Vacation Destinations Abound in Western United States : From the California Coast to the Mighty Rockies, Summer Is Time for Fun

Seashore, mountains, desert . . . California is unsurpassed for its diverse vacation destinations. Here are a dozen favorite getaways in the Golden State, all within easy reach from Los Angeles. We mention offbeat treats as well as top attractions, accommodations and dining spots along with telephone numbers and the one-way mileage from Los Angeles.

Santa Barbara. Subtropical landscaping and bright stucco buildings with red-tile roofs set the scene for this seaside retreat. Survey the city from historic Stearns Wharf, then rent a Pedalina to cycle the waterfront from the busy harbor to peaceful Andree Clark Bird Refuge. Discover the city’s Spanish heritage on the Red Tile Walking Tour. (Parades and parties highlight Old Spanish Days Fiesta, an annual wingding in early August.)

Follow the Scenic Drive signs into the foothills to Santa Barbara’s two-century-old mission, the museum of natural history and botanical garden. Dine or slumber in style at hillside El Encanto, the San Ysidro Ranch in neighboring Montecito or Four Seasons Biltmore by the ocean. The city also is the Southland’s B&B; capital with a score of inns.

Santa Barbara Conference and Visitors Bureau, (805) 966-9222; 96 miles.

Ventura/Oxnard. Boat lovers have a choice of two harbors in neighboring Ventura and Oxnard. Ventura Harbor hosts the visitors center for Channel Islands National Park, and at the adjacent Island Packers dock board a vessel to Anacapa and some of the other offshore sanctuaries for plants, birds and sea life. Other docks offer sportfishing, rental boats and harbor tours; watch the vessels go by from outdoor dining spots in Ventura Harbor Village.

At Oxnard’s Channel Island Harbor you can drink, dine and dream of being a sailor at the Lobster Trap, Cisco’s By-the-Bay, Left Bank, Whale’s Tail, Port Royal and Tugs. Buy fresh seafood from Brandon King’s in a pseudo-New England village called Fisherman’s Wharf. Overnight in the harbor at Casa Sirena Marina Resort or on the ocean at Mandalay Beach Resort.

Ventura Visitors and Convention Bureau, (805) 648-2075, Oxnard Convention and Visitors Bureau, (805) 485-8833; 60 miles.

Solvang/Santa Ynez Valley. Solvang is home to Mission Santa Ines, but the town is far more Danish than Spanish. Carlsberg beer is on tap, cafes advertise smorrebord and shops are crammed with Scandinavian imports. Outside city limits, rural California appears as a valley of white-fenced horse farms and vineyards.

Join other bicyclists making leisurely tours of Santa Ynez wineries along the country roads. Stop in Los Olivos for its art galleries and refreshments at century-old Mattei’s Tavern. More good food and drink at the Ballard Store. You can spend a quiet night at the Ballard Inn, or head to Alisal Guest Ranch for horseback riding, boating, golf and tennis.

Solvang Visitors Bureau, (805) 688-6144; 135 miles.

Morro Bay/Hearst Castle. With everything from Flemish tapestries and Greco-Roman statuary to a 400-year-old carved wooden ceiling from Italy, a bit of regal Europe sits atop Enchanted Hill overlooking the coast north of Morro Bay. It’s Hearst Castle, filled with a fortune in artworks and antiques collected by the late William Randolph Hearst. Four tours explore the palatial estate, California’s most popular historical monument with more than 1 million visitors annually. Arrange a tour time in advance by calling MISTIX, (619) 452-1950 or toll-free (800) 446-7275 (Calif. only); tour No. 1 is recommended for first-timers.

San Simeon and quaint Cambria have the nearest accommodations, mostly motels but a few bed-and-breakfast inns and the first-class Moonstone Inn. Also close by is Morro Bay with its landmark Morro Rock and a harbor rimmed by fishing vessels and seafood restaurants. Morro Bay State Park features camping, nature trails, an 18-hole golf course and the Inn at Morro Bay with fine dining and lodging.

Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce, (805) 772-4467; 254 miles.

Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur. One of the world’s most scenic highway rides is along the spectacular coast of Central California. It’s the Big Sur section of California 1, a 93-mile wilderness drive between Carmel and San Simeon. Fog sometimes obscures vistas of the ocean and Santa Lucia Mountains, but there are restaurants, cozy inns and state park nature trails to enjoy while you wait for the morning mist to disappear.

Best views are on the ocean side, so make the Big Sur drive from north to south. Linger first in Monterey, especially to visit what’s considered the most innovative sea-life showplace in the nation, the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It’s helped revitalize Cannery Row, another of the town’s attractions. Also in Monterey, visit Fisherman’s Wharf and the Path of History. Take time to stroll the delightful streets of Carmel, then pay the $5 toll to tour legendary 17-Mile Drive at Pebble Beach. Stay there in luxury at The Lodge, the new Inn at Spanish Bay, Carmel’s Highlands Inn or Ventana in Big Sur.

Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, (408) 649-1770; 334 miles.

Newport Beach/Laguna Beach. Beautiful beaches have made Newport and Laguna long time favorites. Uniting these coastal communities is a spectacular stretch of sand and surf that’s part of the new Crystal Cove State Park. Fish from Newport’s two ocean piers, explore the 10,000-boat bay on a harbor cruise, or cross to Balboa Island on the Southland’s only car-and-passenger ferryboats.

