“Do you know the Road to San Jose”
“(Get going) route 66”
“99 miles of the Angels”
For decades, musicians have written songs about California road trips, trying to bottle their magic into a catchy track.
Los Angeles County travelers are in luck: our part of Southern California, home to Highway 1 and historic Route 66, is an especially well-located starting point for anyone in the mood to hit the road.
A drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco, San Diego, and other California cities can easily be transformed into a week-long road trip with interludes of sightseeing, dining, wine tasting, hiking, surfing, and more. Visiting one of the national parks in the Golden State? Why not add a few stops along the way?
Don’t worry if you only have a few days to travel—most of these trips can be edited to fit your time constraints.
The road trips on this list, which span nearly the entire length and width of California, will need to be adjusted based on what time of year you take them. As our recent winter storms have shown, driving in California can be treacherous, so always check road conditions and local guidelines before you travel.
Please also note that some of the mentioned destinations and roads are currently closed due to weather. We share these routes as inspiration for future road trips, to use when road conditions improve.
Now let’s hit the road.
