weekender.

Weekend trips from University of La Verne

Hidden spots near La Verne, day trips and weekend road trips from University of La Verne in November, scored 1–10 on price, timing and what's happening, with gas, park fees, a campsite or room and food included.

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Local finds near campus

Eaton Canyon Falls

Local find · drive 40 min each way
$79.6/10

A creek-hopping walk to a waterfall, 15 minutes from Pasadena.

Mount Rubidoux

Local find · drive 45 min each way
$79.6/10

Riverside's sunrise hill, topped with a stone bridge and a peace tower.

Mount Baldy

Local find · drive 40 min each way
$89.6/10

A 10,000-foot summit above LA, with a ski lift and a lodge serving chili.

Day trips

Palm Springs

Day trip · drive 2h each way
$2010.0/10

Midcentury pool motels, palm oases in Indian Canyons and a rotating tram up the mountain.

Anza-Borrego & Borrego Springs

Day trip · drive 2½h each way
$2510.0/10

Giant metal dinosaur sculptures in the desert, wildflowers in spring and a dark-sky town.

Calico Ghost Town

Day trip · drive 2h each way
$2810.0/10

A silver-mining boomtown on the way to Vegas, with a mine you can walk into.

Joshua Tree

Day trip · drive 3h each way
$3110.0/10

Twisted trees, boulder scrambles and some of the darkest skies near LA.

Los Angeles

Day trip · drive 1h each way · or train
$159.6/10

Griffith Observatory over the lights, Koreatown at midnight and the Broad's mirror rooms.

Vasquez Rocks

Day trip · drive 1h each way
$169.6/10

Tilted sandstone slabs where Captain Kirk fought the Gorn, and a hundred other westerns and sci-fi films. Free.

Weekend trips

Anza-Borrego & Borrego Springs

Weekend trip · drive 2½h each way
$469.9/10

Giant metal dinosaur sculptures in the desert, wildflowers in spring and a dark-sky town.

Mojave Preserve & Kelso Dunes

Weekend trip · drive 3½h each way
$479.9/10

Booming sand dunes that hum when you slide down, and free camping under the stars.

Salvation Mountain & Salton Sea

Weekend trip · drive 4h each way
$489.9/10

A hand-painted hill, Slab City's off-grid art town and the eerie shores of the Salton Sea.

Joshua Tree

Weekend trip · drive 3h each way
$529.9/10

Twisted trees, boulder scrambles and some of the darkest skies near LA.

Pismo Beach & Oceano Dunes

Weekend trip · drive 4½h each way · or train
$559.9/10
🦋 Monarch butterflies

Drive or sandboard on the only beach dunes you can camp on, then clam chowder in Pismo.

Death Valley

Weekend trip · drive 4½h each way
$599.9/10

Salt flats below sea level, rainbow-colored hills and the darkest night sky in California.

Long weekends

Mojave Preserve & Kelso Dunes

Long weekend · drive 3½h each way
$689.3/10

Booming sand dunes that hum when you slide down, and free camping under the stars.

Salvation Mountain & Salton Sea

Long weekend · drive 4h each way
$699.3/10

A hand-painted hill, Slab City's off-grid art town and the eerie shores of the Salton Sea.

Pismo Beach & Oceano Dunes

Long weekend · drive 4½h each way · or train
$769.3/10
🦋 Monarch butterflies

Drive or sandboard on the only beach dunes you can camp on, then clam chowder in Pismo.

Death Valley

Long weekend · drive 4½h each way
$809.3/10

Salt flats below sea level, rainbow-colored hills and the darkest night sky in California.

Valley of Fire (Nevada)

Long weekend · drive 6½h each way
$849.3/10

Swirling red and pink sandstone, petroglyphs and the Fire Wave, an hour past Las Vegas.

Kern River (Kernville)

Long weekend · drive 3h each way
$679.0/10

Whitewater rafting through a granite canyon, a few hours from LA.

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