Skip to main content

Road Trips

The open roads are calling. Discover exhilarating drives that showcase all Southern California has to offer from winding mountain roads to breathtaking desert escapes. Grab some snacks and hit the road!

Road in Carrizo Plain
Support Provided By

Latest

A large spider sculpture, with the body of the spider replaced with a full-sized Volkswagen Beetle, towers over a walkway leading up to a building with a sign that reads, "Hole in the Wall" over the door.
Here are nine oddities worth a desert detour for a closer look — because no matter how odd they may seem, your eyes aren't deceiving you!
A metallic, geometric structure serves as a canopy over gas pumps.
Here are 8 of the best SoCal gas stations for bringing some magnificence to the mundane — whether you're on your daily commute or using up your savings to reach a farther flung locale.
A giant brown doughnut attached to a drive-thru building with the words, "The Donut Hole, 'It's the Quality'", in white paint stands against a clear blue sky. A car emerges from the doughnut hole.
Whether you'd like to whet your whistle inside a whiskey barrel or fill your belly inside a bowl, here are seven places where you can feast your eyes upon some of the oddest and most entrancing remains of L.A.'s wackiest roadside architecture.
A green arch bridge made of metal beams stretches between two mountains. Behind it are rolling mountains and a clear blue sky.
No matter if your starting point is an inland valley or an oceanside beach community, here are six mountain drives you can take on a day trip from L.A.
A network of tunnels lead to a tree in the center of an open pocket of space. Above sunlight streams in through a hole for light and the tree to pass through.
Here are 10 of the best Highway 99 remnants that capture the character and charm of early 20th century "highway life."
The landscape along the Desert Willow Trail at Big Morongo Canyon.
It's not too late to explore the High Desert this year, but you won't be the only squeezing in a last-minute trip. Here are five lesser-known destinations that offer all the the wonders of the High Desert without the big crowds.
Mel’s Drive-In on Sunset Boulevard | Sandi Hemmerlein
Whether you’re looking to fill your belly, whet your whistle, or escape reality for a while, here are the best adventures you can drive to, through and into in Southern California. 
Keys Ranch | Sandi Hemmerlein
Until we can hit the road again, here are some ways to live vicariously and experience some amazing destinations remotely. 
An illustration of Peggy Sue’s "Diner-Saur" Park.
From Amboy to Victorville, here are the five best pit stops along routes commonly traveled in SoCal.
An illustration of some eye-catching signs  on Route 66 establishments, which include those Formosa Cafe, Globe Theater and China Cafe.
There’s a lot more to do on Route 66 in southern California than you might expect.
Old Woman Springs Road
It is possible to drive for pleasure – leisurely – amidst wide-open spaces and gorgeous landscapes in Southern California. That is, if you go to the desert.
In Joshua Tree National Park | Creative Commons photo by Jorg Dornblut
Few objects say "California Desert" quite so unambiguously as the Joshua tree. The Mojave's signature tree yucca is an apt symbol for the countryside it lives in -- harsh, bleak and seemingly unforgiving, yet oddly picturesque and evocative.
Active loading indicator