Looking for a relaxing or exciting place to escape soon? Go check out these 15 West Coast Weekend Getaways!
Looking for a nice weekend getaway near you? Whether you’re in Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, or Colorado, you’re in luck! These 10 best West Coast Weekend Getaways include a unique blend of towns, cities, National Parks, and more.
Whether you’re looking for a weekend of shopping, camping, hiking, relaxing by the beach, or exploring a new city, you’ll find what you’re looking for here.
So, ready to check out some awesome getaways? Go check these out below…
West Coast Getaways
#1: Leavenworth, Washington
If you’re looking to leave the hustle and bustle of the Seattle area, Leavenworth is probably the best small town to escape to! The whole town is was built to resemble a Bavarian town, with impeccable detail, too. The architecture and German signs make it feel as though you were in Germany, and even some of the shops and restaurants have German goods and foods!
What not to miss: The Hat Shop and Toy Shop, a fun shopping experience for people of all ages.
Olympic National Park, Washington
This beautiful national park is not too far from Seattle, making it the perfect weekend getaway. Plentiful hiking, camping, and viewpoints in this mountain and forest wonderland are ready to be explored as you enjoy an relaxing weekend here.
What not to miss: The terrific views from Hurricane Ridge.
Florence, Oregon
Tasty seafood, lovely beaches, towering sand dunes, and shops lining the streets all make Florence another great PNW getaway. You really can’t beat a day riding around the dunes, though – there is so much fun to be had!
What not to miss: Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area
Kauai, Hawaii
If you’re looking for a tropical Hawaiian island to escape to, look no further than Kauai! Less crowded than Oahu, less touristed than Maui, and more scenic than the Big Island, you could argue that Kauai is the perfect Hawaiian island.
From the multicolored Waimea Canyon to the jagged Nā Pali Coast, and the laid back streets of Hanalei, to the thundering waterfalls, Kauai is an adventurer’s paradise. Besides that, foodies will enjoy the abundant tasty seafood and refreshing shave ice!
Plus, you can reach Kauai by taking flight under an hour from Oahu. What’s not to love?
What not to miss: the lovely town of Kapa’a, with plenty of shopping and beaches.
Related: Kauai Budget Travel Guide
Lassen Volcanic National Park, California
Located way up in the far reaches of Northern California, Lassen is a few hour’s drive from the Bay Area. Instead of visiting Yosemite, which is frankly overhyped and overcrowded, why not give Lassen a try? You’ll find dormant volcanoes, magnificent mountain lakes, a scenic drive, bubbling sulphur pits, a chunk of the PCT, and so much more! All around, it’s one on the best west coast weekend getaways.
What not to miss: Seeing Mount Lassen and Chaos Crags reflected in Manzanita Lake.
Related: Lassen Volcanic National Park Travel Guide
Coastal Redwoods, California
California’s Northern Coastal Redwoods are a wonderful place to escape for so many reasons. Old growth forests, scenic drives, lovely hikes, and wind swept beaches are hallmarks of this remote Pacific coast area.
Redwood National and State Parks is home to plentiful groves of forests, hiking, beaches, and more. The Prairie Creek area in particular is quite lovely, with some large meadows.
On the other hand, Humboldt Redwoods State Park is home to the famed Avenue of the Giants. The redwood groves in Humboldt tend to be a bit more accessible than the ones further north, too.
What not to miss: Founder’s Grove in Humboldt – some of the greatest redwood scenery around!
Related: Redwoods Travel Guide
San Diego, California
Watching the sunset from Point Loma. Walking along Mission Beach with a tasty fish taco in hand. Witnessing the city-wide homecoming of a Naval fleet. Going on an afternoon stroll through Balboa Park. These are all things that make San Diego so wonderful!
Less flashy than LA, and more casual than San Fran, San Diego is a city that’s got a unique spirit of its own. The only way to experience this is to visit for yourself.
What not to miss: USS Midway Museum
Related: San Diego Travel Guide
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is probably the ultimate weekend getaway! To witness the flashing neon lights along the strip is something else. Not to mention the opulent hotel lobbies, over-the-top attractions, the countless buffets, and more.
Now, if you’re looking to visit Las Vegas on a budget, you should go check out my travel guide. It’ll show you how to visit the city without spending (or losing!) too much money. 😉
What not to miss: the Bellagio Fountains at night.
Related: Las Vegas Budget Travel Guide
Valley of Fire, Nevada
A quick 50 mile drive off the bustling Las Vegas Strip will take you to the tranquil Valley of Fire State Park, a lovely red rock wonderland surrounded by the otherwise barren Mojave Desert. You find everything from caves to arches to canyons, plus two campgrounds, making it an excellent break from the city.
What not to miss: Elephant Rock
Related: Valley of Fire State Park Travel Guide
Tucson, Arizona
This southern Arizona city is packed with so much interesting culture, history, and scenery. Tucson has Saguaro National Park, the Catalina Highway to Mt Lemmon, Spanish, Mexican, and Western history, and not to forget – Old Tucson Studios, which was the ‘town’ in just about every old Western you’ve probably watched.
