weekender.
Weekend trips from Claremont Colleges
Hidden spots near Claremont, day trips and weekend road trips from Claremont Colleges 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 Claremont Colleges →Local finds near campus
California Botanic Garden
A garden near campus, found in OpenStreetMap.
Ontario Peak
A summit hike near campus, found in OpenStreetMap.
Eaton Canyon Falls
A creek-hopping walk to a waterfall, 15 minutes from Pasadena.
Mount Rubidoux
Riverside's sunrise hill, topped with a stone bridge and a peace tower.
Mount Baldy
A 10,000-foot summit above LA, with a ski lift and a lodge serving chili.
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
A garden near campus, found in OpenStreetMap.
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.
Joshua Tree
Twisted trees, boulder scrambles and some of the darkest skies near LA.
Mount Baden-Powell
A summit hike near campus, found in OpenStreetMap.
Laguna Beach
Hidden coves, tide pools and the Thousand Steps beach.
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.
Joshua Tree
Twisted trees, boulder scrambles and some of the darkest skies near LA.
Pismo Beach & Oceano Dunes
Drive or sandboard on the only beach dunes you can camp on, then clam chowder in Pismo.
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.
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.
Carrizo Plain
An empty grassland that erupts in yellow and purple in a good spring, beside Soda Lake and Painted Rock.
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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