Start California Dreaming with these Cali Road Trip Ideas
Whether it’s the coastal pullouts along Highway 1, the grandeur of the Sierra Nevada, or the barren beauty of Death Valley, California road trips will never leave you with nothing to do. With over 120 National and State Parks to choose from, you can easily spend weeks checking out coastal redwoods, bagging mountain peaks, rafting raging rivers, or just chillin’ outside your campervan watching the sun crash-land every night into the Pacific Ocean. These classic road-tripping routes soak in enough epic scenery to make each deliciously slow, winding mile of your detour worthwhile. California has so much to offer in fact, that we’re just going to name a few of our favorite spots in this rundown and leave it to Sunset Magazine and Roadtrippers.com to do all the heavy lifting for us. We’ve split our California road trip itinerary into two routes–western and eastern–with optional side trips included along the way. Experience it all in an Escape campervan.California Road Trip – Western Route
Jedediah Smith Redwoods National Park
An hour north of Redwoods National Park near Crescent City is our all-time favorite area of redwoods. All redwoods are magnificent, but this place doesn’t have the crowds like the better-known National Park versions. It’s worth the extra drive, we swear! Better yet, there’s killer camping right there in the park.
Redwood National Park
Best Camping
There is plenty of camping throughout the park. Elk Prairie (open 365 days of the year) is an Escape favorite. Gold Bluffs Beach is another favorite, but it’s only open during the summer months.Best Eats/Drinks
We usually employ the Escape Campervan kitchen when traveling through this area. Stolen off the internet: Palm Café in Orrick looks cool. So does Moonstone Grill in Trinidad. Let us know what you find out so we can notify future Escapees!Eureka
Heading north along Highway 1, you’ll come across Eureka. There’s an excellent brewery here, and many folks rent sea kayaks to check out the local wildlife.
Best Side Trip
Head east an hour or so and check out Shasta Trinity National Forest. This is hands down the most spectacular mountain range in California according to us. It’s also National Forest Land so car camping is designated as FREE! Shasta Trinity makes a great jumping off point for area hikes.Avenue of the Giants
Just off Highway 101 in the community of Garberville is the world-famous Avenue of the Giants. This road actually used to be part of Highway 101 back in the day and is still an interesting drive by any standard. No matter how tempting it is, DO NOT try to drive through a redwood no matter how big the hole looks.
Elk & Mendocino
As you cruise up Highway 1, most people drive right through Elk. That’s a mistake. This little community of 250 brave souls is worth checking out. Do a beach hike and wander the streets but don’t expect gasoline because there isn’t a station. Just up the road is the more touristy town of Mendocino. We like both spots but Elk definitely won us over a long time ago.
Best Camping
There are tons of campgrounds along this stretch of coast—and inland—outside Mendocino. Russian Gulch State Park is an Escape favorite, though.Best Eats/Drinks
Head into Queenie’s Roadhouse Café for a blackberry tart.Montgomery Woods State Reserve
If you’re heading north on Highway 101, hang a left in the town of Ukiah on Orr Springs Road and do the side trip to Montgomery Woods. It’s a couple-mile, moderately difficult hike to get to the ‘big trees,’ but that same hike keeps out crowds and will leave you with a pretty desolate (Desolate = no crowds. No crowds = jump-for-joy.) experience in the majestic Redwoods. It’s a worthy trip.
Jenner and Guerneville
An hour or so north of Point Reyes is the microscopic community of Jenner. Pull over here and grab lunch while watching the panorama before you. Then, 30 minutes inland on Highway 116 is one of the most interesting communities we know of. Guerneville is a tourist hotspot with a definite local feel. As this is the jumping off point to canoe the Russian River, there are plenty of campgrounds just outside of town. Rent a canoe and join the floating party along this stretch of the river and you’ll have a blast drifting along, talking to everyone around you while enjoying a few cold ones.
Point Reyes National Seashore
Just an hour north east-ish of San Francisco is a point of land jutting far out into the Pacific. This windswept area makes a great stopover for anyone just starting to get their driving legs under them after heading over the Golden Gate Bridge. There are two ways to get there:
- Head west on Highway 1, or
- Go north 20 miles or so (about 32 km) to Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and hang a left.