Three art festivals and a living tableau of artworks called Pageant of the Masters are the main summertime diversions in Laguna.

The city art museum and a host of galleries welcome visitors. The vintage Hotel Laguna and spruced up Surf & Sand offer food and lodging with ocean views, as does five-star Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel.

Newport Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau, (714) 675-7040, Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce,(714) 494-1018; 55 miles.

Arrowhead/Big Bear. Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear Lake entice vacationers to the San Bernardino Mountains. Check into a lakeside resort, such as the Hilton Arrowhead Lodge or bed down beneath the evergreens in a private or forest service campground. You’ll find B&Bs; in the woods too.

Both lakes offer swimming, water sports, fishing and narrated boat tours. To ride horses or play golf, follow the picturesque Rim of the World Drive to Big Bear Lake. You can view mountain wildlife at Moonridge Animal Park and visit a solar observatory. When the sun heats up, skate around the Ice Castle rink in Blue Jay.

Lake Arrowhead Communities Chamber of Commerce, (714) 337-3715, and Big Bear Lake Tourist and Visitors Bureau, (714) 866-4601 or 866-5877; Lake Arrowhead 83 miles, Big Bear 110 miles.

San Diego/Coronado. Sea World is San Diego’s top visitor draw, and it’s been improved with a larger show stadium for Shamu and his fellow killer whales. The park is in Mission Bay, an aquatic playground with sailboats, windsurfers and water-skiers, as well as vacation resorts that include a Hilton and two Sheratons. Don’t miss Balboa Park with its world-famed zoo and a dozen museums in a sylvan setting.

You’ll discover San Diego’s Spanish roots in Old Town, a state historic park where visitors get mariachi music and margaritas. View the city’s enormous bay from a harbor cruise and from shop-filled Seaport Village. Explore the stores downtown in Horton Plaza and yesteryear’s reborn business district, Gaslamp Quarter. Board the passenger ferry to Coronado, where the grand old Hotel del Coronado is celebrating its 100th birthday. (If you stay, ask for a room in the original building, not the modern annex.)

San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau, (619) 232-3101; 144 miles.

Tijuana/Ensenada. Take the electric San Diego Trolley to the Mexican border; you’ll avoid the long wait for auto inspections at U.S. Customs after a day in Tijuana. Avenida Revolucion is the nicest street for strolling and shopping (U.S. dollars are welcome). You can watch and wager on jai alai and thoroughbred racing; bullfights are popular. Nicest hotel is the towering Fiesta Americana.

Go by car for the scenic drive on the toll road ( cuota ) or old highway to Ensenada. Make a pilgrimage to infamous Hussong’s cantina if you must, but it’s more fun shopping along the main street, Avenida Lopez Mateos. Best bet for a pleasant meal is El Rey Sol, serving French cuisine as well as Mexican fare. Families often vacation en route to Ensenada at the venerable Rosarito Beach Hotel.

Tijuana and Baja Information, (619) 299-8518 or toll-free (800) 522-1516 (from California only); Tijuana 158 miles, Ensenada 222 miles.

Yosemite. Summertime means congestion in Yosemite Valley, site of El Capitan, Half Dome and much more of Mother Nature’s grandeur. An alternate headquarters in California’s most visited national park is Wawona near the southern entrance. Stay in the classic 1879 Wawona Hotel, where deer munch grass on the adjoining golf course. View the park’s past at the Pioneer Yosemite History Center and go for a horse-drawn carriage ride. The Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias is close by.

Make a day trip to Yosemite Valley, detouring for the panorama from Glacier Point. Join a tram tour, hike or rent a bike to the waterfalls and other sights. Dine in style in the illustrious Ahwahnee Hotel (jackets and reservations required for dinner). Yosemite Park & Curry Co. operates all lodging and most concessions within the park: (209) 252-4848.

Yosemite National Park office, including camping information, (209) 372-4461; 294 miles.

Santa Catalina Island. A boat or helicopter doesn’t take long to cross San Pedro Channel to Catalina, but the island seems a lifetime away from the Los Angeles megalopolis. You can hike and take bus tours inland, to isolated beaches, archeological sites and even an Arabian horse ranch. Sometimes you’ll spot bison and wild boar.

Most visitors stay within mile-square Avalon to sunbathe, shop and stroll around the town that appears to be from a bygone era. Join the short tours to observe sea life from a glass-bottom boat and view the ornate interior of the Casino, Catalina’s landmark movie theater and ballroom. Spend the night in one of the small hotels overlooking the bay, or escape from the crowds to the Inn on Mt. Ada.

Catalina Chamber of Commerce Visitors Bureau, (213) 510-2266 or 510-1520; 21 miles by sea.

Palm Springs/Coachella Valley. The desert used to die as a destination during summer, but a hotel building boom in the Coachella Valley keeps Palm Springs and environs busy year-round.

When the temperature rises, room prices go down. June through August lodgings reduce their high-season rates by as much as 50%. The garden villas at Hyatt Grand Champions in Indian Wells even include a butler in the deal.

With its 7,766 swimming pools, 600 tennis courts and 70 golf courses, the valley provides plenty of outdoor activity. Cool off with a spin around the rink at the Ice Capades Chalet in Palm Desert’s Town Center, an air-conditioned mall with 140 shops and restaurants. Other options to beat the heat are a ride up to the mountains via the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, and a day of play at the Oasis Water Park.

Greater Palm Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau, (619) 327-8411; 103 miles.