weekender.
Weekend trips from Pacific Union College
Hidden spots near Angwin, day trips and weekend road trips from Pacific Union College 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 Pacific Union College →Local finds near campus
Calistoga & Napa
Volcanic mud baths, an erupting geyser and the valley's grand wineries.
Lake Berryessa
The 'glory hole' spillway drain that looks like a portal in the lake.
Sonoma Valley
Bike between family wineries, then picnic on Sonoma's mission plaza.
Day trips
Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area
Free: thousands of geese and sandhill cranes in winter, and millions of bats leaving the causeway on summer evenings.
Bodega Bay & Sonoma Coast
Where Hitchcock filmed The Birds: whale-watching headlands and secret coves.
Point Reyes
Tule elk on the bluffs, a lighthouse 300 steps down a cliff, and oysters on Tomales Bay.
Sacramento
Gold Rush boardwalks in Old Sacramento and the farm-to-fork capital's food halls.
Stinson Beach
A long sandy beach under Mount Tam, reached by one of the curviest roads in the Bay.
San Francisco
Mission burritos and murals, cable cars, the Castro and fog rolling over Twin Peaks.
Weekend trips
Monterey & Carmel
Sea otters on kelp, 17-Mile Drive and Carmel's fairytale cottages.
Bodega Bay & Sonoma Coast
Where Hitchcock filmed The Birds: whale-watching headlands and secret coves.
Point Reyes
Tule elk on the bluffs, a lighthouse 300 steps down a cliff, and oysters on Tomales Bay.
Nevada City & South Yuba
A gaslit Gold Rush town and emerald swimming holes on the South Yuba River.
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.
Long weekends
Monterey & Carmel
Sea otters on kelp, 17-Mile Drive and Carmel's fairytale cottages.
Columbia State Historic Park
Pan for gold and ride a stagecoach in a preserved 1850s mining town.
Big Sur
McWay Falls dropping onto a beach, Bixby Bridge and the purple sand at Pfeiffer Beach.
Pinnacles National Park
Crawl through talus caves with a flashlight while California condors circle above.
Bishop & the Buttermilks
World-class bouldering, Keough's hot springs and Erick Schat's famous bakery.
Morro Bay & Montaña de Oro
Sea otters under Morro Rock and wild bluff trails in Montaña de Oro.
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 Pacific Union College →