6 Days: LA and the SoCal Day Trips

Same five days as the shorter version, Malibu, Disneyland, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Catalina, plus a sixth day that leaves the coast for the desert. Only got five days? Drop Joshua Tree and see the 5-day version . Got a seventh day? The 7-day plan adds a mountain-or-desert final day.

Book these before you go

Day 1: Land, Then Malibu and the PCH

Clear LAX, pick up the rental car, get on PCH before midday. Malibu is 36 miles, about an hour out. Zuma or El Matador for the beach, Neptune’s Net for dinner. Confirm current PCH road status before you go; fire-related damage from January 2025 lingered into 2026 in stretches of Malibu.

Day 2: Disneyland

Anaheim, 45 to 90 minutes out. 2026 single-day tickets run $104 to $224 by date; Park Hopper adds $70-90. Parking is a separate $30-plus. Buy the dated ticket ahead and arrive at rope drop.

Day 3: San Diego

120 miles south on I-5, 2 to 3 hours light traffic. A full day for Balboa Park, the Zoo, and the Gaslamp Quarter if you leave by 7am, or take the Pacific Surfliner instead of driving.

Day 4: Santa Barbara

96 miles up the 101, 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours. State Street and the Funk Zone cost nothing to walk; budget $30-60 a person for parking, lunch, and tasting at one of the rooms Santa Barbara’s tourism site lists.

Day 5: Catalina Island

Drive to Long Beach and catch Catalina Express , a 1-hour-to-75-minute crossing, roughly $99-106 round trip plus a $10 wharfage fee. Confirm your return sailing before you do anything else in Avalon.

Day 6: Joshua Tree

128 to 131 miles east, 2 hours 15 minutes to 3 hours, and a Friday-afternoon exodus can double that. Entrance runs $30 per vehicle for 7 days, and unlike several nearby national parks, Joshua Tree carries no $100-per-person non-resident surcharge; no timed-entry reservation is required for day use as of 2026 either. Cell service inside the park is minimal and gas and food are scarce past the entrance, so fill up first. Go early, catch the boulders at golden hour if you can stay that late, and check NPS’s fee and conditions page before a summer visit, when daytime heat turns an unplanned hike genuinely dangerous.

Do You Need the Rental Car for Joshua Tree?

Yes, more than for almost anything else on this trip. There’s no transit into the park, cell coverage is unreliable for calling a rideshare even if one existed out there, and the drive itself is part of the day, not just a means to the entrance gate.

Should Joshua Tree Really Be a Day Trip?

A day trip works, but an overnight near the park entrance rewards you with sunrise and sunset light without the drive eating either end of the day. This itinerary keeps it a single day because six total days doesn’t leave room for another hotel night, but if your schedule bends, add one.

What Should You Cut If You Only Have Five Days?

Cut Joshua Tree, not Catalina. The desert day is the newest addition and the one that punishes a rushed schedule hardest; Catalina’s ferry-bound structure is unusual but not fragile the way a rushed desert day is. See the 5-day version if that’s your call.

The Distances, Side by Side

Day trip Distance from LA Drive time What it costs
Malibu and the PCH 36 miles ~1 hour (worse weekends) Free drive; beach parking $10-20+
Disneyland (Anaheim) 30-45 miles 45-90 min $104-224 single-day ticket (+$70-90 Park Hopper)
San Diego ~120 miles 2-3 hrs (4+ peak) No entry fee; it’s a city
Santa Barbara 96 miles 1h40-2h Free to walk; ~$30-60pp parking/food/tasting
Catalina Island Ferry from Long Beach ~1h-1h15 crossing ~$99-106 round trip + $10 wharfage
Joshua Tree NP 128-131 miles 2h15-3h (Fri worse) $30/vehicle (7-day)
Big Bear 97-100 miles 1h50-2h30 Free to visit; lodging $150-350+/night in winter
Palm Springs 105-110 miles 1h45-2h30 Free downtown; day-passes $40-75+

Carry more water than feels necessary into Joshua Tree. None of the six days on this trip has a worse plan B if you underestimate the desert.