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The largest city in the region is Willits, which nestles in bucolic Little Lake Valley in the mountains of California’s Coast Range. Travelers
literally cannot miss Willits: US 101, the County’s main inland artery, runs right through town. It stops being a highway long enough to
become Main Street (encountering the first traffic light on 101 north of the Golden Gate Bridge) and give the traveler a close look at this
quaint western town.

The city is a true crossroads. California 20 branches off from 101 here for the run west to Fort Bragg, and it branches off just south of the
charming commercial district. Anyone entering town from the south and heading for the coast will see mostly travelers’ necessities—fast-food places, auto-service shops, motels.

The great majority of Willits’ small-town charm lies about a quarter of a mile north of the turnoff to the coast. Some advice: bypass the coast cutoff, stay on Main, and enjoy strolling the downtown and exploring two wonderful museums a bit farther north in town.