California's Cutest Underrated Towns With Walkable Downtowns And Scenic Charm

California, the Golden State, offers its visitors iconic attractions and landscapes. From the sun-kissed beaches of Venice Beach in Los Angeles or the rugged cliffs of San Diego's La Jolla Cova, the state boasts some of the more famous shorelines in the U.S. Inland is home to towering giant redwoods and sequoias, giving way to the glacier-sculpted granite rock formations of Yosemite.

Beyond nature, the bustling metropolises of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego all pulse with energy offering fantastic walkability. Who hasn't dreamed of strolling San Francisco's hilly neighborhoods and famous landmarks or wandering LA's popular attractions? Exploring a place on-foot brings unique joys like inhaling the salty air mixed with the street food aromas, or spotting hidden murals between coffee shop stops. It's also exercise wrapped into exploration, a budget-friendly way to set your own rhythm to mapping the urban layout within your mind. But big city hustle can exhaust you: traffic, noise, and stress make exploration tough. If you're done with that, try California's smaller towns for a more peaceful adventure. 

We chose five cute ones with walkable downtowns and distinct scenic charm: Nevada City, Grass Valley, Ojai, Ferndale, and Cambria. These California gems offer wonderful, walkable downtowns, complete with opportunities to lean into the town's charm. To create this list, we scanned various travel resources, prioritizing places with high walkability within their downtown areas, charming downtowns, and a sense of being overlooked compared to nearby hotspots. Drawing on sites like World Atlas, Visit California, and local blogs, we focused on towns blending natural scenery with pedestrian-friendly streets. These aren't the 14 most talked about coastal towns, but they still deliver.

Situated 60 miles northeast of Sacramento in the Sierra Nevada foothills, Nevada City is a gem of a town with a population of just over 3,000 people. Its downtown boasts a walking score of 71, meaning it's very walkable and most daily errands can be done on-foot. What makes Nevada City so pedestrian-friendly is the compact layout of tree-lined streets and gorgeous Victorian-era homes. It blends together to create a hamlet like atmosphere that's quite simple to navigate by car. 

This Gold Country town is a lovely relic from the rush era and brims with history, wine-tasting rooms, beautiful gardens, and fresh produce markets. The small downtown encourages foot traffic and allows visitors to immerse themselves in its charm effortlessly. The buildings in the well-preserved historic district are from the 19th century and house restaurants, gift shops, antique stores and more. Many even feature wooden balconies that add to the charm. Don't miss California's oldest operating theater built for performances, the 1865 Nevada Theater, that still hosts shows today! Nearby, the bell-towered firehouse with its Victorian gingerbread facade serves as a history museum offering insights into the city's mining past.

Walk the seasonal farmers market, running from April to December for the summer market, and January to April for the winter market. The area's natural scenery begs strolls and exploration as nearby trails offer a great escape, as does the Yuba River. Nevada City remains underrated and often overshadowed by larger nearby destinations like Lake Tahoe or Sacramento, but it delivers Gold Rush history, and is a great place to enjoy historic charm and amazing food in California.

Just four miles southwest of Nevada City, also in the Sierra Nevada foothills, sits Grass Valley. Nevada City's larger neighbor has a population around 14,000, and its downtown earns a stellar walking score of 84, classifying it as very walkable, and most errands can be accomplished on-foot. The compact design puts everything within easy reach, and the foothills beyond the city offer extended strolls into nature. 

The heart of Grass Valley's downtown is Mill Street, spanning about 15 blocks and serving as the major hub of goods and services for visitors and locals alike. Many of the structures date back to the Gold Rush era, while others are mid-20th-century additions, such as the 1942 Art Deco Del Oro movie house. This mixture creates a pleasant ambiance for walking, with well-maintained sidewalks and a postcard-perfect setting completed with cedar and pine trees lining the streets. The town preserves its history while offering big-city amenities in a small package, including world-class performing art performances at the Contemporary Center for the Arts. 

Like its neighbor, Grass Valley is frequently skipped for bigger cities nearby, but it too offers small-town charm with sophisticated touches and a wonderful walkable atmosphere. For those seeking a community-focused town, with scenic surroundings and a functional and enchanting experience, look no further.

Ojai sits in the gorgeous valley on the edge of the Los Padres National Forest, about twelve miles north of Venture and the Pacific Coast, and under two hours northwest of Los Angeles in Ventura County. With a population of about 7,400, its downtown achieves a drool-worthy walk score of 90, making it a walkers paradise where daily errands don't require a vehicle. 

