These 13 California destinations are splendid in the fall — and now’s the time to book a trip

That long, hot summer is nearing its end. Kids are back in school. This might be the moment to plot a California trip with more changing leaves and less traffic.

I’ve pulled together 13 fall travel ideas here, from deserts to coast with a couple of mountain destinations mixed in. Consider this a reminder that traveling around California is like painting a Navy ship: Once you think you’re done, you’re overdue to start again.

As evidence of this state’s perpetual change, at various points below you will find a Tin Town, a Tin City, a Hotel Wren, a Hidden Kitchen, a Fog Eater Cafe, a Skunk Train and a Bear Gulch Cave. Only those last two existed in the 20th century.

So check forecasts — because storms are due in the coming weeks — and then go where it’s safe. Because California keeps on changing, whether you keep up or not.

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1. Palm Canyon Drive. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times) 2. A metal sculpture of a serpent by artist Richard Breceda. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

This lonely San Diego County desert town, about 50 miles from the nearest Starbucks, deserves the attention of anyone who really wants peace and quiet. It’s home to perhaps 4,000 year-round residents, star-struck by night, startling at dawn, surrounded by the largest state park in California, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

Dark skies, aimless days and spring wildflowers draw many people. But fall visitors can hike the park’s Borrego Palm Canyon Trail (3 miles round trip) or the narrow canyon known as The Slot. Keep an eye out for bighorn sheep and dozens of metal artworks by sculptor Ricardo Breceda scattered around town, especially the 350-foot-long sea serpent (along Borrego Springs Road), which has become a community mascot.

Check out: The town’s biggest party of the year, Borrego Days, is coming Oct. 17-18. And its seasonal Farmers Market returns to Christmas Circle Community Park on Nov. 6.

Distance: A 4-hour drive from L.A. (154 miles from L.A. City Hall, via Google Maps).

The beach boardwalk along Moonstone Beach.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

The little hotels, motels and inns along Cambria’s Moonstone Beach Drive have been drawing travelers for more than 60 years, largely because of scenic, driftwood-strewn Moonstone Beach across the street. A mile-long boardwalk overlooks the beach, as does the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve, which has its own popular blufftop trail.

The rest of the Cambria isn’t bad, either, including the shops and galleries along Main Street (which is deceptively long) and the piney slopes above.

Check out: Robin’s has been a favorite dinner destination for decades. For breakfast, you might try Hidden Kitchen, whose blue corn waffles have won a devoted following since the restaurant opened in 2018. The Hidden Kitchen in Cambria is open on weekends and its location in nearby Cayucos is open daily.

Distance: A 4-and-a-half hour drive from L.A. (237 miles).

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1. A scenic road. 2. Porches lined up near Lincoln Green. (Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times)

Carmel has become a jewel box of a town, with a main street, Ocean Avenue, that runs right down to the beach and sea. The architecture is full of storybook influences and curlicues. The prices — well, the prices are high. But with them come an intimate town setting.

Whether on foot, on a bike or in a car, you should take Ocean Avenue down to Scenic Road, turn left and keep on rolling until you’re overlooking Carmel River Scenic Beach. As fetching as the manmade landscape of Carmel can be (on the left side of that drive), the natural setting on the right is better.

Check out: The Cypress Inn (since 1929) is famed for its pet-friendliness. Also, not only can you rent a bike from Mad Dogs & Englishmen, you can rent a sidecar for your dog.

Distance: A 5-hours-and-45-minutes drive from L.A. (323 miles).

Fall leaves along Highway 168 in the Inyo National Forest along Bishop Creek in 2024.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

U.S. 395 is a great showcase for fall color and mountain grandeur as it runs along the edge of the Eastern Sierra past Lone Pine, Independence and Bishop. Soon after the exit for Mammoth Lakes, you’ll find the June Lake Loop (a 16-mile leafy detour from 395) and the tiny woodsy town of June Lake.

Crowley Lake and Convict Lake supply further scenery nearby. For more fall color tips (updated often during the seasons), check CaliforniaFallColor.com.

Check out: For upscale lodging, try Bishop’s Wayfinder hotel or June Lake’s Double Eagle Resort & Spa.

Distance: A 5-and-a-half hour drive from L.A. (315 miles).