Best Camping
Our hands-down go-to place to escape the San Francisco crowds is Samuel P Taylor State Park. Located west of the town of Lagunitas (get some local beers at Lagunitas Brewing—you won’t be sorry). Point Reyes Campground is also an acceptable alternative, but it’s not as exciting in our opinion.Best Eats/Drinks
- Cowgirl Creamery in the town of Point Reyes has the best cheese in all of California. Don’t take our word for it, do a tour and find out for yourself.
- Tomales Bay Oyster Company – just north of the town of Point Reyes is prime oyster farming country. There are several farms to choose from, actually, and you can’t go wrong with any of them. Drakes Bay and Hog Island are all worthy, but Tomales Bay has a warm spot in our heart for some reason.
- Lastly, make sure you stop off at Bovine Bakery before you leave town. Their pastries are simply the best around–except in the town of Elk.
Big Sur
Rules of the Road: Highway 1 to Big Sur
- Fill your gas tank BEFORE you head into Big Sur
- If you’re prone to car sickness, be prepared for some windy roads
- Bring warm clothes — it does get cold in California!
- Watch out for bikers — some stretches attract lots of cyclists
Highlights
- Año Nuevo State Park and their resident Elephant Seals (best in Dec-March)
- Point Lobo State Park: an Escape favorite, you can’t go wrong paying the $10 fee to check out the otters, seals, Condor, and whatever else happens to be cruising by.
- Nepenthe Restaurant: just south of Big Sur, Nepenthe is hands down the best place for a sunset over a glass of wine or a cold one
- Pfeiffer Beach: the ‘other’ best place to catch a sunset while in Big Sur
- Keep an eye toward the ocean as this is also a big tourist destination for both humpback and gray whales.
Best Camping
Escape favorites include Pfeiffer Big Sur State Campground, Fernwood, Riverside and Kirk Creek. You really can’t go wrong with any of them.Best Hike
Ewoldsen TrailBest Side Trip
Hearst Castle — It took 28 years to complete William Randolph Hearst’s lavish estate, which includes 165 rooms on 125 acres. There are a variety of tours available. Location: You can’t miss the entrance on the right up Highway 1 outside the town of San Simeon.Pinnacles National Park
Want to tack one more breathtaking side trip onto your Big Sur adventure? As one of America’s newest National Parks, Pinnacles has yet to gain the attention it deserves. The giant rock needles and vertical canyons are all that remains of an ancient volcano that was literally sheared in two by tectonic plates (have we captured your interest yet?). This area attracts hikers, rock climbers, and a whole lot of bats. There’s also a small rookery of endangered California Condors that make Pinnacles home.
Best Camping
Pinnacles CampgroundBest Hike
Old Pinnacles Trail LoopBest Side Trip
Bear Gulch Day Use AreaCalifornia Road Trip – Eastern Route
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Tucked in the northeast part of California east of the town of Redding is the geothermal wonderland of Lassen. This place is like a mini Yellowstone and is worth touring if you’re near the area. Lassen is best visited in the summer months as much of the park is closed during winter. Be bear aware. Interestingly, a gray wolf wandered into Lassen from Oregon a few years ago. It was the first wolf spotted in California in something like a hundred years.
Best Hike
Bagging Lassen Peak is a great way to get the blood pumping. Ridge Lakes is pretty respectable in its own right.Best Camping
There are plenty of good camping spots in and around Lassen. The area is surrounded by National Forest land, so boondocking it is perfectly acceptable.Lake Tahoe
You can check out travel blogs and Tripadvisor for a full rundown on this outdoor paradise. We’ll leave you with the recommendation that Escapees typically enjoy the western and northern areas around the lake to the far more crowded and touristy southern end.
