weekender.
Weekend trips from UC Santa Barbara
Hidden spots near Isla Vista, day trips and weekend road trips from UC Santa Barbara 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 UC Santa Barbara →Local finds near campus
Santa Barbara
Spanish-revival streets, the Funk Zone's tasting rooms and Inspiration Point above it all.
Painted Cave & Knapp's Castle
Chumash paintings in a tiny cave, and the ruins of a mountain castle above Santa Barbara. Free.
El Capitán & Refugio beaches
Palm-lined coves 20 minutes up the coast from Isla Vista, joined by a bike path.
Gaviota Hot Springs & Peak
A short hike to wild sulfur pools, then on up to ocean views and the Gaviota wind caves.
Day trips
Pismo Beach & Oceano Dunes
Drive or sandboard on the only beach dunes you can camp on, then clam chowder in Pismo.
Solvang & Los Olivos
A Danish-style village with windmills and aebleskiver, next to Santa Ynez wine country.
Ojai
An artsy valley known for its 'pink moment' sunset and an outdoor bookstore.
Carrizo Plain
An empty grassland that erupts in yellow and purple in a good spring, beside Soda Lake and Painted Rock.
Point Mugu
A sand dune you can run down to the ocean and canyon trails behind it.
Los Angeles
Griffith Observatory over the lights, Koreatown at midnight and the Broad's mirror rooms.
Weekend trips
Pismo Beach & Oceano Dunes
Drive or sandboard on the only beach dunes you can camp on, then clam chowder in Pismo.
Anza-Borrego & Borrego Springs
Giant metal dinosaur sculptures in the desert, wildflowers in spring and a dark-sky town.
Palm Springs
Midcentury pool motels, palm oases in Indian Canyons and a rotating tram up the mountain.
Monterey & Carmel
Sea otters on kelp, 17-Mile Drive and Carmel's fairytale cottages.
Carrizo Plain
An empty grassland that erupts in yellow and purple in a good spring, beside Soda Lake and Painted Rock.
Morro Bay & Montaña de Oro
Sea otters under Morro Rock and wild bluff trails in Montaña de Oro.
Long weekends
Anza-Borrego & Borrego Springs
Giant metal dinosaur sculptures in the desert, wildflowers in spring and a dark-sky town.
Salvation Mountain & Salton Sea
A hand-painted hill, Slab City's off-grid art town and the eerie shores of the Salton Sea.
Mojave Preserve & Kelso Dunes
Booming sand dunes that hum when you slide down, and free camping under the stars.
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.
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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