Big Josh at The Station gift store. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times) Hikers take in a spectacular sunset on top of rocks (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Just about everyone, it seems, has realized the appeal of Joshua Tree (the national park and the town) in the last few years. As the weather cools, the park’s cartoonish boulders, outlandish flora and winding trails become more approachable (but don’t get too close to those jumping cholla cactuses). If you’re a newbie, don’t miss Hidden Valley, Cap Rock or the Skull Rock Nature Trail.

There are also more assets farther east on California 62 in the town of 29 Palms, which has its own (much less-trafficked) park entrance, along with Tin Town, a compound that includes the tasty Kitchen in the Desert restaurant and several trendy shops.

Check out: If you’re sleeping in 29 Palms, the 29 Palms Inn is the historic choice, the Hotel Wren 29 Palms is the quiet, upscale, stylish choice and Ramsey 29 is the boutique motel choice.

Distance: Joshua Tree is 3-and-a-half hours’ drive (127 miles) from L.A.; 29 Palms, 3 hours and 45 minutes (142 miles).

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Splashing waves near La Jolla Cove.

(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Whether by sea, by air or by upscale shopping street, La Jolla is likely to grab you, especially in fall after the summer tourist legions have retreated. To appreciate seaside La Jolla, rent a kayak at La Jolla Shores, tiptoe through tidepools along Coast Boulevard or bathe in surfer vibes at Windansea Beach. To see airborne La Jolla (paragliders, that is), proceed to the clifftop Torrey Pines Glider Port (where you can also get lunch at Cliffhanger Cafe). As for upscale shopping and eating, Prospect Street and Girard Avenue are the place or that.

Check out: To get some steps in, you can’t beat the Coast Walk Trail, which you can do as a short clifftop stroll from the Cave Store on Coast Boulevard or as a 2-mile leg-stretcher continuing south from the Cave Store to Windansea Beach. (High tides may force inland detours.)

Distance: 2-and-a-half hours from L.A. (120 miles)

Passengers ride a railbike through the redwoods of Mendocino County.

(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

There isn’t a town in California with a stronger claim on the word “quaint.” Mendocino, dominated by Victorian and New England-style saltbox houses, is built on bluffs overlooking the Pacific and surrounded by dramatic coast and forest. The town, which has fewer than 1,000 residents, grew with the region’s logging boom in the late 19th century, revived with an influx of artists in the 1950s, and nowadays is dominated by independent galleries, inns and eateries, including Cafe Beaujolais, Fog Eater Cafe and Gallery Bookshop. Be sure to check out Mendocino Headlands State Park, which nearly surrounds the village, and the Point Mendocino Trail.

Check out: Just 10 miles north of Mendocino, Ft. Bragg has a more blue-collar vibe, several seafood restaurants in Noyo Harbor and the Skunk Train, where you can ride a passenger car or a railbike through a bit of redwood forest.

Distance: 90-minute flight from LAX northwest to SFO, then a 4-hour drive; or 534 miles of straight driving.

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1. A pathway on Meditation Mount. (Lou Mora / For The Times) 2. The newly renovated Hotel El Roblar. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Whether the goal is a stroll among shops on Ojai Avenue or a hike in the Topatopa Mountains, the town of Ojai pulls in a lot of people on weekends, even in summer when it’s hot. Fall is mellower, even if the hills might be a little browner. In the heart of town, Libbey Park is always a draw for kids.

There’s an Ojai Fall Festival coming with carnival rides and games Sept. 11-13, followed by the Ojai Film Festival Nov. 5-9.

Many visitors head for the many motels-turned-boutique-hotels in town, or for the upscale Hotel El Roblar, which has had many identities since opening in 1919. These days it’s Old California rustic chic, its history-drenched Condor Bar drawing visitors and locals. Visitors with plenty to spend often head for the luxurious Ojai Valley Inn on the outskirts of town.

Check out: Three restaurants to ponder: The Dutchess (a bakery, cafe and restaurant with lots of Burmese elements); Farmer and the Cook (a casual, all-organic cafe that gets much of its food from a nearby farm); and Ojai Rotie (which specializes in rotisserie chicken and has second location opening soon in Carpinteria

Distance: About a 2-hour drive from L.A. (83 miles)

The Bear Gulch Reservoir at Pinnacles National Monument.

