Willits is a city in Mendocino County, California, United States. It is located about 20 miles north-northwest of Ukiah, at an elevation of 1,391 feet. The population was 4,988 at the 2020 census. Willits is at the center of Mendocino County and at the beginning of the county's extensive redwood forests as approached by Highway 101 from the south. An arch stands in the center of Willits featuring the slogans "Gateway to the Redwoods" and "Heart of Mendocino County".