California State Route 121
Encyclopedia
State Route 121 is a California
state highway
in the Wine Country that runs northerly from its junction with State Route 37
at Sears Point
, past the Tolay Lake
basin and across Tolay Creek
near Infineon Raceway
, veers east at a junction with State Route 116
and Bonneau Road at Schellville
, runs eastward through the Carneros
region of the southern Sonoma Valley
and Napa Valley (concurrent
first with State Route 12, then with State Route 29
), then northeastward to end near Lake Berryessa
in Napa County.
The California Legislature named the route Carneros Highway from its southern terminus to its junction with Route 29 in Napa
. The stretch between the junctions with Route 116 and Napa Road near the Sonoma/Napa county line is known locally as Fremont Drive. Addresses along the stretch between routes 37 and 116 sometimes use the postal address Arnold Drive, even though that name officially applies only to the county road north of 116.
and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System
. However, it is not a scenic highway as designated by Caltrans.
The route begins at SR 37
in Sears Point. As it continues northward through Sonoma County
, it meets SR 116
. It then enters Schellville
, where it begins a short overlap with SR 12. Upon leaving, it begins another overlap with SR 29
, which happens to be a freeway, in Napa County
. When it leaves, it continues northward and meets SR 221
in Napa
. As it leaves the city, it continues northward for several miles before reaching its north end at SR 128
.
{| class=wikitable
!County
!Location
!Postmile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=4|Sonoma
SON 0.00-11.62
|Sears Point
|0.00
|
|
|-
|
|6.69
|
|
|-
|Schellville
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|7.44
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|South end of SR 12 overlap
|-
|
|R10.79
|Napa Road
|
|-
|rowspan=9|Napa
NAP 0.00-22.08
|rowspan=6|Napa
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|R4.47
R8.66Indicates that the postmile represents the distance along SR 29
rather than SR 121.
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|North end of SR 12 overlap; south end of SR 29 overlap
|-
|colspan=3 align=center|South end of freeway on SR 29
|-
|colspan=3 align=center|North end of freeway on SR 29
|-bgcolor=#ddffdd
|R10.30
R4.47
|
|Interchange; north end of SR 29 overlap
|-
|6.01
|
|
|-
|6.55
|Soscol Avenue north – Downtown Napa
|
|-
|
|9.40
|Silverado Trail, Trancas Street
|
|-
|
|16.07
|Wooden Valley Road – Fairfield
|
|-
|
|22.08
|, Lake Berryessa
, Rutherford
|
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
state highway
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
in the Wine Country that runs northerly from its junction with State Route 37
California State Route 37
State Route 37 is a state highway in the northern part of the U.S. state of California that runs 21 miles along the northern shore of San Pablo Bay. It is built from U.S. Route 101 in Novato and runs through the southern tips of Sonoma and Napa Counties to Interstate 80 in Vallejo...
at Sears Point
Sears Point
Sears Point is a prominent landform jutting into the historic reaches of San Pablo Bay in Sonoma County, California, USA. This hill is the southernmost peak of the Sonoma Mountains and forms the southwestern ridge above Tolay Lake...
, past the Tolay Lake
Tolay Lake
Tolay Lake is a shallow freshwater lacustrine water body in southern Sonoma County, California, United States. The lake, nestled within the southern vestiges of the Sonoma Mountains, is the site of significant Native American prehistoric seasonal settlement...
basin and across Tolay Creek
Tolay Creek
Tolay Creek is a southward-flowing stream in southern Sonoma County, California, USA, which flows through Tolay Lake and ends in north San Pablo Bay.-History:The Alaguali were a Coast Miwok community of northern San Pablo Bay in the Tolay Creek region...
near Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills...
, veers east at a junction with State Route 116
California State Route 116
State Route 116 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California in Sonoma County. The route runs from State Route 1 on the Pacific coast near Jenner to State Route 121 south of Sonoma.-Route description:...
and Bonneau Road at Schellville
Schellville, California
Schellville is an unincorporated community in Sonoma County, California, United States. Schellville is located at the junction of California State Route 12 and California State Route 121 south of Sonoma...
, runs eastward through the Carneros
Los Carneros AVA
Los Carneros AVA is an American Viticultural Area which includes parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties in California, U.S.A.. It is located north of San Pablo Bay. The proximity to the cool fog and breezes from the bay makes the climate in Los Carneros cooler and more moderate than the wine...
region of the southern Sonoma Valley
Sonoma Valley
Sonoma Valley is the birthplace of the California wine industry and often called The Valley of the Moon. Sonoma Valley is home to some of the earliest vineyards and wineries in the state, some of which survived the phylloxera epidemic of the 1870s and the impact of Prohibition...
and Napa Valley (concurrent
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
first with State Route 12, then with State Route 29
California State Route 29
State Route 29 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that travels in a north–south direction from State Route 20 in Upper Lake to Interstate 80 in Vallejo.-Route description:...
), then northeastward to end near Lake Berryessa
Lake Berryessa
Lake Berryessa is the largest lake in Napa County, California. This reservoir is formed by the Monticello Dam, which provides water and hydroelectricity to the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area....
in Napa County.
The California Legislature named the route Carneros Highway from its southern terminus to its junction with Route 29 in Napa
Napa, California
-History:The name Napa was probably derived from the name given to a southern Nappan village whose people shared the area with elk, deer, grizzlies and cougars for many centuries, according to Napa historian Kami Santiago. At the time of the first recorded exploration into Napa Valley in 1823, the...
