weekender.
Weekend trips from Cal State Long Beach
Hidden spots near Long Beach, day trips and weekend road trips from Cal State Long Beach 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 Cal State Long Beach →Local finds near campus
South Coast 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.
Laguna Beach
Hidden coves, tide pools and the Thousand Steps beach.
Palos Verdes
Tide pools, a sea arch and the Portuguese Bend coves on LA's quiet peninsula.
Huntington Beach
Surf City USA: learn to surf by the pier, bonfire pits at night.
Venice & Santa Monica
The skatepark, the canals and a bike ride along the boardwalk to the pier.
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.
Mount Rubidoux
Riverside's sunrise hill, topped with a stone bridge and a peace tower.
Vasquez Rocks
Tilted sandstone slabs where Captain Kirk fought the Gorn, and a hundred other westerns and sci-fi films. Free.
Temecula wine country
Hot-air balloons at sunrise and relaxed wineries in rolling hills.
San Diego
Balboa Park's gardens, tacos in Barrio Logan and sunsets at Sunset Cliffs.
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.
Palm Springs
Midcentury pool motels, palm oases in Indian Canyons and a rotating tram up the mountain.
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.
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.
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.
Find my trips from Cal State Long Beach →