 miles in one of longest recorded treksCougar travels 1,000 miles in one of longest recorded treks
- Rare gray whale spotted in the Atlantic—and it's only the beginningRare gray whale spotted in the Atlantic—and it's only the beginning
- Why 'funga' is just as important as flora and faunaWhy 'funga' is just as important as flora and fauna
- Termite fossils prove mating hasn't changed in 38 million yearsTermite fossils prove mating hasn't changed in 38 million years
Environment
- Why the 2024 hurricane season could be especially activeWhy the 2024 hurricane season could be especially active
- Mushroom leather? The future of fashion is closer than you think.Mushroom leather? The future of fashion is closer than you think.
- This deadly fungus is hitchhiking its way across the worldThis deadly fungus is hitchhiking its way across the world
- Why 'funga' is just as important as flora and faunaWhy 'funga' is just as important as flora and fauna
- This exploding mine holds a treasure that may change the worldThis exploding mine holds a treasure that may change the world
History & Culture
- See the story of Jonah and the whale like never beforeSee the story of Jonah and the whale like never before
- This ancient mosaic offers extraordinary insights into the pastThis ancient mosaic offers extraordinary insights into the past
- These are the real dunes that inspired Dune—and you can visit themThese are the real dunes that inspired Dune—and you can visit them
- Meet the only woman privy to the plot to kill Julius CaesarMeet the only woman privy to the plot to kill Julius Caesar
Science
- Women’s bodies are understudied—but that’s starting to changeWomen’s bodies are understudied—but that’s starting to change
- Hundreds of tiny arachnids are likely on your face right nowHundreds of tiny arachnids are likely on your face right now
- What's worse than a hangover? Hangxiety. Here's why it happens.What's worse than a hangover? Hangxiety. Here's why it happens.
Travel
- A taste of West Bengal, from curries to Kolkata street foodA taste of West Bengal, from curries to Kolkata street food
- Discover southeastern Spain's secret coastal regionDiscover southeastern Spain's secret coastal region
- All aboard Norway's slow train under the midnight sunAll aboard Norway's slow train under the midnight sun