Pebble Beach · $$$$$ — Cliffside public crown jewel
Road trips · California
California road trips & hidden gems.
No state offers more in one trip: Big Sur cliffs, Sierra granite, a redwood coast, wine country, desert, and the cities in between. You could spend a month and barely scratch it. The trick is to pick a region and go deep.
Worth the drive
CFP National Championship 2027
Las Vegas, Nevada is an easy road trip from California, and it’s happening this January. Roamward builds the trip around it: the scenic route in, the detours worth a slack day, and when rooms sell out.
Best time to visitYear-round by region · Sierra is summer
Don’t missDriving Big Sur on Highway 1
Gem Hunt nominees10 candidates
Hikes14 curated
Scenic drives10
Worth-the-detour corridors
Drives through California
Ranked city-to-city drives that cross California — each with honest +N min detours on the shelf.
Gem Hunt nominees
What locals say you shouldn’t miss.
Community-nominated candidates. Add yours and vote to help choose the first published finalists.
Bombay Beach
A near-ghost town on the dried, salty shore of the Salton Sea that artists have turned into an open-air gallery of installations — post-apocalyptic and oddly beautiful in the Colorado Desert.
Bodie State Historic ParkA genuine gold-rush ghost town east of the Sierra near Bridgeport, preserved in "arrested decay" — hundreds of weathered buildings left just as residents abandoned them.
Glass BeachA Fort Bragg shoreline on the Mendocino coast where decades of old dumped glass have tumbled into smooth, colorful pebbles among the tide pools.
Pinnacles National ParkCalifornia's least-crowded national park, east of Soledad, with talus caves you can scramble through and towering volcanic spires where endangered condors soar.
Salvation MountainA hand-built hill of adobe and paint near Niland on the edge of Slab City, covered in folk-art scripture and flowers by the late Leonard Knight — wonderfully strange in the desert.
Elmer's Bottle Tree RanchA glittering forest of metal trees hung with thousands of colored glass bottles along old Route 66 in Oro Grande — pull over in the high desert and wander one of the route's most photogenic folk-art stops.
Worth traveling for
Events that put California on the calendar.
The big ones
National parks in California.
The bucket-list landscapes — when to go and what not to miss.
Channel Islands
Best: Spring (flowers) & fall · Don’t miss kayaking the santa cruz sea caves.
Death ValleyBest: Nov–March · Don’t miss sunrise at zabriskie point.
Joshua TreeBest: Oct–April · Don’t miss boulders at hidden valley.
Kings CanyonBest: Summer & fall · Don’t miss general grant, the nation’s christmas tree.
Lassen VolcanicBest: July–September · Don’t miss bumpass hell hydrothermals.
PinnaclesBest: Spring & fall · Don’t miss condors over the high peaks.
RedwoodBest: Late spring–fall · Don’t miss walking among the tallest trees.
SequoiaBest: Summer & fall · Don’t miss general sherman tree.
YosemiteBest: Spring (waterfalls)–fall · Don’t miss tunnel view of the valley.
Explore by interest
Everything else worth a stop in California.
Start with a few highlights, choose one interest, or explicitly open the full state guide.
Showing General guide and Scenic routes highlights. Choose a category or Show all for the full state guide.
Scenic drives
Scenic routes through California.
Route 66Chicago, IL → Santa Monica, CA · ~2,448 milesRoute →Pacific Coast HighwayDana Point → Leggett, CA · ~650 milesRoute →Avenue of the GiantsPhillipsville → Pepperwood, CA · ~31 milesRoute →Tioga RoadCrane Flat → Tioga Pass, CA (CA-120) · ~46 milesRoute →The Lincoln Highway (US 30)Times Square, NY → Lincoln Park, San Francisco, CA · ~3,400 milesRoute →Lake Tahoe LoopLake Tahoe loop, CA/NV · ~72-mile loopRoute →Volcanic Legacy Scenic BywayLassen Volcanic NP → Crater Lake NP · ~500 milesRoute →
Themed trails
Trails to follow in California.
More worth the detour
The general guide to California.
Museums, monuments, historic sites, and local-only stops from Roamward's shared place map.
Amboy Crater
250-foot cinder cone with rim trail off old Route 66; BLM national natural landmark.
Ancient Bristlecone Pine ForestThe oldest living trees on Earth (4,000+ years) at Schulman Grove, up a paved mountain road off 395; visitor center, summer season only.
Andrew Molera State Park (Big Sur River mouth beach)The largest state park on the Big Sur coast and the only one with a genuinely wild river-mouth beach — a flat two-mile walk from the parking lot down the Big Sur River to where it meets the ocean at Cooper Point, with almost none of the crowd-pressure of the more famous stops nearby.
