Rancho Sanel

Hopland (formerly Sanel) is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California, United States. It is located on the west bank of the Russian River, 13 miles (21 km) south-southeast of Ukiah, in the Sanel Valley, at an elevation of 502 feet (153 m). The population was 661 at the 2020 census, down from 756 at the 2010 census. Hopland is located at the start of the North Coast or Redwood Coast region of Northern California. It is 100 miles (161 km) north of San Francisco along U.S. Route 101 and a 30-minute drive (17 miles [27 km] east along State Route 175) to California's largest natural lake, Clear Lake. Hopland is a rustic farming community situated among oak-covered coastal foothills. Summer temperatures can exceed 100 °F (38 °C). Historic buildings in town include the old Hopland High School (c. 1923–1965), as well as the Thatcher Hotel, built in the late 1800s and recently reopened after undergoing a complete renovation. Approximately 5 mi (8 km) east of Hopland is the University of California's Hopland Research and Extension Center (formerly called the "Hopland Field Station"), a 5,300-acre (21.4 km2) research and education facility that UC has operated since 1951.

The Sanel Valley in Mendocino County, California, is a valley along the Russian River containing the town of Hopland. The river flows through the valley for approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) from the northeast (where it connects from its headwaters and the Ukiah Valley through a rocky constriction) to the southwest, and it is met near Hopland by two tributaries, Feliz Creek on the west side of the river and McDowell Creek on the east. The valley is approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) wide, and covers an area of 8.4 square miles (22 km2). The valley is served by U.S. Route 101, which passes through the valley near the west bank of the river, and by California State Route 175, which connects Hopland through the Mayacamas Mountains to Lakeport and Clear Lake to the east. The name Sanel comes from a Pomo language word for a sweat lodge. A village of the Hopland Pomo was located at what is now Old Hopland and gave its name to the valley and the Rancho Sanel that encompassed it.

Duncan Springs (formerly, Duncan Mineral Springs) is a set of springs and the site of a resort from the 1880s in Mendocino County, California, United States. Waring 1915, p. 167 It is located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south-southwest of Hopland, at an elevation of 781 feet (238 m). Duncan Springs was a resort by the 1880s.

The Hopland Band of Pomo Indians of the Hopland Rancheria is a federally recognized tribe of Pomo people in Mendocino County, California, south of Ukiah. The Hopland Band Pomos traditionally lived in the Sanel Valley.

Nacomis Indian Rancheria is an unincorporated community in Mendocino County, California. It lies at an elevation of 768 feet (234 m).

The McDowell Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in southeastern Mendocino County, California near Hopland. The wine appellation is located on sloped bench land at elevations as high as 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level that overlook the Russian River to the west. McDowell Valley is slightly cooler than the surrounding areas of Mendocino County. McDowell Valley Vineyards is currently the only winery operating within the boundaries of the AVA.

Pieta is an archaic placename, former crossroads, and former railroad depot in Mendocino County, California. It is located near the mouth of Pieta Creek 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Hopland, at an elevation of 476 feet (145 m).A post office, located on the east side of the San Francisco and North Pacific railroad tracks, operated at Pieta from 1891 to 1897. The name allegedly honors a local Native American chief. In 1891 a toll road was built at Pieta that led to Lake County. In 1896 the California Camera Club planned an outing to Pieta to photograph the "picturesque" scenery. In the 1900s, Hopland and Pieta were rivals for the traffic that came with mail delivery and stage service. Pieta was the rail stop for travelers to Bartlett Springs spa, which offered "medicinal soda magnesia baths". Stages connected from Pieta to Bartlett Springs, Highland Springs, Kelseyville, Soda Bay, and Lakeport. At least one proposed-but-never-built railroad through Lake County intended to use the Pieta stage stop as a terminus and then follow the old stage route along Pieta Creek.

Frog Woman Rock (Pomo: Bi-tsin’ ma-ca Ka-be) is a distinctive volcanic monolith located in Mendocino County, California, in the Russian River canyon through the California Coast Ranges. The California Historical Landmark, adjacent to U.S. Route 101, is a popular recreational site for rock-climbing and whitewater kayaking.

The Coast Range Geomorphic Province is a portion of coastal California, United States. This orogen geomorphic province constitutes a barrier between the Pacific Ocean and the San Joaquin Valley which trends northwest from Point Conception to the border with Oregon, with a significant break in the San Francisco Bay Area by the basins of the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River that discharge into the Pacific. The province consists of mountain ranges and the corresponding valleys and basins. The San Francisco Bay Area naturally subdivides the province into the North Coast Ranges and South Coast Ranges. The province is formed as an interaction between the North American and Pacific tectonic plates. The Pacific Plate moves northwest relatively to the North American one with speed of about 35–38 mm/year, with the majority of motion occurring during large earthquakes, with some aseismic fault creep. The overlap of the plates is about 100 km wide and contains all major geologic faults of the Northern California. The mountain ranges of the province are composed primarily of late Mesozoic (200 to 70 million years old) Cenozoic (less than 70 million years old) sedimentary strata.

Ukiah Rancheria is an unincorporated community in Mendocino County, California. It lies at an elevation of 636 feet (194 m).

Benmore Valley is an American Viticultural Area located in southwestern Lake County, California. The valley is named for Benjamin Moore, a local 19th century cattle rustler. The valley is a high depression in the mountains of southwestern Lake County, and is much cooler than surrounding areas. The TTB filing in 1991 mentioned 125 acres of Chardonnay. Most of the grapes last produced there were used by Geyser Peak Winery. As of February 2018, there are no wineries or planted vineyards left in the AVA, which is no longer marketed by Lake County winegrape growers. The main crop in the area is now cannabis.

Yorkville Highlands is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in southern Mendocino County, California and is the county border between Sonoma's Alexander Valley AVA and Mendocino's Anderson Valley AVA. It was established as the nation's 133rd, the state's 79th and the county's ninth appellation on April 7, 1998 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury after reviewing a petition submitted by Mr. William J.A. Weir on behalf of the Yorkville Highlands Appellation Committee proposing a viticultural area within southern Mendocino County known as " Yorkville Highlands." In addition, a related petition was filed by Ms. Bernadette A. Byrne, Executive Director of the Mendocino Winegrowers Alliance proposing to extend the southern boundary of the Mendocino viticultural area to coincide with the Yorkville Highlands' boundary. The petitions requested the Yorkville Highlands area be entirely contained within both the Mendocino AVA and the county borders. Yorkville Highlands covers approximately 40,000 acres (63 sq mi) of which 70 acres (28 ha) are devoted to viticulture. At the outset, there were seven growers and two wine producers within the area, with two new growers planning vineyards and some existing growers planning to plant more vineyards. The expansion of the Mendocino viticultural area adds approximately 10,000 acres (16 sq mi) to that area. The soil in the Yorkville Highlands is rocky with a high gravel content, which provides excellent drainage. During the day, the climate is cooler than Alexander Valley but warmer than Anderson Valley, while at night the highlands are cooler than the surrounding areas. As of 2025, there are twelve growers and five wineries within the area.