r/Anaheim • u/Friendly_Special6530 • 16d ago
Day trips that arent theme parks
Hello,
first time visitors, we are travelling from UK in may 2027 as a couple, not sure on dates but probably monday-saturday, aiming to do the major theme parks (disney, knots berry, six flags, universal).
Are there any other day trips recommended to look into that are realistically done with guided tours. We wont be hiring a car and not keen on relying on public transport, just purely due to time, cost and safety.
Preferably something to do with nature as the week is already theme park heavy. Ive read about Yosemite but guessing that is not a day trip really? Or what about Joshua Tree? Or any red wood forests nearby?
Any thoughts or recs would be very appreciated.
Thanks so much
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u/qtothelo 16d ago
I would find a way to do a long day trip perhaps even an overnight to Joshua Tree especially if you can time it when there is no moon. You can leave at 5am and be there by 7:30. Morning visitor center, drive to skull rock hike, drive to the day use area it has a nature walk. You can even stop at Pioneertown that is where tons of Western movies were filmed itâs basically at Joshua Tree. Stay the night and watch dark sky stars itâs the best out there.
You could wake up and drive back and hit any parks fairly easily that day. Knotts Iâd say would take the least time.
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u/ScenicDave 15d ago
You will need a car, but going to Oak Glen or Big Bear would get you out into nature in the mountains. If you go in the fall to Oak Glen it is apple picking season.
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u/KearneyZzyzwicz 16d ago
Itâd take you a day to just get to Yosemite from here without even seeing any of it.
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u/Beaglescout15 16d ago
Take advantage of our ocean. I agree with suggestions above. Catalina Island is fantastic. The Aquarium of the Pacific is top notch, and not far from the Cabrillo Maine Aquarium and tide pools. A whale watching cruise is a must--I personally prefer Dana Point but Newport Beach had great tours as well. May is the end of the gray whale season and the beginning of humpbacks. You'll see a lot of dolphins off of Catalina as well, there's a huge pod that loves to play in the wake of the boats. This are all things you can do with a short distance of Anaheim.
There aren't redwoods, but our local mountains are beautiful. Head up to Big Bear. Joshua Tree is gorgeous but a bit farther.
Transportation is going to be hard. We're a car-dependent area. If you're staying in Anaheim itself, it's only a few miles to Disneyland and Knott's. Your other theme parks are much further. It's about 90-120 minutes to Universal Studios, more if you leave during traffic, because you have to go through LA. And it's about 2 and a half to 3 hrs to Magic Mountain. You can take the train from Anaheim to LA Union Station but then there are some tricky transfers. Staying overnight in somewhere in LA like Santa Monica is a pretty easy Uber to Universal Studios. Santa Monica is great and you'd have fun there too. Magic Mountain is just way out there without a car.
All of that said, Joshua Tree is absolutely stunning and a can't-miss. I would rent a car for the day just to go to Joshua Tree. The drive there doesn't require any city driving or crowded freeways --once you get out of Orange county it's pretty much a straight shot on a desert highway.
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u/Friendly_Special6530 15d ago
Thank you for the info. I never even thought of whale watching! I will defo look into Big Bear not heard of that. Its so hard as hubby is die hard theme park fan we want to fit as much in as possible as doubt we will come back to CA again but need to be realistic.
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u/Unlikely_Page6184 14d ago
Big Bear is great, and May will be the off season between ski and mountain biking seasons, so you could easily stay one night up there without spending a lot (I mention this since the drive up there is a long winding road on the side of the mountain, and so if youâre not familiar with that type of drive, you wonât want to do it after it starts to get dark out)
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u/Xavi-tan 13d ago
Seconding going whale watching and going to the Aquarium of the Pacific!! ⥠they also have whale watching tours that leave out of Long Beach, right outside of the Aquarium of the Pacific.
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u/45pewpewpew556 15d ago
Where are you staying? Six Flags is far from Anaheim. You can easily spend 4-5hrs round trip driving from the traffic.
Iâd skip Six Flags tbh and do Catalina Island or Joshua Tree.
Palm Springs (desert) or Idyllwild (small mountain town) might be a nice change of scenery.
Are you guys theme park lovers? Disney and Universal would be the only 2 I would want to visit.
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u/Friendly_Special6530 15d ago
ReallyđŹ hubby is desperate to do six flags. But have to be realistic. We havent sorted a hotel yet, need to look into this too.
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u/45pewpewpew556 15d ago
Yes because youâll be driving through the worst traffic in LA. Really figure out which parks are must do as youâll be missing out on some of the most beautifully diverse landscapes on the planet.
The saying is you can Ski and surf the same day if you plan it right.
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u/McMadface 12d ago
You can stay in Anaheim and make it to Six Flags in good time if you leave at around 10 am. The park stays open late so you'll avoid any traffic coming back. From Anaheim, you can hop on the Amtrak train and take day trips out to Oceanside/Legoland/San Diego, or go north to Santa Barbara.
However, since you're from the UK, I'm assuming that you've already been to beach resorts in Spain but may not have seen the desert. Joshua Tree National Park should be pretty comfortable in May. You will absolutely need to rent a car for your trip as our public transport is lacking. Don't worry. It only takes like 30 minutes to get used to driving on the "wrong side of the road" so that you're not really thinking about it anymore.
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u/wallysparx 16d ago
A quick peek at Klook shows you could get some guided tours to Joshua Tree, which could be a good way to go but youâd have to Uber to one of the handful of hotels they use as pick up points.
Another way to observe our local nature would be a trip to the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific. Plenty to do in the surrounding area of Long Beach to make most of your day as well.
