There's nothing quite as all-American as a road trip, especially in the West, where a wealth of culture, natural beauty and excitement unfolds before you. Elk Meadow awaits in Northern California. The Wave beckons from Arizona.

211 road trips in the West

(Ken Hively)
California's John Muir Wilderness, home to Duck Lake, above.
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There's nothing quite as all-American as a road trip, especially in the West, where a wealth of culture, natural beauty and excitement unfolds before you. Elk Meadow awaits in Northern California. The Wave beckons from Arizona. To help you tap the region's cache of getaways, we've compiled this list of road trip spots in the West. Distance to each destination is one-way from downtown Los Angeles.
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Bay Area
Santa Cruz
Description: Redwoods,shapely waves and historic beachfront amusement park
Distance: 348 mi.
Tomales Bay
Description: Protected ecosystem where oysters are farmed
Distance: 431 mi.
S.F. Presidio
Description: 1,491-acre wooded site and former Army base
Distance: 388 mi.
>> More Bay area
San Diego area
Del Mar
Description: Relaxing, dog-friendly getaway outside of race season
Distance: 104 mi.
Point Loma
Description: Seaside community with a long history
Distance: 123 mi.
San Elijo
State Beach
Description: One of the state's most well- appointed camp sites
Distance: 98 mi.
>> More San Diego area
Wine Country
Philo Apple Farm Cooking School
Description: Offers weekend cooking classes
Distance: 498 mi.
Glen Ellen
Description: Small town smack in the middle of Sonoma wine country
Distance: 416 mi.
Paso Robles
Description: Known for wineries and hot springs
Distance: 217 mi.
>> More Wine Country
Santa Barbara
East Beach
Description: Creamy sand, arts and crafts shows on weekends
Distance: 93 mi.
Sespe Hot Springs
Description: Considered by hikers as the hottest springs in SoCal
Distance: 104 mi.
Los Alamos
Description: Offers an impressive assortment of art galleries, antiques shops and tasty restaurants
Distance: 140 mi.
>> More Santa Barbara
Calif. deserts
Mojave National Preserve
Description: Boasts Joshua tree forests, snow-dusted peaks and desert horizons
Distance: 179 mi.
Randsburg
Description: Expect saloons, a general store and a mine that's still active
Distance: 142 mi.
San Gorgonio Wind Park
Description: 4,500 windmills representing 80 wind farms
Distance: 102 mi.
>> More Calif. deserts
Central Calif.
Pinnacles National Monument
Description: Otherworldly place of jutting rock spires and twisted towers
Distance: 272 mi.
Shell Beach
Description: Bluff-top village tucked near the Pismo Beach Pier
Distance: 179 mi.
Carrizo Plain National Monument
Description: Expect an alkaline wetland, pictographs and the San Andreas Fault
Distance: 174 mi.
>> More Central Calif.
Los Angeles area
Santa Rosa Plateau
Description: Oak-lined hills and grasslands
Distance: 81 mi.
Abalone Cove
Description: Tucked-away cove beneath the cliffs of Palos Verdes
Distance: 32 mi.
San Juan Capistrano
Description: Boasts a famous mission and the returning swallows (sometimes)
Distance: 56 mi.
>> More L.A. area
Sierra Nevada
Bodie Hills
Description: Old mining town, scenic view and little aspen groves
Distance: 355 mi.
Sequoia National Park
Description: Nation's second-oldest national park
Distance: 199 mi.
Hetch Hetchy Valley
Description: Little-known find for hikers and campers
Distance: 346 mi.
>> More Sierra Nevada
Northern Calif.
Lava Beds National Monument
Description: Vast labyrinth of lava tubes
Distance: 677 mi.
Yreka
Description: The proposed capital of the would-be state of Jefferson
Distance: 640 mi.
Crescent City
Description: Features historic 19th century lighthouse
Distance: 729 mi.
>> More Northern Calif.
Arizona
The Wave
Description: Dreamlike world of swirling colors and psychedelic patterns
Distance: 521 mi.
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
Description: Sweeping desert scenery
Distance: 419 mi.
Lower Antelope Canyon
Description: Maze of abstract shapes carved by erosion
Distance: 552 mi.
>> More Arizona
Nevada
Black Rock Desert
Description: Picturesque mountains and sparkling geysers
Distance: 695 mi.
Valley of Fire
State Park
Description: Striking sandstone formations
Distance: 317 mi.
Jarbidge Canyon
Description: Bizarre pillars of rock, pristine air quality, birding and outdoor recreation
Distance: 754 mi.
>> More Nevada
New Mexico
Bandelier National Monument
Description: Ancestral Pueblo dwellings built high into walls of soft volcanic rock
Distance: 850 mi.
Las Vegas
Description: It's the other Las Vegas, and perhaps the wildest Wild West town you've never heard of
Distance: 909 mi.
Shiprock
Description: 1,800-foot-tall aptly named formation
Distance: 741 mi.
>>More New Mexico
Oregon
Mt. Hood
Description: Part winter wonderland, part warmer playground
Distance: 881 mi.
Willamette Valley
Description: Home to fields of Pinot grapes and 275 wineries
Distance: 972 mi.
Portland
Description: Abundant locally grown food and public transportation
Distance: 963 mi.
>> More Oregon
Texas
Guadalupe Mountains park
Description: Hiker's paradise, with over 80 miles of trails
Distance: 912 mi.
Big Bend
National Park
Description: Miles of meandering Rio Grande
Distance: 1,142 mi.
Hueco Tanks
State Park
Description: Challenging boulders and ancient paintings
Distance: 833 mi.
>> More Texas
Utah
Cedar Breaks National Monument
Description: Wildflowers, hiking and 3-mile long, 2,000-foot-deep, naturally occurring "amphitheater"
Distance: 466 mi.
Horseshoe Canyon
Description: Houses one of the greatest and most mysterious collections of ancient art in North America
Distance: 718 mi.
Zion National Park
Description: Multicolored canyons, mesas and towers
Distance: 433 mi.
>> More Utah
*Fuel economy data is for 2010 model vehicles, as compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency's 2010 Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Fuel Economy Trends Report.