10 CA Day Trips To End The Summer On A High Note

CALIFORNIA, CA — The countdown to summer break's end is underway, and Golden State residents on the hunt for day trips across California have a plethora of opportunities to choose from.

From apple-picking and beach camping to mountain excursions and desert hikes, Patch has the run-down on day trips across California perfect for the late-summer season.

Where are the best destinations in the Golden State?

According to Wallet Hub, the Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Anaheim areas are among the most visited in California over the summer months, but Californians can see much more just outside of the metro areas.

• Go Apple Picking In Oak Glen: Residents can enjoy a cool start to the apple season, which starts in August, in Oak Glen in the San Bernardino mountains. The apple farms are open for the season and have early varieties of apples for residents to pick along with activities for the kids from axe throwing to old-fashioned cider-pressing.

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• San Diego For Outdoor Play: This summer, the beaches, theme parks, and outdoor concerts are not to be missed. In San Diego, check out Old Town , where families can walk and explore the Serra museum, celebrating the Indigenous Kumeyaay people, historic buildings open to the public, authentic Mexican dining, dancing, and live music. Also, check out the Rady Shell at Jacob's Park for live musical events.

• Fish, Camp, Hike, Bike And Sip Wine In Southwest Riverside County: For a change of pace, explore Southwest Riverside County’s 10 lakes and outdoor lifestyle. The region offers hiking, sky-diving, jet skiing, and hot air balloons. If outdoor adventures aren't your thing, Temecula Wine Country is famous for its wine tasting, and Old Town Temecula boasts western charm with line dancing, amazing BBQ, dining and shopping.

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• Wine Tasting Near Santa Barbara: Located in the Santa Ynez Valley about 40 minutes from Santa Barbara is the tiny, charming town of Los Olivos. The sleepy Western town is a wine mecca with over 30 tasting rooms located in the downtown area and wineries dotting the surrounding hillsides. Bring your picnic basket and sit under one of the countless hilltop oak trees overlooking the Santa Ynez Valley. The kids will love nearby Solvang, the Dutch enclave with Danish treats, a Viking museum, and the Hans Christian Anderson Museum.

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• Crystal Cove State Park Is a beautiful stretch of more than 3 miles of cliffs and coves overlooking a rare coastline between Laguna Beach and Newport. Trails easy and challenging are dotted with wildflowers and lead to tide pools and some of the most pristine coastline in all of Southern California. The state park is offering guided activities throughout the month of August from the park ranger-guided Junior Ranger programs on Tuesdays and Thursdays to the naturalist wildlife "Twalks" to the challenging early morning 9 mile "Gills to the Hills" 1,500 elevation hike to the less taxing but equally beautiful 2-mile "Sunset Bluff" walk.

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• Ride A Cable Car In San Francisco: Catch a cable car and cruise around San Francisco. Take an adventure across the famous neighborhoods and down to Fisherman's Wharf. Hop on and off the cable cars to explore he world-famous city. Enjoy some famous sourdough bread bowls and clam chowder, Chinatown, and tour Alcatraz.

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• Walk Under The Largest Trees On Earth: Take a moment to breathe under the 275-foot tall trees, 36 feet in diameter, and the Trail of 100 Giants. It's "awe-inspiring and humbling to take a hike within the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

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• A Trip To Joshua Tree: Take full advantage of one of Southern California's most iconic desert spaces. Residents who visit Joshua Tree can enjoy vivid stargazing, a plethora of trails of varying skill levels, camping beneath the stars and plenty of places in town to stop to eat and drink.

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• Visit The Russian River: For more than 130 years, travelers have come to the Russian River area in Sonoma County to swim, paddle, hike, wine, dine, or simply relax and enjoy all the delights of this lovely waterway.
• Big Sur: Conde Nast Traveler named it the most beautiful place in California for good reason. Big Sur offers miles of breath-taking coastline from cliff-top views to seaside stops with misty spray, there is an other-worldly beauty to this stretch of coast. Conde Nast Traveler named Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park in Big Sur the most beautiful place in California largely for the McWay Falls, which drops over a cliff of 80 feet into the ocean. The park's redwoods soaring 300 feet into the sky are over 2,500 years old. A hike from the redwood forests to the seaspray coast is a perfect way to end the summer.