Anza-Borrego Desert State ParkCalifornia's largest state park spreads badlands, palm canyons, wildflower country, and immense desert skies across the Colorado Desert east of San Diego.
Barstow Harvey House (Casa del Desierto)1911 Casa del Desierto Harvey House/Santa Fe depot — Spanish Renaissance/Moorish-styled building now housing city offices, the Amtrak station, the Chamber of Commerce, and two museums; NRHP-listed since 1975.
Barstow Route 66 Mother Road MuseumRoute 66/Mojave Desert history museum inside the historic Harvey House (Casa del Desierto); reopened after a June 2024 closure, free admission, open daily 11am-2pm.
Boots on
Best hikes in California.
From family-easy to bucket-list — trails worth the detour, great for the RV & camping crew.
Alamere Falls (Point Reyes)
a rare waterfall that pours onto the beach
Bumpass Hell (Lassen)a boardwalk over steaming fumaroles
Cathedral Lakes (Tuolumne)a high-country classic below Cathedral Peak
Cloud’s Rest (Yosemite)a higher, quieter summit view than Half Dome
Half Dome (Yosemite)the cables to the summit; permit required
Hidden Valley (Joshua Tree)boulders and Joshua trees — family/RV
Beyond the parks
Wild lands in California.
National forests, wilderness, and monuments — the big scenic public land between the parks and the gems.
Inyo
Eastern Sierra peaks, Mono Lake & ancient pines.
John MuirThe high Sierra crest and the JMT.
DesolationGranite and glacial lakes above Lake Tahoe.
Muir WoodsOld-growth coast redwoods near San Francisco.
Point ReyesDramatic foggy headlands north of San Francisco.
Los PadresThe Big Sur backcountry and condor country.
Bucket-list wonders
Scenic landmarks in California.
The iconic slot canyons, overlooks, and rock formations — and how you actually get to visit each one.
Mono Lake
Ancient tufa towers rising from an alkaline lake.
Devils PostpileA cliff of perfect basalt columns.
McWay FallsAn 80-ft waterfall onto a Big Sur cove beach.
Glass BeachA beach of sea-tumbled glass jewels.
La Jolla Sea CavesSea caves, sea lions & a turquoise cove.
Pfeiffer BeachPurple sand and the Keyhole Arch sunbeam.
The gloriously weird detour
Roadside Americana in California.
Giant statues, folk-art wonders, vintage neon, and roadside oddities — the stops worth the exit.
Where to wake up
Camping in California.
The most scenic places to pitch a tent or park the rig — each with how to reserve and how RV-friendly it is.
Kirk Creek
Clifftop sites straight over the Big Sur Pacific.
Convict LakeEmerald water under sheer Eastern Sierra peaks.
D.L. BlissCamping above Lake Tahoe’s clearest water.
Tuolumne MeadowsYosemite’s granite-domed high country.
Mineral KingA remote glacial valley deep in Sequoia.
Jumbo RocksSites tucked among giant boulders in Joshua Tree.
Raise a glass
Breweries, distilleries & wineries in California.
The trip-worthy taprooms, distilleries, and wine country.
AleSmith Brewing
a San Diego icon famous for Speedway Stout, with a Tony Gwynn museum.
Ballast Point Brewingthe Sculpin IPA pioneer, with a big Little Italy tasting room.
Firestone Walker Brewinga Central Coast powerhouse blending British and West Coast brewing.
Lagunitas Brewinga beloved, irreverent taproom in wine country.
Napa Valley Wineriesthe most famous wine region in America — cabernet, castles, and the Wine Train.
Paso Robles Wineriesa booming Central Coast region known for big Rhône reds and zinfandel.
Where to eat
Road-trip dining in California.
Restaurants, diners, and food halls that fit the drive — curated by town, not scraped from a phone book.
101 Noodle Express
San Gabriel Valley noodle shop specializing in handmade noodles and its cult-favorite crisp, savory beef roll.
Chengdu TasteHousehold-name Sichuan spot for tingly Chengdu classics. (San Gabriel Valley)
Sichuan ImpressionAcclaimed San Gabriel Valley restaurant specializing in the rustic home-style cooking of Sichuan province with bold, tongue-numbing flavors.
Din Tai FungThe famed xiao long bao house at Santa Anita. (San Gabriel Valley)
Salt Fish HouseArcata's polished seafood spot near the plaza — first-rate chowder, fish tacos, and salmon specials in a bright, comfortable room with outdoor seating. The best sit-down fish meal on the north end of the redwood corridor.
Slice of Humboldt PieCozy pie shop and local cider bar doing savory pot pies, hand pies, and sweet slices — with real vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. Hand pies travel perfectly into the parks.
Snow season
Best ski resorts in California.
Big-mountain steeps, all-mountain variety, and family hills.
