The Sanel Valley in

Mendocino County, California Mendocino County (; ''Mendocino'', Spanish language, Spanish for "of Antonio de Mendoza, Mendoza) is a County (United States), county located on the North Coast (California), North Coast of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United Sta ...

is a valley along the Russian River containing the town of Hopland. The river flows through the valley for approximately 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 wide, and covers an area of . The valley is served by

U.S. Route 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal Roa ...

, which passes through the valley near the west bank of the river, and by

California State Route 175 State Route 175 (SR 175) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that runs through the Mayacamas Mountains, connecting U.S. Route 101 in Hopland in Mendocino County with State Route 29 in Middletown in Lake County. Route descript ...

, which connects Hopland through the

Mayacamas Mountains The Mayacamas Mountains are located in northwestern California in the United States. The mountain range is part of the Northern Inner Coast Ranges, of the California Coast Ranges System. Geography The Mayacamas Mountains are located south of the ...

to Lakeport and Clear Lake to the east. The name Sanel comes from a

Pomo language The Pomo are an Indigenous people of California. Historical Pomo territory in Northern California was large, bordered by the Pacific Coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean. Geography Americ ...

word for a

sweat lodge A sweat lodge is a low profile hut, typically dome-shaped or oblong, and made with natural materials. The structure is the ''lodge'', and the ceremony performed within the structure may be called by some cultures a purification ceremony or simply ...

. 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.

References

Valleys of Mendocino County, California Valleys of California {{MendocinoCountyCA-geo-stub