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

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.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times )

— 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.

(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times )

— 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.

The San Diego Bay is seen from the Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa, which was rated best spa resort.

(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times )

— Other favorites include Catamaran Resort and Spa in San Diego as best spa destination (or best destination for a girls getaway).

Check out the whole list of Sunset Travel Awards 2016 online or in the magazine’s August 2016 edition.

MORE

Rental beach cruisers that shine like the sun

8 Pokemon hangouts in San Diego during Comic-Con

Don’t like your rental sedan? Switching cars gets easier

Yoga in a Ferris wheel? Only in Vegas