What not to miss: driving Catalina Highway from the Sonoran Desert up to a Ponderosa Pine forest at the top of Mount Lemmon.
Related: Tucson Travel Guide
Sedona, Arizona
North of Phoenix is the quaint red-rock town of Sedona. The vast Coconino Plateau, which covers a huge swath of land over the four corners states, end abruptly in steep eroded red cliffs in Sedona. Around Sedona you’ll find hikes, creeks, campgrounds, viewpoints, scenic drives, both pueblo and cliff dwelling ruins, and more!
What not to miss: Cathedral Rock hike.
Related: Sedona Arizona Travel Guide
Grand Canyon, Arizona
It really isn’t fair listing one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World on a list of the best west coast weekend getaways… but I’ll go ahead and do it anyway.
The Grand Canyon is so iconic, and yet, it seems to take your breath away no matter how many times you visit. Spend a couple of hours hanging around on the rim trail, and watch as the shadow lines move, making the canyon appear timeless, yet different by the moment.
What not to miss: hiking down the South Kaibab Trail to Cedar Ridge for panoramic in-canyon views of the canyon.
Related: Grand Canyon National Park Travel Guide
Bryce + Zion, Utah
Utah’s Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks go hand-in-hand quite nicely, thanks to their close proximity. That’s not to say they’re similar, though – the landscape each park has to offer is worlds apart from each other!
On one hand, you’ve got Zion. The park is centered around Zion Canyon, an eight-mile long wonder of nature carved by the Virgin River. Red and white sandstone rock walls tower thousands of feet above the canyon floor, with thundering waterfalls, trees, slot canyons, and an abundance of hikes mark this beautiful wonderland.
What not to miss in Zion: The Narrows, where Zion canyon becomes a slot canyon.
Related: Zion National Park Hikes + Things to do
Then, there’s Bryce Canyon. It’s situated at a whopping 8,000-9,000 feet above sea level, depending where you are on the rim. The name ‘canyon’ is a misnomer, as Bryce is really just a series of large amphitheaters filled with ‘hoodoos’ – reddish/orange spires and cliffs carved by powerful winds, rain, and floods. There are some epic trails descending into this wonderland, my favorite of which is the Wall Street trail.
What not to miss in Bryce: The Rim Trail, which showcases the best views over the park.
Related: Bryce Canyon Travel Tips
Moab, Utah
Moab is a fairly popular town, and for a pretty good reason. When you’ve got two epic national parks, an abundance of off-road jeep tours, backcountry hiking, the often snow-capped La Sal Mountains, sweeping vistas, deep canyons, wind-carved arches… well, I’ll just end there. In short, there is more to see and do than what you can fit into a weekend, let alone a week!
What not to miss: The hike to Corona Arch, a free and less-crowded alternative to the popular national parks.
Related: Arches National Park Travel Guide
Grand Junction, Colorado
The Western Colorado town is brimming with fun outdoors activities! Bordering on the area between the Colorado Rockies and Utah red rock canyon terrain, you seem to get a little bit of everything in Grand Junction! Whether you enjoy hiking, camping, or simply enjoying the outdoors, there’s so much to do in and around the city.
What not to miss: Colorado National Monument, an interesting area with red rock canyons.
Travel Tips to Make Your Getaway More Affordable:
Related: How to Travel Cheap
How to Save Money on Accommodation:
As one of the largest expenses on your weekend getaway, finding some creative ways to cut back on the accommodation can help you save big! Check out my post for Hotel Hacks to Save Money so you find some interesting money saving tricks that actually work.
How to Save Money on Airfare
Like accommodations, airfare is one of those expenses that has a nasty way of creeping up the cost of your weekend getaway. To reduce this, go check out these 17 Cheap Flight Hacks to reduce the overall cost of your trip.
How to Save Money on Food
Saving money on groceries and restaurants is an another easy way to make your weekend getaway a little more affordable!
Check out these 21 tips for Saving Money on Groceries, and these tricks for Saving Money Eating Out.
Road Trip
And finally, go check out these tips and tricks for how to plan a Road Trip on a Budget. If you’re driving to your weekend getaway destination, these tips should hopefully help.
So, now that you’ve seen these best weekend getaways in the Western US, go check out even more great travel tips below…
Travel Photography Tips
Seattle Washington Travel Guide
San Francisco Travel Guide
Phoenix Arizona Travel Guide
Bucket List Trips
Now that you’ve seen these best west coast weekend getaways, don’t miss out any more! Follow along with Never Ending Journeys for more fun Travel Tips, Easy Recipes, and Decor Hacks!
What is YOUR favorite weekend getaway in the Western US??
Leave a comment & share!
Michelle says
So many great recommendations here! Will definitely have to check them out when we can travel to Seattle again!
Never Ending Journeys says
Thank you so much, Michelle!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls says
A fish taco on Mission Beach… now that sounds like fun! Maybe even at sunset too. I sure need to get back to San Diego again!!
Never Ending Journeys says
Thank you so much! You can’t beat the fish tacos.
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs says
So many good recommendations on this list! Love that you led with Leavenworth; it’s a favorite of ours.
Never Ending Journeys says
Thank you, Tasia! Leavenworth is one of my favorite getaways!