weekender.
Weekend trips from Stanislaus State
Hidden spots near Turlock, day trips and weekend road trips from Stanislaus 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 Stanislaus State →Local finds near campus
Merced Wildlife Refuge
Free: sandhill cranes and snow geese by the tens of thousands, roughly November to February.
Day trips
Monterey & Carmel
Sea otters on kelp, 17-Mile Drive and Carmel's fairytale cottages.
Knights Ferry
The longest covered bridge west of the Mississippi, and rafting on the Stanislaus River.
Columbia State Historic Park
Pan for gold and ride a stagecoach in a preserved 1850s mining town.
Sacramento
Gold Rush boardwalks in Old Sacramento and the farm-to-fork capital's food halls.
San Francisco
Mission burritos and murals, cable cars, the Castro and fog rolling over Twin Peaks.
Sonoma Valley
Bike between family wineries, then picnic on Sonoma's mission plaza.
Weekend trips
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.
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.
Pinnacles National Park
Crawl through talus caves with a flashlight while California condors circle above.
Angel Island
A ferry to a car-free island with 360° bay views and the immigration station's poems.
Long weekends
Death Valley
Salt flats below sea level, rainbow-colored hills and the darkest night sky in California.
Big Sur
McWay Falls dropping onto a beach, Bixby Bridge and the purple sand at Pfeiffer Beach.
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.
Las Vegas (Nevada)
The Strip's free shows, the Neon Museum's sign boneyard and cheap Sunday-night rooms.
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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