Palisades Tahoe
host of the 1960 Olympics, home of the fearsome KT-22.
Heavenlyruns with jaw-dropping views over the blue of Lake Tahoe.
Mammoth Mountainhigh, snowy, and long — the giant of the Eastern Sierra.
Northstarpolished, tree-lined, and family-friendly near North Tahoe.
Kirkwoodsteep, snowy, and remote-feeling, a powder hound’s Tahoe pick.
Sugar Bowlhistoric Donner Summit powder, California’s first destination resort.
On two wheels (road)
Best cycling in California.
Scenic road rides, iconic climbs, and car-free rail-trails.
Knobby tires
Best mountain biking in California.
Trail systems, bike parks, and gravel routes.
Downieville Downhill
a legendary 5,000-ft Sierra descent and shuttle-town culture.
Flume Traila cliffside cruise high above the blue of Lake Tahoe.
Northstar Bike ParkTahoe’s big lift-served downhill park.
Mammoth Bike Parkhigh-Sierra lift-served laps including the famous Kamikaze.
Soquel Demonstration Forestredwood loam and the legendary Flow Trail near Santa Cruz.
China Campbay-view singletrack in MTB’s Marin County birthplace.
Soak it in
Best hot springs in California.
Resorts, historic bathhouses, and wild primitive soaks.
Travertine Hot Springs
free terraced pools on an orange travertine ridge with Sierra views.
Buckeye Hot Springsa hot waterfall and creekside pools in the Eastern Sierra.
Wild Willy’s Hot Springsa boardwalk to natural tubs on the Long Valley plateau.
Grover Hot Springsa state-park pool in an alpine meadow ringed by peaks.
Deep Creek Hot Springsa popular hike-in canyon soak in the San Bernardino forest.
Remington Hot Springscarved riverside tubs along the wild Kern River.
Sand & surf
Best beaches in California.
Family sand, surf breaks, wild shores — find your vibe.
Baker Beach
Golden Gate Bridge views from wild Pacific sand at the Presidio edge.
Carmel Beachwhite sand and cypress at the foot of a storybook village.
Coronado Beachglittering, mica-flecked sand below the grand Hotel del Coronado.
Crystal Cove State Parkhistoric beach cottages, tide pools, and coves between Newport and Laguna.
El Matador State Beachsea caves, arches, and rock stacks below a Malibu bluff.
Half Moon Bay State Beachfour miles of cool Central Coast sand beneath rolling bluffs.
Chasing water
Best waterfalls in California.
From roadside stops to bucket-list hikes — easy ones flagged for the RV & family crew.
Yosemite Falls
the tallest waterfall in North America; roars in spring, dries by late summer.
Horsetail Fall (Firefall)glows like lava at sunset for a few February evenings — the famous "firefall".
Bridalveil Fallthe first great fall you see entering Yosemite Valley.
Nevada Falla powerful Mist Trail fall on the way to Half Dome.
Big Fallsthe tallest year-round fall in Southern California, near Big Bear.
Feather Fallsone of California’s tallest, in the northern Sierra foothills.
Tee it up
Public golf you can book in California.
Newport Coast · $$$$$ — Pacific-view Fazio at Pelican Hill
Newport Coast · $$$$$ — Bluff-top coastal resort golf
Pebble Beach · $$$$$ — Brutal beauty in the dunes
Pebble Beach · $$$$$ — Bagpipes at sunset
Rancho Palos Verdes · $$$$$ — Clifftop Pacific golf south of L.A.
Beacons
Lighthouses in California.
Point Reyes Light
reached by 300+ steps down a wind-and-fog-lashed headland — a whale-watching perch.
Pigeon Point Lightone of the tallest lighthouses in America (115 ft), south of Half Moon Bay.
Point Sur Lighta stone light on a giant volcanic rock along the Big Sur coast, by guided tour only.
Point Arena Lighta 115-ft tower you can climb on a dramatic Mendocino headland near the San Andreas Fault.
Battery Point Lighton a tiny island reachable only at low tide — time the walk-over right.
Old Point Loma Lightat Cabrillo National Monument, high over the entrance to San Diego Bay.
Take me out
MLB ballparks in California.
Angel Stadium
the Big A halo sign and the outfield rock-and-geyser waterfall, in OC sunshine.
Sutter Health Parkthe A’s temporary home (a minor-league park) while their Las Vegas ballpark is built — a rare oddity for the collection.
Dodger Stadiumthe third-oldest park — Chavez Ravine, the San Gabriels beyond the pavilions, and a Dodger Dog at sunset.
Oracle ParkMcCovey Cove and the kayakers, the giant glove, and bay breezes off the right-field wall.
Petco Parkthe historic Western Metal Supply building built into left field, in the Gaslamp Quarter.
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