weekender.
Weekend trips from Vanguard University
Hidden spots near Costa Mesa, day trips and weekend road trips from Vanguard University 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 Vanguard University →Local finds near campus
Laguna Beach
Hidden coves, tide pools and the Thousand Steps beach.
Huntington Beach
Surf City USA: learn to surf by the pier, bonfire pits at night.
Crystal Cove
Restored 1930s beach cottages, tide pools and the Shake Shack on the bluff.
Catalina Island
A ferry to a car-free island town with bison, snorkeling and golf carts.
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.
Los Angeles
Griffith Observatory over the lights, Koreatown at midnight and the Broad's mirror rooms.
Eaton Canyon Falls
A creek-hopping walk to a waterfall, 15 minutes from Pasadena.
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.
Joshua Tree
Twisted trees, boulder scrambles and some of the darkest skies near LA.
Pismo Beach & Oceano Dunes
Drive or sandboard on the only beach dunes you can camp on, then clam chowder in Pismo.
Death Valley
Salt flats below sea level, rainbow-colored hills and the darkest night sky in California.
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.
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.
Pismo Beach & Oceano Dunes
Drive or sandboard on the only beach dunes you can camp on, then clam chowder in Pismo.
Death Valley
Salt flats below sea level, rainbow-colored hills and the darkest night sky in California.
Valley of Fire (Nevada)
Swirling red and pink sandstone, petroglyphs and the Fire Wave, an hour past Las Vegas.
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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