24 Top Pot Destinations

America’s Weed-Friendly Vacation Regions

Humboldt’s Emerald Triangle

The Emerald Triangle is made up of Trinity, Humboldt, and Mendocino counties in Northern California. The largest city is Eureka, on the Humboldt Bay, but the towns of Ukiah and Arcata will give you a better feel for an area that’s almost completely dependent on marijuana cultivation.

The Emerald Triangle features some of the most majestic mountains and tallest trees in the world, perfectly complemented by the sun-grown hybrids that are destined to become connoisseur brands in the soon-to-be-legalized California cannabis market. Just be careful where you’re hiking, especially around harvest time: You might stumble onto some prime NorCal herb and a farmer none too happy to meet you.

The Bay Area

The Bay Area, particularly Oakland and San Francisco, is the birthplace of the medical marijuana movement in America. Marijuana’s not yet legal here, but with statewide decrim, easy medical marijuana access and local tolerance, it might as well be. You can visit the stony Haight-Ashbury district in San Francisco and then head across the bay to check out Oaksterdam.

Harborside Health Center, the nation’s largest dispensary, is at the ready to help you with all your med-pot needs. There seems to be a major cannabis expo happening nearby every other weekend, and the area is packed with world-class tourist destinations.

Colorado Mountain Towns

They’ve always been counted among the country’s top skiing destinations. The love that skiers have for pot has never been a secret, but city leaders in Breckenridge fought to make sure that retail marijuana outlets would be barred from opening in the downtown area (so as not to sully the high-end shopping district), so they stuck all the pot shops out by the airport.

Aspen still hosts the annual NORML Legal Seminar every May, and the attendees enjoy a high afternoon at Owl Farm, the Woody Creek residence of the late Hunter S. Thompson.

The Oregon Coast

It’s all public land—every bit of coast belongs to the people. From the northern tip of the Emerald Triangle in Brookings to Newport on the Central Coast, north to Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River, you’ll find plenty of pot shops along the 363 miles of the Pacific Coast Highway.

Buy some firewood and fine weed and drive right out onto the beach, build a fire, watch the sunset, and let some great Oregon green bud turn your campfire s’mores into best snack ever!