Weekend trips from Azusa Pacific
Hidden spots near Azusa, day trips and weekend road trips from Azusa Pacific in November, scored 1–10 on price, timing and what's happening, with gas, park fees, a campsite or room and food included.
Plan your own trip from Azusa Pacific →Local finds near campus
Eaton Canyon Falls
A creek-hopping walk to a waterfall, 15 minutes from Pasadena.
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
A garden near campus, found in OpenStreetMap.
California Botanic Garden
A garden near campus, found in OpenStreetMap.
Los Angeles
Griffith Observatory over the lights, Koreatown at midnight and the Broad's mirror rooms.
Ontario Peak
A summit hike near campus, found in OpenStreetMap.
Mount Baldy
A 10,000-foot summit above LA, with a ski lift and a lodge serving chili.
Day trips
Palm Springs
Midcentury pool motels, palm oases in Indian Canyons and a rotating tram up the mountain.
Anza-Borrego & Borrego Springs
Giant metal dinosaur sculptures in the desert, wildflowers in spring and a dark-sky town.
Calico Ghost Town
A silver-mining boomtown on the way to Vegas, with a mine you can walk into.
Laguna Beach
Hidden coves, tide pools and the Thousand Steps beach.
Vasquez Rocks
Tilted sandstone slabs where Captain Kirk fought the Gorn, and a hundred other westerns and sci-fi films. Free.
Palos Verdes
Tide pools, a sea arch and the Portuguese Bend coves on LA's quiet peninsula.
Weekend trips
Anza-Borrego & Borrego Springs
Giant metal dinosaur sculptures in the desert, wildflowers in spring and a dark-sky town.
Salvation Mountain & Salton Sea
A hand-painted hill, Slab City's off-grid art town and the eerie shores of the Salton Sea.
Mojave Preserve & Kelso Dunes
Booming sand dunes that hum when you slide down, and free camping under the stars.
Pismo Beach & Oceano Dunes
Drive or sandboard on the only beach dunes you can camp on, then clam chowder in Pismo.
Joshua Tree
Twisted trees, boulder scrambles and some of the darkest skies near LA.
Death Valley
Salt flats below sea level, rainbow-colored hills and the darkest night sky in California.
Long weekends
Salvation Mountain & Salton Sea
A hand-painted hill, Slab City's off-grid art town and the eerie shores of the Salton Sea.
Mojave Preserve & Kelso Dunes
Booming sand dunes that hum when you slide down, and free camping under the stars.
Pismo Beach & Oceano Dunes
Drive or sandboard on the only beach dunes you can camp on, then clam chowder in Pismo.
Joshua Tree
Twisted trees, boulder scrambles and some of the darkest skies near LA.
Death Valley
Salt flats below sea level, rainbow-colored hills and the darkest night sky in California.
Valley of Fire (Nevada)
Swirling red and pink sandstone, petroglyphs and the Fire Wave, an hour past Las Vegas.
Personalize it
Set your budget, how many friends are coming, your car (or no car: train and bus), and what you're into (hiking, beaches, camping, stargazing, food and more), and Weekender re-ranks every trip for you, with a day-by-day plan, directions and campsites.
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