# Road trips in California > 26 road trips and 95 hand-picked places in California, with routes, stops and practical tips for driving and camping. Source: https://camping-spirit.com/roadtrips/california/ 26 road trips and 95 hand-picked places in California, with routes, stops and practical tips for driving and camping. ## Road trips through California - [Highway 1: San Francisco to Santa Monica](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/highway-1/): Cliffs, redwood canyons and elephant seals. Drive it southbound so the ocean is on your side. - [Redwood Coast](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/redwood-coast/): Victorian Ferndale, the Avenue of the Giants and a canyon of ferns on the way to Crescent City. - [Sequoia and Yosemite](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/sequoia-yosemite/): The largest tree on Earth, then Yosemite Valley through the gold country town of Mariposa. - [Sonoma, Napa and Point Reyes](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/wine-country/): Wine valleys, mud baths in Calistoga and a lighthouse on the foggy Point Reyes headland. - [The Lost Coast and Shelter Cove](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b8-lost-coast/): From Victorian Ferndale over the Mattole Road to California’s most remote coast, through old-growth redwoods to the black sand of Shelter Cove. - [Gold Country on Highway 49](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b8-gold-country/): South through the Sierra foothills on Highway 49, from Victorian Nevada City past the gold discovery site to a preserved Gold Rush town and Mariposa. - [Anza-Borrego and the Salton Sea](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b8-anza-borrego/): From San Diego over the mountains to apple-pie Julian, down into California’s largest state park and on to the strange shores of the Salton Sea. - [Mojave National Preserve: dunes, depot and cinder cones](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b8-mojave-preserve/): Through the empty heart of the Mojave between I-15 and Route 66: cinder cones, a lonely railroad depot, singing dunes and a volcanic crater. - [Pacific Coast Highway south: Malibu to San Diego](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b17-socal-coast/): From Santa Barbara along the Malibu coves, through Orange County’s beach towns and past a mission to the bluffs and seals of La Jolla. - [Lassen Volcanic loop: Burney Falls to the mud pots](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b17-lassen-loop/): A loop from Redding past a spring-fed waterfall and a lava tube to the boiling pools, lakes and volcanic peaks of Lassen Volcanic National Park. - [Yosemite end to end: sequoias, Glacier Point and Tioga Road](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b17-yosemite-tioga/): Cross Yosemite from the sequoias of Mariposa Grove and the view from Glacier Point to the high-country lakes and meadows of Tioga Road. - [Kings Canyon Scenic Byway and the Giant Forest](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b17-kings-canyon/): From Fresno to the General Grant Tree, down into the granite depths of Kings Canyon and back over the Generals Highway to Moro Rock. - [US-395: Alabama Hills, Manzanar and the bristlecones](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b17-us395-south/): From Lone Pine past the film-set boulders below Mount Whitney and a wartime camp to the oldest trees on Earth in the White Mountains. - [Mammoth Lakes, June Lake Loop and the ghost town of Bodie](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b17-mammoth-bodie/): North on US-395 from Bishop to mountain lakes, a hot-spring gorge, basalt columns and California’s best-preserved gold-rush ghost town. - [Highway 1 south: San Francisco to Santa Cruz and Monterey](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b17-sf-santa-cruz/): The quiet stretch of Highway 1 south of San Francisco, with farm-stand towns, a tall lighthouse, an elephant seal colony and the beaches of Santa Cruz. - [Sonoma and Mendocino coast on Highway 1](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b17-sonoma-mendocino/): From the Golden Gate to Fort Bragg past redwoods, seal beaches, a Russian fort and a climbable lighthouse on the Mendocino coast. - [Santa Ynez Valley: missions, wine and dunes](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b17-santa-ynez/): Over San Marcos Pass to Chumash rock art, a waterfall and the Danish village of Solvang, then past two missions to the Pismo Beach dunes. - [Death Valley in depth: Dante’s View to Ubehebe Crater](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b17-death-valley-deep/): Cross Death Valley from the viewpoint above Badwater through painted hills and marble canyons to a volcanic crater and on to Lone Pine. - [Death Valley to Yosemite on the Eastern Sierra](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/eastern-sierra/): From the lowest point in North America to granite walls, by way of tufa towers. - [Lake Tahoe loop](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/lake-tahoe/): Around the clear blue lake on the California–Nevada border, with Emerald Bay and old Truckee. - [Volcanic Legacy Byway: Mount Shasta to Crater Lake](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b17-volcanic-legacy/): North from Redding past Shasta Dam and granite crags to Mount Shasta, the McCloud River waterfalls and the lava caves of the Modoc Plateau. - [Northern redwoods and the Oregon Caves on US-199](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b17-redwoods-caves/): North from Eureka through the redwood parks to the Smith River and over the Siskiyous to the marble caves of southern