Trips from LA

Each trip starts in downtown LA, with day-by-day stops, campgrounds and RV parks at each stop and the RV that fits the route.

In Oct, the desert and coast trips lead. Seasons are our suggestion, based on the park heat and road-closure notes linked on each trip page.

Weekend trips 2–4 days

Joshua TreeJoshua Tree4 days · 3 nights · 294 mi round trip · 6 h 2 min drivingEast on I-10 to Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs, then up CA-62 to the high desert towns at the edge of Joshua Tree National Park.Best nowBest season: Oct–AprPlan this route →Santa Barbara coastSanta Barbara coast4 days · 3 nights · 231 mi round trip · 4 h 57 min drivingUp the coast through Malibu on PCH, then US-101 to Carpinteria next to Santa Barbara and on to El Capitán on the Gaviota Coast.Best nowBest season: Year-roundPlan this route →Las VegasLas Vegas4 days · 3 nights · 532 mi round trip · 9 h 49 min drivingI-15 across the Mojave with a stop in Barstow, then full-hookup RV resorts in Las Vegas.Best nowBest season: Oct–AprPlan this route →San Diego coastSan Diego coast4 days · 3 nights · 265 mi round trip · 5 h 37 min drivingSouth on I-5 to the bluff-top state beach at Cardiff, Mission Bay in San Diego, and the Silver Strand between the ocean and the bay.Best nowBest season: Year-roundPlan this route →Big BearBig Bear3 days · 2 nights · 195 mi round trip · 4 h 28 min drivingA mountain weekend in the San Bernardino Mountains, with lakeside RV parks and forest campgrounds.Best nowBest season: May–OctPlan this route →SequoiaSequoia4 days · 3 nights · 449 mi round trip · 10 h 19 min drivingNorth through the Central Valley to Three Rivers, then up the Generals Highway into the giant sequoias.Best nowBest season: May–OctPlan this route →

Week-long trips 5–8 days

Grand CanyonGrand Canyon5 days · 4 nights · 984 mi round trip · 17 h 54 min drivingEast on I-40 through Kingman and Williams on old Route 66 country, then north to the South Rim.Best nowBest season: Apr–Jun, Sep–OctPlan this route →Big SurBig Sur6 days · 5 nights · 592 mi round trip · 12 h 51 min drivingUS-101 up the Central Coast to Pismo Beach and Morro Bay, then Highway 1 north along the Big Sur coast.Best nowBest season: Year-roundPlan this route →Eastern SierraEastern Sierra6 days · 5 nights · 618 mi round trip · 12 h 20 min drivingCA-14 and US-395 up the east side of the Sierra: Lone Pine and the Alabama Hills, Bishop, then Mammoth Lakes.Best nowBest season: May–OctPlan this route →YosemiteYosemite5 days · 4 nights · 657 mi round trip · 14 h 2 min drivingNorth on CA-99 and CA-41 through Oakhurst into Yosemite Valley, leaving by CA-140 through El Portal and Mariposa.Best nowBest season: May–OctPlan this route →

Grand loops 10+ days

Grand CircleGrand Circle10 days · 9 nights · 1317 mi round trip · 26 h 20 min drivingI-15 past Las Vegas to Valley of Fire, then Zion, Bryce Canyon, Page and the Grand Canyon's South Rim, returning on I-40 through Route 66 country.Best nowBest season: Apr–May, Sep–OctPlan this route →California TriangleCalifornia Triangle10 days · 9 nights · 1134 mi round trip · 25 h 18 min drivingYosemite first, then north through Gold Country (Sonora) to Lake Tahoe, west to San Francisco, and home down Highway 1 past Monterey and Big Sur.Best nowBest season: Jun–OctPlan this route →

Photos: Wikimedia Commons (credits on each trip page). Drive times are car times from OSRM routing over OpenStreetMap, without traffic; RVs are slower.