Favorite Towns
Tahoe City, Kings Beach, Truckee, and Homewood are all interesting communities to hit the brakes and wander the streets for a while.Best Camping
Tahoe camping isn’t easy or cheap, but it’s worth it to fight the crowds and claim your spot. DL Bliss Campground is a favorite (although it’s a favorite of a LOT of people). Book ahead at reservecalifornia.com or call (530) 525-7232 to get your beachside spot. Sugar Pine Campground and Tahoe State Park are perfectly good fallbacks.Highway 395
Highlights
Bodie Ghost Town About 20 miles (32 km) north of the town of Lee Vining, look for a sign signaling the road to Bodie (County Road 270, also known as Bodie Road to locals). This abandoned city is the most pristine ghost town in North America…maybe the world. During its heyday, Bodie was one of the largest communities in California. However, when the gold ran out in the mid-1890s, all residents seemed to pack up in a single afternoon, leaving all their worldly goods behind. Today, Bodie is in a state of what the Rangers call “Arrested Decay.” It’s fascinating to wander the overgrown streets of this ghost town.Lee Vining
Just up from the shores of Mono Lake, Lee Vining is the jump off point to head into the Sierras and Yosemite via Highway 120. Park it for a while as this is the last chance to gear up before you head east. Best Eats: Just to your left as you turn onto Highway 120, you’ll find the Tioga Gas Mart, better known to everyone else as the Whoa Nellie Deli. Pull over here and grab a fish taco or a burger and have a picnic on the grassy area out front. During the summer months, you might even catch a live band playing for your enjoyment.Mono Lake
If you haven’t noticed, there’s a gigantic lake below you to the west. It’s worth doing a pit stop at one, or more, of Mono Lake’s many scenic overlooks. DO NOT try to camp here because this area is patrolled. It’s best to head up Highway 120 for the better campsites.Yosemite Camping Highway 120 East
If you’re getting a late start (after lunchtime or so) heading into Yosemite, Escape recommends grabbing a campsite just outside the park for a night and wading into the madness early the next morning. You’re now back in the high country, so campgrounds are plentiful and the weather will be perfect for car camping during the summer months. There’s a ton of worthy campgrounds just outside the entrance gates and you can’t really go wrong with any of them. While it is possible to boondock it along the many pullouts along this stretch of 120, we recommend you spend a few bucks, get a site, build a campfire, and enjoy a beer or two before heading into Yosemite and the inevitable gridlock tomorrow. Best Camping 120 East of Yosemite: Big Bend and Big Springs are pretty cool. Down the hill and a few miles south of Lee Vining is June Lakes Loop, which has more campsites than we can count. We LOVE this area. See our Yosemite Camping Overview for more details.Bishop
Head northwest out of Death Valley National Park along Highway 395 and you’ll come to the high desert town of Bishop–one of the premier rock climbing meccas on the planet. Check out the many outfitters and climbing schools along Main Street if you’re interested in getting on some rocks.
Best Eats/Drinks
You can’t go wrong with Schat’s Bakery just off Main Street.
Two distinct desert ecosystems come together in Joshua National Park to make this a paradise just a couple hours east of Los Angeles. A fascinating place by any standard, Joshua Tree has made many an Escapee tap the brakes for a couple of days to stargaze, climb among the gigantic boulders, and catch just one more sunset before getting back on the road.
Best Campsite
Jumbo Rocks is an Escape favorite, but you can’t go wrong with any of them. This place fills up every weekend so try to get there early.Side Trips
Crater Lake, Oregon
We know, we know, this isn’t in California but you’re soooo close that you have to make the drive to this incredible lake destination. It’s known for its namesake Crater Lake, formed by the now-collapsed volcano, Mount Mazama. You’re only 3 hours shy of Crater Lake from the Jedediah Smith Redwoods…go for it!
Kings Canyon / Sequoia National Park
Two for the price of one–how can you beat that? Just a couple hours south of Yosemite and a full day drive from Death Valley, Kings Canyon is Yosemite without the crowds. That said, this place still fills up quickly during the summer months.
Best Camping
Campsites in this park are easier to come by than in Yosemite or the Grand Canyon, but they’re most likely full on weekends. Just outside the park on Highway 198 are some spectacular pullouts that offer FREE camping in National Forest Land. Check with the Information Center Rangers and ask their best boondocking tips if you can’t find a campsite within the park. You may need to secure a wilderness permit if you’re going this route (they’re free).Best Hike
The best way to see these two parks up close is to get out of the Campervan for a couple days. Big Trees Trail, Congress Trail, and Big Stump are all worthy of your attention. If you’re looking to do an overnight, there’s no better 1-2 day hike than the Bubb’s Creek Trail at Road’s End in Kings Canyon.
> Read our blog on the best places to see wildlife in Big Sur here.
Looking for the best surf spots on Highway 1? Check out this Highway 1 Road Trip itinerary in an Escape campervan from our friends at LushPalm!
