Sunset magazine names Paso Robles best wine country town in the West

Paso Robles in Central California ranks as the best wine country town in the 2016 Sunset Travel Awards.

By Mary Forgione

July 22, 2016 8:15 AM PT

If you want to find the most adventurous town in the West, head to Park City, Utah. And if you crave a quality food escape, Portland, Ore., is the place to go.

These most recent recommendations come from Sunset Travel Awards 2016, which were announced Wednesday. The magazine’s editors consider categories like best cities, lodging, dining, outdoor town, etc. Each entrant pays a fee, and only those who enter are considered for awards, according to the magazine’s website.

The awards cover 13 Western states in the U.S. plus British Columbia and Alberta in Canada.

Here are some other notable rankings:

— Best beach town goes to Tofino, British Columbia, where, the magazine says, visitors can choose “from surfing, storm- and bear-watching, tidepooling, or even seaweed foraging.”

Hmm, what about sunbathing and walking on the boardwalk? Santa Barbara, Santa Monica and Ventura were finalists in those categories.

Park City, Utah, was selected as the best outdoor town in the West.

— Best wine country town goes to Paso Robles in Central California, a sleepy spot compared to more popular wine-country destinations farther north.

“Highway 46 is a bucolic drive with more than a dozen wineries that pour in barns, cafes, underground caves, and cattle ranches,” the magazine says on its website.

McMinnville, Ore., and Carmel Valley and Solvang, both in California, ranked as finalists.

Sunset magazine chose the Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage in California as 2016's best desert hotel-resort.

— The oceanfront Surfsand Resort in Cannon Beach, Ore., scores best for pets, and the Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage (near Palm Springs) ranked as the best desert hotel-resort.