Oregon. - [Desert art and strange sculpture](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/desert-art/): Neon signs, painted boulders, bottle trees and a mountain painted with slogans. - [Death Valley loop](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/death-valley/): Golden badlands, the lowest point in North America and sand dunes, with a ghost town on the way. - [Route 66, part two: Oklahoma City to the Pacific](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/route66-west/): The Texas Panhandle, the Painted Desert and the Mojave, ending on the Santa Monica Pier. - [Pyramid Lake, the Comstock and Lake Tahoe’s east shore](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b17-comstock-tahoe/): From Reno to a desert lake, up to the silver-mining town of Virginia City, through Nevada’s capital and oldest settlement to Tahoe’s granite coves. ## Places worth the detour in California - [Roy's Motel & Café](https://camping-spirit.com/places/roys/): Its Googie sign in the middle of the Mojave has been photographed more than almost any other on the road. Stop for a cold drink. - [Bixby Creek Bridge](https://camping-spirit.com/places/bixby-bridge/): A 1932 concrete arch 260 feet above a creek mouth on Highway 1. Pull-outs on the north side give the famous view. - [McWay Falls](https://camping-spirit.com/places/mcway-falls/): An 80-foot waterfall that drops straight onto a sandy cove. A short, flat trail in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park leads to the overlook. - [Madonna Inn](https://camping-spirit.com/places/madonna-inn/): A pink hotel with more than 100 individually themed rooms, including one built like a caveman's cave. - [Joshua Tree National Park](https://camping-spirit.com/places/joshua-tree/): Two deserts meet among granite boulders and spiky yuccas. The skies here are some of the darkest in Southern California. - [Tunnel View, Yosemite](https://camping-spirit.com/places/tunnel-view/): El Capitan, Bridalveil Fall and Half Dome in one frame. It is the first view of the valley when you arrive on Wawona Road. - [Badwater Basin](https://camping-spirit.com/places/badwater/): At 282 feet below sea level, it is the lowest point in North America. The salt flats crack into hexagons. Avoid midday in summer. - [Avenue of the Giants](https://camping-spirit.com/places/avenue-giants/): A 31-mile road through old-growth coast redwoods in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, running parallel to US-101. - [Fern Canyon](https://camping-spirit.com/places/fern-canyon/): A narrow canyon with 50-foot walls completely covered in ferns. Summer access needs a day-use permit. - [Zabriskie Point](https://camping-spirit.com/places/zabriskie/): Golden badlands folded like cloth. Sunrise here is one of the classic desert views. - [Emerald Bay](https://camping-spirit.com/places/emerald-bay/): A green bay with a tiny island teahouse. A steep trail drops to the Vikingsholm mansion on the shore. - [General Sherman Tree](https://camping-spirit.com/places/general-sherman/): The largest living tree on Earth by volume, a giant sequoia in the Giant Forest. - [Empire Mine State Historic Park](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b8-empire-mine/): One of California’s richest hard-rock gold mines, worked until 1956, with the owner’s stone cottage and gardens. Look down the main shaft and walk the forest trails. - [Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b8-marshall-gold/): The spot on the American River where James Marshall found gold in January 1848, starting the Gold Rush. There is a replica sawmill, old buildings and a place to try panning. - [Galleta Meadows sculptures](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b8-galleta-meadows/): More than 100 rusted metal sculptures of dinosaurs, horses and a giant serpent scattered across the desert around Borrego Springs. They are free to visit from the roadside. - [Fonts Point](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b8-fonts-point/): A rim above the eroded Borrego Badlands, spectacular at sunrise and sunset. The four-mile access road is soft sand; high clearance helps. - [Kelso Dunes](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b8-kelso-dunes/): Dunes rising about 600 feet above the desert floor; slide down the steep faces and the sand can make a low booming sound. Climb early, not in the midday heat. - [Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-torrey-pines/): Sandstone bluffs above the Pacific protecting the rare Torrey pine. Short trails lead from the old lodge to viewpoints and down to the beach; park in the paid beach lot and walk up the road. - [McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-burney-falls/): A 129-foot waterfall fed by springs, so it flows strongly even in late summer. The overlook is steps from the parking lot and a loop trail of about a mile leads down to the pool; day-use fee, and reservations are needed on summer weekends. - [Bumpass Hell](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-bumpass-hell/): The largest hydrothermal area in Lassen Volcanic National Park, with boiling pools and steaming vents along boardwalks. The trail is about 1.5 miles each way from the road and is usually snow-free only from July. - [Lava Beds National Monument](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-lava-beds/): A volcanic landscape with hundreds of lava tube caves, several open for self-guided exploring. Get the free cave permit at the visitor center, bring helmets and lights, and see the Modoc War sites; entrance fee. - [Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-mariposa-grove/): Yosemite’s largest sequoia grove, with the Grizzly