Best Day Trips from Los Angeles: Catalina, Santa Barbara and Joshua Tree

Los Angeles sits at the centre of an absurdly varied day-trip map: an island an hour offshore, a Mediterranean-looking city up the coastal rail line, and a high-desert national park inland. A car unlocks most of it, but two of the best trips here are genuinely car-free.

For the city itself, see our Los Angeles guide and things to do in LA.

Catalina Island — the island day

Catalina Express ferries leave Long Beach and San Pedro for Avalon roughly hourly in season — approximately one hour each way, around $84–92 round trip as of 2026 (catalinaexpress.com). Avalon is a compact, car-light harbour town: snorkel at Lovers Cove, rent a golf cart for the hill loop (approximately $60–90 for 2 hours), tour the 1929 Casino building (approximately $32), or just settle into a waterfront lunch. Take the first morning boat — the 8 am departure buys you a real day, not half of one.

Santa Barbara — the rail day

Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner from Union Station runs up the coast in approximately 2.5 hours (around $33–40 each way), hugging the ocean from Ventura onward. From Santa Barbara station it is two blocks to State Street, a short walk to Stearns Wharf, and a 15-minute stroll to the 1786 Old Mission (approximately $15). The Funk Zone — tasting rooms and murals between the station and the beach — handles the afternoon. Last trains back leave early evening; check the schedule before lingering over dinner.

Joshua Tree National Park — the desert day

With a car and a dawn start, Joshua Tree is approximately 130 miles east (2–2.5 hours; entry approximately $30 per vehicle as of 2026). The efficient loop: Hidden Valley nature trail, Keys View over the Coachella Valley, boulder scrambling at Jumbo Rocks, and the Cholla Cactus Garden as the light goes gold. October–April is the season; summer afternoons regularly pass 38°C. No food or fuel inside the park — stock up in the town of Joshua Tree, and consider pairing the drive home with dinner in Palm Springs (our guide).

Laguna Beach and the OC coast

An hour south (or Metrolink + bus for the patient), Laguna Beach is the prettiest stretch of Orange County: coves like Crescent Bay and Treasure Island, tidepools at Heisler Park, and a walkable gallery-filled village. Pair it with Crystal Cove State Park (parking approximately $15) for bluff-top trails and a vintage beach-shack café. Summer parking is a blood sport — arrive before 10 am.

Palm Springs — the mid-century desert day

Approximately a 2-hour drive east on I-10 (just over 100 miles), Palm Springs pairs naturally with Joshua Tree but deserves its own day. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway rotates as it climbs 2,600 vertical metres of cable from desert floor to pine forest — approximately $32–37 as of 2026, and it is routinely 20°C cooler at the top, with easy trails from the mountain station. Back in town, pick up a self-guided mid-century architecture map from the Visitors Center (itself a 1965 Albert Frey gas station) and finish at the Palm Springs Art Museum (approximately $16–20). Lunch at Cheeky’s on North Palm Canyon. In summer, structure the day around the tramway — midday in town regularly passes 43°C.

Malibu and Point Dume — the close coastal day

Barely a trip at all — 45–60 minutes up the Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Monica — but it earns its place. Walk the headland trail at Point Dume State Beach (free; parking approximately $8–14) for whale-watching December–April, tour the Getty Villa’s Greek and Roman collections (free with timed ticket; parking approximately $25), and eat at Malibu Seafood, the counter-service fish shack across the highway from the water. Metro bus 134 from Santa Monica covers part of the coast if you are car-free. For more guided coastal options, browse tours here.

San Diego — the ambitious one

The Surfliner reaches downtown San Diego in approximately 2 hours 50 minutes (around $40–45 each way). As a day trip it works only if you pick one neighbourhood: Balboa Park and its museums, the USS Midway (approximately $32), or the Gaslamp Quarter. Our San Diego digital nomad guide covers the city in more depth if you stretch it to an overnight.

Big Bear Lake — the mountain day

Approximately 2–2.5 hours east into the San Bernardino Mountains (around 100 miles, the final stretch on winding Highway 18). In winter, Big Bear Mountain Resort runs Southern California’s main ski operation (lift tickets from approximately $90–150 as of 2026, cheaper midweek and booked online); in summer, the flat Alpine Pedal Path follows the lake’s north shore, kayak rentals run approximately $25–35 per hour, and the village’s main street stays unpretentious. Check chain requirements before any winter drive — they are enforced.

Practical tips

• Book Catalina ferries and summer Surfliner trains ahead — both sell out on weekends
• Joshua Tree has no water inside the park — carry 3–4 litres per person
• June gloom affects the coast in early summer; the desert and Santa Barbara usually burn off first
• Prices as of 2026 — confirm at amtrak.com, catalinaexpress.com, and nps.gov before travelling