. The stretch between the junctions with Route 116 and Napa Road near the Sonoma/Napa county line is known locally as Fremont Drive. Addresses along the stretch between routes 37 and 116 sometimes use the postal address Arnold Drive, even though that name officially applies only to the county road north of 116.
Route description
This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway SystemCalifornia Freeway and Expressway System
The California Freeway and Expressway System is a system of existing or planned freeways and expressways in the U.S. state of California. It is defined by the Streets and Highways Code.-List of roads in the system:*State Route 1 *State Route 2...
and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System
State Scenic Highway System (California)
The State Scenic Highway System is a list of highways, mainly state highways, that have been designated by the California Department of Transportation as scenic highways. The California State Legislature, primarily through Section 263 of the Streets and Highways Code, makes highways eligible for...
. However, it is not a scenic highway as designated by Caltrans.
The route begins at SR 37
California State Route 37
State Route 37 is a state highway in the northern part of the U.S. state of California that runs 21 miles along the northern shore of San Pablo Bay. It is built from U.S. Route 101 in Novato and runs through the southern tips of Sonoma and Napa Counties to Interstate 80 in Vallejo...
in Sears Point. As it continues northward through Sonoma County
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
, it meets SR 116
California State Route 116
State Route 116 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California in Sonoma County. The route runs from State Route 1 on the Pacific coast near Jenner to State Route 121 south of Sonoma.-Route description:...
. It then enters Schellville
Schellville, California
Schellville is an unincorporated community in Sonoma County, California, United States. Schellville is located at the junction of California State Route 12 and California State Route 121 south of Sonoma...
, where it begins a short overlap with SR 12. Upon leaving, it begins another overlap with SR 29
California State Route 29
State Route 29 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that travels in a north–south direction from State Route 20 in Upper Lake to Interstate 80 in Vallejo.-Route description:...
, which happens to be a freeway, in Napa County
Napa County, California
Napa County is a county located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is coterminous with the Napa, California, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 the population is 136,484. The county seat is Napa....
. When it leaves, it continues northward and meets SR 221
California State Route 221
State Route 221 is a state highway in Napa County of the U.S. state of California.-Route description:It is a divided four-lane expressway that serves as an alternate to the nearby Route 29 freeway into Napa from the south. Route 221 is the northern part of the Napa-Vallejo Highway. It is only...
in Napa
Napa, California
-History:The name Napa was probably derived from the name given to a southern Nappan village whose people shared the area with elk, deer, grizzlies and cougars for many centuries, according to Napa historian Kami Santiago. At the time of the first recorded exploration into Napa Valley in 1823, the...
. As it leaves the city, it continues northward for several miles before reaching its north end at SR 128
California State Route 128
State Route 128 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California, connecting the Mendocino coast to the Central Valley through the state's Wine Country.-Route description:...
.
History
The section from SR 37 to SR 29 in Napa remains virtually unchanged since its definition in 1963. The northern section, however, was slightly altered since its definition the same year due to a realignment of various other freeways.Major intersections
- Note: Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured in 1964, based on the alignment as it existed at that time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. The numbers reset at county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column.
{| class=wikitable
!County
!Location
!Postmile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=4|Sonoma
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
SON 0.00-11.62
|Sears Point
|0.00
|
|
|-
|
|6.69
|
|
|-
|Schellville
Schellville, California
Schellville is an unincorporated community in Sonoma County, California, United States. Schellville is located at the junction of California State Route 12 and California State Route 121 south of Sonoma...
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|7.44
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|South end of SR 12 overlap
|-
|
|R10.79
|Napa Road
|
|-
|rowspan=9|Napa
Napa County, California
Napa County is a county located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is coterminous with the Napa, California, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 the population is 136,484. The county seat is Napa....
NAP 0.00-22.08
|rowspan=6|Napa
Napa, California
-History:The name Napa was probably derived from the name given to a southern Nappan village whose people shared the area with elk, deer, grizzlies and cougars for many centuries, according to Napa historian Kami Santiago. At the time of the first recorded exploration into Napa Valley in 1823, the...
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|R4.47
R8.66Indicates that the postmile represents the distance along SR 29
California State Route 29
State Route 29 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that travels in a north–south direction from State Route 20 in Upper Lake to Interstate 80 in Vallejo.-Route description:...
rather than SR 121.
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|
|bgcolor=#ddffdd|North end of SR 12 overlap; south end of SR 29 overlap
|-
|colspan=3 align=center|South end of freeway on SR 29
|-
|colspan=3 align=center|North end of freeway on SR 29
|-bgcolor=#ddffdd
|R10.30
R4.47
|
|Interchange; north end of SR 29 overlap
|-
|6.01
|
|
|-
|6.55
|Soscol Avenue north – Downtown Napa
|
|-
|
|9.40
|Silverado Trail, Trancas Street
|
|-
|
|16.07
|Wooden Valley Road – Fairfield
Fairfield, California
Fairfield is a city located in Solano County in Northern California, USA. It is generally considered the midpoint between the cities of San Francisco and Sacramento, approximately from the city center of both cities, approximately from the city center of Oakland, less than from Napa Valley, 18...
|
|-
|
|22.08
|, Lake Berryessa
Lake Berryessa
Lake Berryessa is the largest lake in Napa County, California. This reservoir is formed by the Monticello Dam, which provides water and hydroelectricity to the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area....
, Rutherford
|