weekender.
Weekend trips from USC
Hidden spots near Los Angeles, day trips and weekend road trips from USC 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 USC →Local finds near campus
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
A garden near campus, found in OpenStreetMap.
Will Rogers State Beach
A beach near campus, found in OpenStreetMap.
Eaton Canyon Falls
A creek-hopping walk to a waterfall, 15 minutes from Pasadena.
South Coast Botanic Garden
A garden near campus, found in OpenStreetMap.
Cabrillo Beach
A beach near campus, found in OpenStreetMap.
Palos Verdes
Tide pools, a sea arch and the Portuguese Bend coves on LA's quiet peninsula.
Day trips
Palm Springs
Midcentury pool motels, palm oases in Indian Canyons and a rotating tram up the mountain.
Calico Ghost Town
A silver-mining boomtown on the way to Vegas, with a mine you can walk into.
Laguna Beach
Hidden coves, tide pools and the Thousand Steps beach.
Sandstone Peak
The highest point in the Santa Monica Mountains, with Channel Islands views.
Mount Baldy
A 10,000-foot summit above LA, with a ski lift and a lodge serving chili.
Mount Rubidoux
Riverside's sunrise hill, topped with a stone bridge and a peace tower.
Weekend trips
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.
Pismo Beach & Oceano Dunes
Drive or sandboard on the only beach dunes you can camp on, then clam chowder in Pismo.
Joshua Tree
Twisted trees, boulder scrambles and some of the darkest skies near LA.
Palm Springs
Midcentury pool motels, palm oases in Indian Canyons and a rotating tram up the mountain.
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.
Pismo Beach & Oceano Dunes
Drive or sandboard on the only beach dunes you can camp on, then clam chowder in Pismo.
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.
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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