weekender.
Weekend trips from San José State
Hidden spots near San José, day trips and weekend road trips from San José State 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 San José State →Local finds near campus
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.
Castle Rock & Skyline
Sandstone caves and boulders on the ridge between Silicon Valley and the ocean.
Big Basin Redwoods
California's oldest state park, regrowing after the 2020 fire: blackened giants sprouting green.
Day trips
Monterey & Carmel
Sea otters on kelp, 17-Mile Drive and Carmel's fairytale cottages.
Half Moon Bay & Pescadero
Tide pools at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve and warm artichoke bread in tiny Pescadero.
San Francisco
Mission burritos and murals, cable cars, the Castro and fog rolling over Twin Peaks.
Elkhorn Slough
Kayak past dozens of sea otters and harbor seals in a quiet estuary.
Santa Cruz
A 1907 boardwalk roller coaster, surfers at Steamer Lane and redwoods ten minutes inland.
Mount Diablo
The summit view on a clear day reaches the Sierra; Rock City's sandstone caves are a scramble.
Weekend trips
Pismo Beach & Oceano Dunes
Drive or sandboard on the only beach dunes you can camp on, then clam chowder in Pismo.
Monterey & Carmel
Sea otters on kelp, 17-Mile Drive and Carmel's fairytale cottages.
Muir Woods & Mount Tam
Old-growth redwoods in a canyon, then the sunset over the fog from Mount Tamalpais.
Big Sur
McWay Falls dropping onto a beach, Bixby Bridge and the purple sand at Pfeiffer Beach.
Nevada City & South Yuba
A gaslit Gold Rush town and emerald swimming holes on the South Yuba River.
Pinnacles National Park
Crawl through talus caves with a flashlight while California condors circle above.
Long weekends
Pismo Beach & Oceano Dunes
Drive or sandboard on the only beach dunes you can camp on, then clam chowder in Pismo.
Nevada City & South Yuba
A gaslit Gold Rush town and emerald swimming holes on the South Yuba River.
Morro Bay & Montaña de Oro
Sea otters under Morro Rock and wild bluff trails in Montaña de Oro.
Bishop & the Buttermilks
World-class bouldering, Keough's hot springs and Erick Schat's famous bakery.
Palm Springs
Midcentury pool motels, palm oases in Indian Canyons and a rotating tram up the mountain.
Hearst Castle & San Simeon
A newspaper tycoon's hilltop castle with a marble pool, and elephant seals below it.
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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