One Tank Road Trips from Los Angeles

By Kimberly Graf. Published on August 26, 2025

If you live in bustling, smoggy city of Los Angeles, you'll probably want to get away every now and then. Thankfully, it won't take much to do that – there are plenty of places around LA where you can get to without using more than a single tank of gas. Even at today's gas price, that's pretty awesome!

Carpintaria State Beach

We'll start with one of the closest locations. It's only an hour to Carpintaria State Beach, but many people may not know about it. It's a small, out of the way picnic spot right on a sandy beach. You might want to arrive early to get a spot, because though it's out of the way, many people are beginning to realize that it's a great place to go wading.

You can also walk among the tide pools and observe all of the creatures that live there. It's an entire ecosystem by itself! The beach here has gentle surf, with waves that lap at the rocks rather than crash against them. It's the perfect family getaway from the big city!

Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach is another close beach that is much more popular than Carpintaria, but has many of the same features. The rocky shoreline is wonderful to play on, and there are even tide pools. There are also hiking trails here, and even a sea lion rescue that you can check out!

If you're interesting in camping here, you can stay at Crystal Cove, the more popular campground, or you can go to Victoria beach. It's a quiet spot that not a lot of people know about.

Temecula

This place is about an hour and a half away from Los Angeles, and it's full of different experiences from the rest of this list. It's a smaller version of the Napa Valley, and it's great for people who love wine tasting! There are 30 different wineries in Temecula, and you can take tours of the grounds and facilities before attending some wine-tasting parties.

One of the biggest wineries, Wilson Creek, takes up over 70 acres! And you can tour the facilities there as well. There is a place in town where you can take a ride in a hot air balloon, which is pretty amazing! When you're finished with that there are also tons of local museums.

Big Bear

One of the greatest outdoor experiences in California is just two hours from Los Angeles. Big Bear is a mountain resort area that has plenty of ski slopes in the wintertime. If you happen to go during warmer months, make sure to stop and take a dip in Big Bear Lake. It's a refreshing mountain stream that's open to visitors for swimming and fishing.

On the north shore of the Lake is Big Bear Solar Observatory, which is a beautiful building that isn't open to the public. There's a ton of hiking opportunities as well in the surrounding area. Big Bear is a nice alpine-esque setting for all of your outdoor fun, including camping and mountain biking.

Joshua Tree National Park

The furthest point from Los Angeles where you can get a unique outdoor experience on one tank of gas is the Joshua Tree National Park. This is one of the coolest and most unique National Parks in our country! The landscape is densely vegetated by gnarled, twisted Joshua trees, creating an almost surreal feeling.

While you're here, there are a ton of things to do. At Jumbo Rock, you can watch other people do some outdoor rock climbing, and even join them if that's your thing. There are scenic drives that wind all over the park, and you can explore and take them at your leisure. There's plenty to see!

Of course, there's the usual hiking and biking opportunities through this unique landscape, for a variety of views. And when you're finished with that, camp out at Hidden Valley Campground, a popular spot that's definitely that way for a reason.

On your way back to LA, stop at the Cabazon exit. Here, you'll find the dinosaur park that was made famous by a particular film – and you can still climb all over the park and pose with the creatures, including a T-Rex!

Living in Los Angeles is the dream for so many, but it can also get depressing. Take a break from the city of angels to enjoy some of the scenery and activities around the area! And it won't cost an arm and a leg, either, which is what's so special about these one-tank-of-gas destinations!