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.

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 →Death ValleyDeath Valley5 days · 4 nights · 541 mi round trip · 11 h 17 min drivingAcross the Mojave via Ridgecrest into Death Valley, with nights at Stovepipe Wells and Furnace Creek.Best season: Nov–MarPlan 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.