Ojai is known for its creative culture, environmental sustainability focus, and spiritual vibe. The city hosts festivals and events, and features a distinctive Mission Revival architecture style alongside its quaint tree-lined streets. The Mediterranean climate and stunning mountain views contribute to a charming and extremely walkable downtown that's focused on independent businesses. Downtown centers around a historic arcade with great sidewalks and few people, perfect for wandering about. 

Libbey Park acts as a central hub for Ojai, with walking paths, tennis courts, a playground, and the Ojai Certified Farmers Market is perfect for getting steps in while collecting artisanal goods. Peruse the mile-long avenue of shops downtown, and restaurants, stopping in at whatever catches your fancy. Grab a brew at Ojai Coffee Roasters or browse Bart's Books, the largest independently-owned bookstore in the country. If you need to give your feet a break, hop on the charming trolley that cruises the streets. The town's intimate connection to nature encourages visitors to slow down, tucked away from the major highways it offers a serene and artistic essence. It's ideal for visitors who appreciate locally-owned, sustainable, and long-term focused mindsets with scenic backdrops. 

In Humboldt County, northern California, Ferndale lies about five miles east of the Pacific Ocean and about 260 miles north of San Francisco. Time seems to standstill in this Victorian-era village with a population of about 1,500. Its walk score is 64, meaning it's somewhat walkable, with some errands necessitating a car, but for most, downtown will be highly walkable. 

Ferndale offers a wonderful preservation of Victorian-era homes and buildings along the pedestrian-friendly Main Street. The ornate "gingerbread"-adorned houses are now home to bed-and-breakfasts, artisanal shops, art galleries, craft stores, and more. It's important to remember that it isn't the size that matters, as this small town offers a lot. The Ferndale Museum delves into local history. Artisan Alley Studios and Ferndale Arts Gallery feature paintings, ceramics, and other art pieces from local residents. The Old Steeple is a popular spot for live music and comedy, having been converted from an old Methodist church, and during the holidays, Ferndale lights the nation's tallest living Christmas tree in downtown.

The compact layout, strong community orientation, and independent businesses foster a welcoming vibe. It's a working town with authentic general stores, uncrowded streets, and serves as a haven for those aiming to escape the hustle of city live. It's picture-perfect nostalgia alive in small-town America. While often overshadowed by the Redwoods nearby, Ferndale provides a unique Victorian era charm and proximity to the ocean without crowds. 

Cambria is a seaside village located in San Luis Obispo County along State Route 1. It's a unique charm halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Its population hovers around 6,000, and its walk score is 54, the lowest on this list, but it compensates with a compact charm that encourages visitor exploration, especially for antique lovers.

Downtown Cambria splits into West Village and East Village, both situated at ether end of Main Street, and separated by about three-quarters of a mile of walkable shops and galleries. Both areas excel in shopping, with art galleries, antique stores, clothing shops, and restaurants. West Village has a funky eclectic Central Coast flair, while the East Village gives a nod to Cambria's history and upbringing. Cambria is an antique lover's dream, and hosts numerous thrift, vintage, and massive antique shops like Antiques on Main, which is 10,000 square feet over three stories.

Beyond the antiquing, visitors can enjoy great wine-tasting along the main drag at spots like Cayucos Cellars, a family-owned winery producing limited cases a year. Their tasting village is located in East Village. Mozzi's Saloon is a throwback 1866 cowboy bar offering a taste of the past, and is not to be missed. Charming Victorian houses complete Cambria's vibe.  The town's helpful layout promotes enjoyable walking between unique experiences all enhanced by the ocean views. The nearby Moonstone Beach Boardwalk adds a wonderful one-mile stroll for those looking for more.

To curate this list of California's cutest yet underrated towns with wonderful walkable downtowns and scenic charm, lists of the most walkable towns across the state were explored, with a focus on smaller locations boasting quaint downtown appeal and other great exploratory offerings. Lesser-known gems were emphasized over more famous locales, with a prioritization of walkability, uniqueness, and natural scenery. 

Key sources included travel guides from Visit California, Trip Advisor, articles from World Atlas, and blogs from California travel guides. Information was cross-referenced with additional resources, including local tourism data, traveler Reddit forums, and best-of lists. For factual details, reliable databases like the U.S. Census were drawn upon. Walk scores came directly from WalkScore.com.