The June Lake Loop, or Highway 158, is one of the shortest drives on this list. Read about all of my favorite spots here.
#California scenery full
It is a full day adventure to make this drive but it is a beautiful place in California to explore. Once you get to the bottom you can see waterfalls like Grizzly Falls and Roaring River Falls and marvel at the massive granite peaks all around you. It is steep and windy but the views are fantastic as you make your way down into the canyon. The drive into Kings Canyon is one of those that you will never forget in California. As you make your way out of the park, be sure to also stop at Father Crowley Point, known as Star Wars Canyon, and if you are lucky, you may even see a jet fly through. From here, you can detour again south to popular spots like Badwater, Artist Palette and Devils Golf Course, or continue on the route past Salt Creek and the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. Along the way, you will pass Zabriskie Point, another stunning view in the park before making it to the visitor center in Furnace Creek. I recommend starting with a detour to Dantes View, an excellent viewpoint over Death Valley and Badwater, then making your way to Furnace Creek. However, in the spring or fall, driving Highway 190, the Death Valley Scenic Byway, is a great way to explore the park. Death Valley Scenic Bywayĭeath Valley is another remote part of California and one that you don’t want to visit in the summer. Also, I drove the whole route last year with my dad and made a 2 hour video on it that you can see here. While a lot of the Route 66 history is gone now in California, it is still a fun drive. Along the way, you can see reconstructed old gas stations, the original McDonalds museum, stop to have a drink at Fair Oaks Pharmacy and Soda Fountain, and even walk along the Colorado St Bridge. I would recommend making a day out of it and driving from San Bernardino, along Route 66 to Santa Monica. Santa Monica is a great place to start or end your trip if you want to drive a small portion of the route. Route 66Ĭalifornia is the last state you get to on a Route 66 road trip since the endpoint is in Santa Monica. From Big Bear, the road descends all the way back down to the towns of Redlands and Mentone, completing the drive. You can make this into a longer adventure by spending the night in Big Bear and exploring what that city has to offer as well. There are many pullouts along the way so you can take your time and soak it all in. Along the way, you will have stunning views down into the Inland Empire and looking out towards the ocean on a clear day. This route starts at the Cajon Pass and traverses through the mountains, going close to Crestline, Lake Arrowhead, and over to Big Bear. It’s not a drive many people have done but a fun desert road trip, just don’t do it in the summer. If you are looking to extend the drive, you can even head out towards the Salton Sea and loop back around to Palm Springs. Once you get down to Anza Borrego State Park, you can explore the metal sculptures found around the park or some of the great hikes. Both drives start up in the mountains and descend down to the desert with impressive views of the surrounding peaks and out towards the Salton Sea. You can take Highway 78 from Escondido through Julian and into the park, or you can take my personal favorite Highway S22 down into the park. Anza Borrego State ParkĪnza Borrego is an impressive state park, east of San Diego, which is an excellent spot for a scenic drive. Let’s jump into it and let me know what I left off in the comments. This list focuses on short scenic routes that have amazing payoffs and will allow you to see a unique part of California. Because of that, you won’t find the entirety of Pacific Coast Highway or Highway 395 on here, which are two of the best drives in the state. I tried to pick drives that are shorter and can be done in a day. For this post, I wanted to talk about some of my favorite scenic drives in California.
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