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Weekend Getaways from LA: Desert, Mountains and the Coast

By Travel Planner & Researcher · Updated October 21, 2026

Los Angeles sits between three completely different landscapes, which is the good news and the bad news. The good news is the choice. The bad news is that the desert, the mountains and the coast all demand different gear and different hours. These seven are picked so that each one is worth the specific drive it costs.

Joshua trees and granite boulders under a wide desert sky at dusk

The stops, in order

1. Joshua Tree, overnight

Photo spot:
The boulder fields at Hidden Valley at the last light, then the night sky from any pull-out an hour after sunset. This is the one trip on the list that genuinely requires a night.
Eat:
Nothing in the park. Twentynine Palms or Joshua Tree town, both outside the boundary.
Cost:
Joshua Tree National Park charges an entrance fee for private vehicles, for motorcycles and per person, and each is valid for 7 days. Check the official fees page for the current rate.
Note:
Bring more water than you think. Daytime heat is the actual hazard here, not the drive.

2. Big Bear Lake

Photo spot:
The lake from the north shore at first light, with the pines going dark against the water. Two hours from the city, and it feels further.
Eat:
Big Bear village on the lake, which is walkable and small.
Cost:
Free to drive around. Parking at the popular lake access points fills by mid-morning.

3. Ojai

Photo spot:
The valley from the Shelf Road trail at sunset, looking back over the orange groves with the Topatopa mountains behind. Small, quiet, and the least crowded option here.
Eat:
Ojai's downtown has a real concentration of good places for a town its size.
Cost:
Free.

4. Santa Monica Mountains — Solstice Canyon

Photo spot:
The waterfall and the stone house ruins, both within a short loop. The parking lot at Solstice Canyon is paved and about half a mile of Solstice Canyon Trail is paved, and the entrance is 0.25 mile from Pacific Coast Highway. The Solstice Canyon Trail passes the stone and brick ruins of the Roberts Ranch house, designed by architect Paul Revere Williams in 1952, and the remains of the Keller House, a stone hunting cabin built over one hundred years ago and significantly damaged by fire in 2007. This is the trip when you have one day and no appetite for a four-hour drive.
Eat:
Malibu, on the way back.
Cost:
Parking at Solstice Canyon is limited, and carpooling is strongly encouraged.

5. Mount Wilson

Photo spot:
Park this one for now. The Eaton Fire Area Closure runs through December 31, 2027, and the Mount Wilson Toll Road below Mount Wilson Trail and below Henniger Flats remains closed. Put it back on the list when that changes.
Eat:
Nothing up there. Pasadena and La Cañada are the base towns when the road reopens.
Cost:
Check the current access rules before you plan around it.

6. Sequoia National Forest

Photo spot:
The giant sequoias, shot from below looking up. The scale does not read in photos unless you put a person or a car in the frame for reference.
Eat:
Nothing in the forest. Plan around Three Rivers or Visalia.
Cost:
Forest access is generally free; the adjacent national parks charge entrance fees. Verify which area you are entering.
Note:
Long drive — roughly four hours each way. Two nights, not one.

7. Channel Islands, for the serious one

Photo spot:
The sea cliffs and the kelp from the boat on the way in. Channel Islands National Park is open 24 hours a day, with separate hours for services and facilities. Island access is by ferry only and needs advance planning, which is exactly why it stays empty.
Eat:
Nothing on the islands. Ventura or Oxnard before you board.
Cost:
Channel Islands National Park has no entrance fee. The cost is the ferry fare, and the sailing schedule is the thing to book — crossings are weather-dependent.

What it actually looks like

Joshua tree silhouettes against a night sky full of stars
Joshua Tree after dark — the one trip here that needs an overnight, not a day trip.
Green valley with orange groves backed by dry mountains in late light
Ojai from Shelf Road: the least crowded option within two hours of downtown.

Where this starts

Questions people ask

Which LA trip gives the biggest change of scene for the least driving?

Solstice Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains. Under an hour from most of the city, and the canyon feels nothing like Los Angeles.

Can I do Joshua Tree as a day trip?

You can drive it as one, but you will miss the reason to go. The park is genuinely a night place, and the drive back to LA after dark on those roads is slow and full of wildlife. Stay one night.

What is the best season for each of these?

Joshua Tree in spring and late fall, Big Bear in winter for snow and summer for the lake, Ojai in spring, and the Channel Islands in summer and early fall when the crossing is calmest.

Do I need reservations for any of them?

Sometimes. The Channel Islands ferry needs advance booking regardless, and Channel Islands National Park has no entrance fee. So there, the reservation is for the boat, not the park. For the rest, check the official pages just before you go rather than assuming.

Where these facts come from

Hours, fees and road status change without notice, so check the official page before you drive.

Some links on this site are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you book or buy through them — at no extra cost to you. It does not change what we recommend, and we never recommend somewhere we would not go ourselves. Fees and opening times change; always confirm on the official park or state tourism page before you drive. See our full disclosure.