Lonely Planet - Lonely Planet California’s Best Trips

WELCOME TO CALIFORNIA

Starry-eyed newbies head to the Golden State to find fame and fortune, but you can do better. Come for the landscapes, stay for the sensational food, and glimpse the future in the making on Americas creative coast. Live in California? Rest assured theres a gold mine of mom-and-pop restaurants, scenic routes and swimming holes yet to be discovered.

Californias road trips will take you from the breezy, wildlife-rich Pacific Coast, to the towering redwoods of Big Sur and the north, to off-the-beaten-track deserts and Gold Rush towns, to big-name national parks such as Yosemite and Death Valley, and through the vine-strewn valleys of celebrated wine countries, starting with Sonoma and Napa.

From backcountry lanes to beachside highways, weve got something for you. And if youve only got time for one trip, make it one of our nine Classic Trips, which take you to the very best of California.

Yosemite National Park Hikers on a quest for sublime views
ONNES/SHUTTERSTOCK

CALIFORNIA HIGHLIGHTS

Californias best sights and experiences, and the road trips that will take you there.

Redwoods

Ditch the cell phone and hug a tree, dude. Californias towering giants grow along much of the coast, from Big Sur north to the Oregon border. Its possible to cruise past the trees or even drive right through them at old-fashioned tourist traps but nothing compares to the awe youll feel while walking underneath these ancient ones. Explore Redwood National & State Parks on Trip 12: Northern Redwood Coast .

TRIPS

Redwoods Father and son enjoying the surrounding redwoods
ALEKSEI POTOV / SHUTTERSTOCK

Golden Gate Bridge

Sashay out onto San Franciscos iconic bridge. Spy on cargo ships threading through the pylons and memorize 360-degree views of the rugged Marin Headlands, far-off downtown skyscrapers and the speck that is Alcatraz Island. Drive across this impressive 20th-century engineering feat on Trip 2: Pacific Coast Highways .

TRIPS

Golden Gate Bridge View of San Franciscos iconic bridge and Fort Point
DANITA DELIMONT / GETTY IMAGES

Palm Springs

A chic desert oasis ever since the early days of Hollywood and Frank Sinatras Rat Pack. Do like A-list stars do here: lounge by your hotels swimming pool, then drink cocktails from sunset till dawn. Break a sweat in hot-springs spas or on hiking trails that wind through desert canyons and mountain forests atop the head-spinning aerial tramway on Trip 32: Palm Springs & Joshua Tree Oases .

TRIPS

Disneyland

Where orange groves once grew, there Walt Disney built his fantasy Magic Kingdom in 1955. Beloved cartoon characters still waltz arm-in-arm down Main Street, USA, and fireworks explode over Sleeping Beautys Castle. If youre a kid, or just hopelessly young at heart, this might really be the Happiest Place on Earth. Make a date with Mickey on Trip 27: Disneyland & Orange County Beaches .

TRIPS

Yosemite National Park

In what conservationist John Muir called a temple, everything looks bigger, whether youre getting splashed by thunderous waterfalls, staring up at granite domes or walking in giant sequoia groves. For sublime views, perch at Glacier Point under a full moon or along high-elevation Tioga Rd on Trip 21: Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks .

TRIPS

Yosemite National Park Hiker walking towards Yosemite Falls
NEALE CLARK / GETTY IMAGES

BEST SCENIC ROUTES

Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) Cruise oceanfront Hwy 1 in Orange County. Trips

Avenue of the Giants Wind past the worlds biggest redwood trees. Trips

Kings Canyon Scenic Byway Descend into Californias deepest river canyon. Trips

Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway Climb over the Sierra Nevada from Gold Country to Lake Tahoe. Trip

Big Sur

Hidden by redwood forests, the bohemian Big Sur coast keeps its secrets for those who will savor them: hidden hot springs, waterfalls and beaches where the sand is tinged purple or where gigantic chunks of jade have been found. Dont forget to look skyward to catch sight of endangered California condors soaring above craggy sea cliffs on Trip 15: Big Sur .

TRIPS