All "Overnight Escapes" Stories in Southern CA

• 

  Will You Sperry Me?

  The ultimate foodie experience: Dinner at The French Laundry. The ultimate backcountry lodge experience: Sperry Chalet! Reached via an 8-mile (one-way) hiking trail in Glacier Nati

  View
• 

  Secret Redwoods + Camping by the River

  Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park is a little-known gem where skyscraping reds (the tallest living trees in the world!) fly under the radar. Grizzly’s ironically small size and location off the beaten path provide near total seclusion, not to mention relaxing camping!

  View
• 

  Jurassic Redwoods

  Times change, but the tallest living trees in the world still tower over the grasslands of Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (one of three state parks located within the jurisdicti

  View
• 

  Blue Coast

  An enchanting coastal woodland sounds like a description out of a fairy tale, until you visit Patrick’s Point State Park, where turquoise tide pools gurgle beneath bluff-top redwoo

  View
• 

  Rae of Light

  Want special access to some of the most beautiful lakes in the Sierra Nevada? Grab your backpack and lace up your hiking boots for a multi-night journey on Rae Lakes Loop in Kings Canyon. On the agenda: spiky granite peaks, rivers and lakes for refreshing swims, high mountain passes, and starry nights.

  View
• 

  King of the Mountains

  California’s first national park, Sequoia, is also among the least visited, and that means you get the quiet and raw beauty almost entirely to yourself. In a remote setting at the

  View
• 

  Giant Escape

  Sequoia’s main tourist attraction is the General Sherman tree, literally the largest living thing on earth. Hordes of visitors make the easy 0.4-mile mini-pilgrimage to see the Gen

  View
• 

  Bag the Wright Peak

  Perched proudly over the largest freshwater lake located wholly within California’s borders, and visible for miles in all directions, Wright Peak on Mount Konocti is the tallest po

  View
• 

  Storm the Castle

  Before President Obama channeled Teddy Roosevelt, the Mojave National Preserve was missing a key piece bordering Nevada in the northeast section of the park. This now conserved 21,000-acre parcel is protected and designated as the Castle Mountains National Monument after its namesake range.

  View
• 

  Grand View Summit

  The moderately strenuous 6-mile Pine Knot hike in Big Bear is wildly popular in summer. But in winter, this trail is a kingdom of blissful isolation, and just as beautiful! Rent some snowshoes and poles and traverse the snow to explore.

  View
• 

  Snap, Crackle, Crystal Cove

  Legendary California author John Steinbeck once noted "it is advisable to look from the tide pool to the stars and then back to the tide pool again." And there might be no place be

  View
• 

  Starry-Eyed Camp Surprise

  No trip to Joshua Tree National Park is complete without a stargazing party and the comfort of a campfire. The night sky illuminates spectacularly in the desert (especially during

  View
• 

  Lookout!

  The hardest part about spending the night in Sierraville's historic Calpine fire lookout? Deciding what time of year to go! Set at 5,970 feet, this private and cozy overnight escap

  View
• 

  Hot Springs Delight

  What to do when the temperature drops? Heat things up! Sierra Hot Springs in Sierraville is just the place. Open 24 hours, the property sits on the edge of a golden meadow and 700

  View
• 

  Nature's Royal Treatment

  Dwarfed beneath a ring of behemoth sequoias sits Kings Canyon National Park's iconic John Muir Lodge. All 36 rooms in the secluded stone and timber retreat have eco-friendly décor

  View
• 

  Carmel's Calming Effect

  SUNSET: Sunsets in Carmel just go better when paired with its flagship beach (and some wine, which is allowed on the beach!). Carmel Beach (pictured) is a locals' favorite for many

  View
• 

  Sundowner Plan

  Getting a little coastal R&R means several good things when you stay at Mendocino's Brewery Gulch Inn. Reclaimed redwoods, for starters. That's the material that was used to constr

  View
• 

  Life's a Hidden Beach!

  You want your California beach camping to be off the beaten path? Just add Jalama! Tucked away in Lompoc, about 60 miles west of Santa Barbara, Jalama Beach County Park has a hidde

  View
• 

  There's Always To Morro

  The Central Coast is famous for its beautiful beaches, and the one in Morro Bay State Park is a favorite. A popular place for enjoying a calm kayak paddle, it's also the site of a

  View
• 

  All in a Good Nest's Sleep

  A befitting way to get a bird's–eye view of Big Sur's beauty? Camp out in a human nest! Big Sur Treebones Resort (famous for its luxury yurts along the Pacific Coast) offers a trul

  View