(Michael Macor / San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

This strange realm of pointy peaks, rocky caves and soaring condors is California’s youngest and smallest national park, set in the underappreciated middle of California, where farms, ranches and vineyards blanket the valleys and hills. In spring it’s crowded. In summer, it’s oppressively hot. So fall is a good bet. The High Peaks Trail, Condor Gulch Trail and Bear Gulch Cave (on the east side of the park) are strenuous but popular for their commanding views and stony settings. There’s no road connecting the east and west sides of the park, so you’ll want to approach from the east if camping overnight. On the west side of the park, visitors head for the Balconies Cave.

Check out: Soledad (of state prison fame) is the gateway town to Pinnacles. Just 17 miles from the park’s west entrance, you’ll find the tiny Mission of Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, an often-forgotten stop on the 21-mission trail built by Spanish missionaries and soldiers between 1769 and 1823.

Distance: About a 5-hour drive from L.A. (268 miles).

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1. A bike path in Sunset Dunes Park. 2. The Photo Booth Museum on Market Street. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Maybe it stems from AI money, or the dwindling crime rate. Or maybe people got tired of staying away from S.F. Either way, the city is energized and on the brink of surpassing its pre-pandemic tourism numbers. It’s a brighter scene, and not just because the nightly Bay Bridge light shows, dark since 2023, resumed in March. The artist behind them is Leo Villareal.

On Sept 19, the Chinatown Autumn Moon Festival begins. The next day, the annual free Haight-Ashbury Street Fair happens. On Oct. 4, the free, three-day Hardly Strictly Bluegrass music festival begins in Golden Gate Park.

Check out: Two solid and atmospheric dining options along the Chinatown/North Beach borderlands: China Live and Tony’s Pizza Napoletana.

Distance: A 90-minute flight from LAX to SFO.

The walk-through light experience at Sensorio.

(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

It’s harvest season in this wine-centric town, which means a flood of activity among the area’s 200 wineries, whose wines draw from more than 60 grape varieties. You can check the local calendar here or plan now for the Whale Rock Music & Arts Festival at Castoro Cellars Sept. 19-20 or for the Pioneer Day Parade downtown on Oct. 10

Other options include balloon rides, horseback rides, concerts at the Vina Robles Amphitheater and the Sensorio light show. (but wear layers, because Paso nights get a lot cooler in fall).

Check out: If you like the idea of parking once and wandering around, you’ll find about 25 more winery tasting-room options, a spacious beergarden patio at Barrelhouse Brewing Co., excellent meals at Etto Pasta Bar and sheep’s milk ice cream from Negranti Creamery, at Tin City, about 3 miles south of downtown Paso.

Distance: A 3 hour-and-45 minute drive from L.A. (206 miles).

Augie’s Restaurant by architect Jeff Shelton.

(Dania Maxwell / For The Times)

With summer crowds gone, it may be much easier to enjoy restaurants and people-watching on State Street, strolling Stearns Wharf, the murals and view from atop the Santa Barbara County Courthouse and the architecture (and thorny history) of the Old Mission Santa Barbara. Also, many hotels offer a third night free during the season.

Check out: Just 18 miles east of S.B. on the coast highway you’ll find the small town of Carpinteria, which has one of the state’s kid-friendliest beaches and a Main Street vibe along Linden Avenue. The restaurants and shops of Linden Square are a more recent addition, having opened in May 2025.

Distance: A 2-and-a-half hour drive from L.A. (114 miles).

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1. Hikers walk on in the Valley. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times) 2. A man paints the scene from the tunnel view. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)

Yosemite Valley is always jaw-dropping, but it’s different in fall. Yosemite Falls is dry and Vernal, Nevada and Bridalveil falls are usually down to a trickle in September. Though the park is mostly evergreens, you will see changing leaves on scattered maples, black oaks and Pacific dogwood, cottonwoods and cedars. And the parking lots — they’re glorious. Last year, visitation dropped by 25% between August and October, leaving autumn people with plenty of room.

Check out: Tioga Road, which connects the park’s high country to Interstate 395 and the eastern Sierra, closes with the first heavy snowfall, usually in November. Glacier Point Road, the only paved route to the park’s very popular Glacier Point, also typically closes in November.

Distance: A 5-hour drive to the park’s south entrance (280 miles), 6 hours to Yosemite Valley (312 miles).