weekender.
Weekend trips from University of Redlands
Hidden spots near Redlands, day trips and weekend road trips from University of Redlands 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 University of Redlands →Local finds near campus
Oak Glen
Apple orchards in the mountains above Yucaipa: pick your own and apple pie, September to November.
Mount Rubidoux
Riverside's sunrise hill, topped with a stone bridge and a peace tower.
Lake Arrowhead
A pine-forest lake an hour from campus, with the Heaps Peak trail and fall colors.
Lake Perris
A swim beach and boulder-climbing at Big Rock, 25 minutes from Riverside.
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.
Big Bear Lake
Snowboarding at the closest real ski resort to LA, or kayaking the lake in summer.
Mount Baldy
A 10,000-foot summit above LA, with a ski lift and a lodge serving chili.
Weekend trips
Anza-Borrego & Borrego Springs
Giant metal dinosaur sculptures in the desert, wildflowers in spring and a dark-sky town.
Mojave Preserve & Kelso Dunes
Booming sand dunes that hum when you slide down, and free camping under the stars.
Salvation Mountain & Salton Sea
A hand-painted hill, Slab City's off-grid art town and the eerie shores of the Salton Sea.
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.
Palm Springs
Midcentury pool motels, palm oases in Indian Canyons and a rotating tram up the mountain.
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.
Death Valley
Salt flats below sea level, rainbow-colored hills and the darkest night sky in California.
Pismo Beach & Oceano Dunes
Drive or sandboard on the only beach dunes you can camp on, then clam chowder in Pismo.
Valley of Fire (Nevada)
Swirling red and pink sandstone, petroglyphs and the Fire Wave, an hour past Las Vegas.
Kern River (Kernville)
Whitewater rafting through a granite canyon, a few hours from LA.
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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