One of my absolute favorite things about living in Southern California is the amazing variety of destinations you can visit within a day's drive. In 1 day or less of driving, you can reach three other states, another country!
In this post I am sharing my suggestions for getaways that are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 hour drives away from Los Angeles. Keep in mind that the time in the car can vary greatly based on what time of day you are driving; my estimations here are based on non-peak hours. Some of the destinations below I have visited, and others I haven't but am excited to go one day.
I linked blog posts or photos of the places that I've been! Also, here is a great tool that a friend recently showed me: a map that shows you the area you can travel within however many miles is a good start for a moderate day's drive or a certain number of hours driving at a given speed.
I highly recommend it as a starting point for daydreaming about road trips! There are so many different neighborhoods in LA, it can be super fun to do a staycation within your own city.
Grace and I once stayed at a hotel in downtown LA that is rumored to be haunted! If you have been to any of the places above that I haven't visited yet, I'd love to hear about it! I think if I had to pick a few favorite places that maximize experience for the drive time, I would say Ojai, Palm Springs, and Big Sur. But I love them all! Happy road tripping :.
