weekender.
Weekend trips from CSU Monterey Bay
Hidden spots near Seaside, day trips and weekend road trips from CSU Monterey Bay 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 CSU Monterey Bay →Local finds near campus
Monterey & Carmel
Sea otters on kelp, 17-Mile Drive and Carmel's fairytale cottages.
Elkhorn Slough
Kayak past dozens of sea otters and harbor seals in a quiet estuary.
Point Lobos
Sea otters, harbor seals and emerald coves; some call it the crown jewel of state parks.
Day trips
Pismo Beach & Oceano Dunes
Drive or sandboard on the only beach dunes you can camp on, then clam chowder in Pismo.
Fremont Peak
A summit hike near campus, found in OpenStreetMap.
Mount Olds
A summit hike near campus, found in OpenStreetMap.
Alum Rock Park
California's oldest city park: a canyon of old mineral-spring grottoes right above San José.
Lick Observatory & Mount Hamilton
A free 1880s observatory at the end of a 365-curve road, with summer stargazing nights.
Big Sur
McWay Falls dropping onto a beach, Bixby Bridge and the purple sand at Pfeiffer Beach.
Weekend trips
Half Moon Bay & Pescadero
Tide pools at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve and warm artichoke bread in tiny Pescadero.
Pinnacles National Park
Crawl through talus caves with a flashlight while California condors circle above.
Muir Woods & Mount Tam
Old-growth redwoods in a canyon, then the sunset over the fog from Mount Tamalpais.
Columbia State Historic Park
Pan for gold and ride a stagecoach in a preserved 1850s mining town.
Nevada City & South Yuba
A gaslit Gold Rush town and emerald swimming holes on the South Yuba River.
Angel Island
A ferry to a car-free island with 360° bay views and the immigration station's poems.
Long weekends
Columbia State Historic Park
Pan for gold and ride a stagecoach in a preserved 1850s mining town.
Nevada City & South Yuba
A gaslit Gold Rush town and emerald swimming holes on the South Yuba River.
Palm Springs
Midcentury pool motels, palm oases in Indian Canyons and a rotating tram up the mountain.
Sacramento
Gold Rush boardwalks in Old Sacramento and the farm-to-fork capital's food halls.
Sonoma Valley
Bike between family wineries, then picnic on Sonoma's mission plaza.
Calistoga & Napa
Volcanic mud baths, an erupting geyser and the valley's grand wineries.
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 CSU Monterey Bay →