Giant and the California Tunnel Tree. Park at the Welcome Plaza near the south entrance and take the seasonal shuttle or walk the two miles up. - [Glacier Point](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-glacier-point/): A granite overlook 3,200 feet above Yosemite Valley facing Half Dome, Vernal and Nevada falls. The road from Chinquapin is closed from about November to May; sunset is the busiest time. - [General Grant Tree](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-general-grant/): One of the largest trees on Earth, designated the Nation’s Christmas Tree, at the end of a paved one-third-mile loop in Grant Grove. The large parking lot fills by midday in summer. - [Alabama Hills](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-alabama-hills/): Rounded boulders and arches below the Sierra crest, used as a set for hundreds of westerns. A short loop leads to Mobius Arch, which frames Mount Whitney; Movie Road is graded dirt, fine for cars. - [Manzanar National Historic Site](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-manzanar/): One of ten camps where Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II. The old auditorium houses the visitor center and a gravel auto tour passes reconstructed barracks and the cemetery; entry is free. - [Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-bristlecone-forest/): Groves of Great Basin bristlecone pines in the White Mountains, some over 4,000 years old. A paved road climbs from Big Pine to the Schulman Grove visitor center at 10,000 feet; open roughly May to November, fee. - [Devils Postpile National Monument](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-devils-postpile/): A wall of basalt columns above the San Joaquin River, with Rainbow Falls a few miles downstream. Reds Meadow Road has had limited opening days during reconstruction; in summer day visitors normally ride the shuttle from Mammoth Mountain’s Main Lodge. - [Bodie State Historic Park](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-bodie/): A gold-rush town left in arrested decay, with about 100 buildings still standing as they were abandoned. The last three miles of SR-270 are gravel; there is an entrance fee and snow often blocks the road in winter. - [Año Nuevo State Park](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-ano-nuevo/): A breeding colony of northern elephant seals on the dunes of Año Nuevo Point. From mid-December to March you can visit only on guided walks booked ahead; the rest of the year you can hike out with a free permit from the visitor center. - [Muir Woods National Monument](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-muir-woods/): Old-growth coast redwoods in a narrow canyon below Mount Tamalpais, with flat boardwalk loops. A parking or shuttle reservation is required; the access roads are steep and narrow, so leave large RVs elsewhere. - [Point Arena Lighthouse](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-point-arena/): A 115-foot lighthouse rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake, on a narrow point two miles off Highway 1. Visitors can climb the tower on most days; there is a fee and a small museum in the fog signal building. - [Dante’s View](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-dantes-view/): A viewpoint 5,475 feet above Badwater Basin with Telescope Peak across the valley. The paved road climbs 13 miles from SR-190; the last steep stretch is not suitable for vehicles over 25 feet. Cooler than the valley floor. - [La Purísima Mission State Historic Park](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-la-purisima/): The most completely restored of California’s missions, rebuilt by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, with workshops, gardens and livestock. Trails cross the surrounding park; day-use fee. - [Stout Memorial Grove](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-stout-grove/): A flat half-mile loop among giant redwoods beside the Smith River in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. Howland Hill Road is gravel and too narrow for RVs; with a big vehicle, walk in from the park campground over the summer footbridge. - [Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch](https://camping-spirit.com/places/bottle-tree/): A forest of welded-steel "trees" hung with thousands of glass bottles that chime in the desert wind. - [Santa Monica Pier](https://camping-spirit.com/places/santa-monica-pier/): The symbolic end of Route 66. There is an amusement park, a century-old carousel and the Pacific at your feet. - [Battery Spencer Overlook](https://camping-spirit.com/places/battery-spencer/): The classic Golden Gate Bridge viewpoint, with the towers close up and the city behind them. Fog often clears by midday. - [Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery](https://camping-spirit.com/places/elephant-seals/): Thousands of elephant seals haul out on the beach below a free boardwalk. Pups are born from December through March. - [Hearst Castle](https://camping-spirit.com/places/hearst-castle/): A hilltop estate with 165 rooms and the marble Neptune Pool. Tours must be booked, and the bus ride up the hill is part of the show. ## FAQs **What are the best road trips in California?** Popular routes include Highway 1: San Francisco to Santa Monica, Redwood Coast, Sequoia and Yosemite and Sonoma, Napa and Point Reyes. CampingSpirit has 26 trip guides that pass through California, each with a stop-by-stop itinerary and a route map. **Which places in California are worth a detour?** Our editors recommend Roy's Motel & Café, Bixby Creek Bridge, McWay Falls, Madonna Inn, Joshua Tree National Park and Tunnel View, Yosemite.