weekender.
Weekend trips from Caltech
Hidden spots near Pasadena, day trips and weekend road trips from Caltech 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 Caltech →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.
Mount Lukens
A summit hike near campus, found in OpenStreetMap.
Will Rogers State Beach
A beach near campus, found in OpenStreetMap.
Strawberry Peak
A summit hike near campus, found in OpenStreetMap.
Vasquez Rocks
Tilted sandstone slabs where Captain Kirk fought the Gorn, and a hundred other westerns and sci-fi films. Free.
Day trips
Palm Springs
Midcentury pool motels, palm oases in Indian Canyons and a rotating tram up the mountain.
Calico Ghost Town
A silver-mining boomtown on the way to Vegas, with a mine you can walk into.
Palos Verdes
Tide pools, a sea arch and the Portuguese Bend coves on LA's quiet peninsula.
Laguna Beach
Hidden coves, tide pools and the Thousand Steps beach.
Mount Baldy
A 10,000-foot summit above LA, with a ski lift and a lodge serving chili.
Ojai
An artsy valley known for its 'pink moment' sunset and an outdoor bookstore.
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.
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.
Palm Springs
Midcentury pool motels, palm oases in Indian Canyons and a rotating tram up the mountain.
Las Vegas (Nevada)
The Strip's free shows, the Neon Museum's sign boneyard and cheap Sunday-night rooms.
Long weekends
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.
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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