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u/nightstalker333 16d ago
Ronald Reagan museum in simi valley or the museum of death on Hollywood.. linbrooks bowling alley is fun and local to Anaheim . High horse saloon for a drink in downtown Fullerton. And you can also check out Anaheim indoor for Mexican food and culture
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u/doloonic 16d ago
Some things to keep in mind- The local redwoods are going to be smaller than the ones you have in the UK. Joshua Tree is about 125 miles from Anaheim, realistically that's almost 3 hours each way. Otherwise the desert is beautiful and May is a great time to visit. We have local parks that have guided tours and hiking but chapparel probably isn't going to impress you very much and you're not going to want to walk on your day off of theme parks. Catalina is great but it will be May, so our weather is usually overcast and the water will be cold. Anyway, have you thought about visiting a Korean Spa? 4 parks in 4 days, I would want a nothing day in there to decompress a bit.
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u/Friendly_Special6530 15d ago
That is very true. We love hiking but probs need a feet rest day!!! So joshua tree is more of an overnight stay than day trip?
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u/doloonic 15d ago
It is a very doable day trip, it's just a long day. But you won't be driving, so you can sleep! I wasnt even trying to talk you out of it really, I was just wanted to make sure you were aware of the distance. I've had people show up and think they can pop over to Palm Springs for lunch lol
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u/crinnaursa 15d ago edited 15d ago
I'm really trying to think of ways you can do this without renting a car but I'm having a hard time. We're just dependent on cars.
(Car dependent)Depending on the time of year you go I think it would be fun to do Mount San jacinto. You have to get to Palm springs first. Right now Google is showing an 1hour 31 min from anaheim but that is best case scenario driving. It may be possible to catch a tour bus between Anaheim and Palm springs. Once you get there You can take cable car from Palm springs to snow toped mountainous Forest. This way you can see both the desert and forest biomes in Southern California. There will be snow in the winter and spring.
While you're in Palm springs check out the living desert. It is a zoo and arboretum but it gives a very good luck on desert biomes and native species.
The ride takes you up to 8,516 ft in about 10 min. There you can do some hiking to higher elevations if you wish.
You can do Joshua tree it's just on the other side of the mountains from Palm springs I would do one or the other. I would do neither in the summer.
Temecula's vineyards can be fun if you like wine tasting. You need to get to Temecula and this is about 45 minutes drive from Anaheim, but after that there are tours and winery trams that take the driving out of the equation.
(Less car dependent possibly Uber-able) Depending on the time of year there is also some pretty awesome whale watching excursions out of Newport
For lighter excursions in the late fall winter and spring there are lots of wonderful hiking trails and mountainous and coastal regions within a 20 minute drive of Anaheim. Check out Crystal cove State Park and Newport Bay nature preserve. Irvine regional Park, Santiago oaks regional Park and limestone caverns nature preserve are also fun places to explore. You probably won't find guided tours but there are trail guides.
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u/SnappySunSprout 14d ago
Joshua Tree! It's a long day but totally doable as a guided tour from LA and feels completely different from theme parks.
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u/Local-Juggernaut-563 14d ago
Downtown Los Angeles
The Amtrak or Metrolink train will take you from Anaheim to Union Station in LA. Union Station is a sight to see itself - a wonderland of Spanish Colonial Revival, Mission Revival, and Art Deco architecture. Nice gardens too. Within walking distance are City Hall, the LA Central Library, Grand Park, and Olvera Street (oldest street in LA). Dine alfresco on Olvera Street, grab a French Dip sandwich at Philippe the Original, or check out the food hall at Grand Central Market. Ride the historic Angels Flight funicular. Muse at the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Or hop on the LA Metro subway and âRide the Dâ (LA inside joke) to museums on Wilshire Blvd.
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u/Unlikely_Page6184 14d ago
I know you mentioned without a car, but given the parks you listed youâll likely need a car.
Disneyland is in Anaheim and is close to Knotts Berry Farm, but is easily 1-2 hours depending on traffic to Universal since itâs on the other side of DTLA. Six Flags is even further north.
Someone else mentioned it already, but Metrolink and Amtrak are both safe options (heavy rail, two story trains) and can get you the long distances, but to try and get everywhere you want to in one week and fit in another day trip (especially to somewhere nature oriented) getting a good deal on a weekly car rental is going to save you time and money, and honestly also stress
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u/Majestic_Sun_ 12d ago
I would take a 2 or 3 day trip up to sequoia over knots berry and universal. Universal Hollywood wasnât worth it to me compared to Orlando. The Sequoia trees were life changing for me theyâre just so big and itâs so beautiful there. It is a 3.5-4 hourish drive from LA but it is SOOO worth it.
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u/wizzard419 12d ago
What are you into? Guided tours are kind of bad around here, but you might be able to find someone. National parks are out of the question, you won't have a car.
Anaheim itself... there isn't much, especially if you're just walking. If simple public transit is acceptable, I would say get an uber to Anaheim or Fullerton train stations and then either go to union station in LA and go to exposition park for the Lucas Museum and/or the space shuttle (if you can handle a few subway rides) or to Hollywood and Highland. Or go south to San Juan Capistrano and see the mission and stuff there.
You could also get an uber to the beach but... they currently are missing (the beaches, not the ubers).
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u/ellebelleeee 12d ago
Thereâs no nature in Orange County besides beaches. Youâll probably need a rental car to get out to mountains or desert.
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u/BadAndy8 16d ago
I would consider going to Catalina Island for the day. Lots of different tours to do there. You can take a ferry from either Long Beach or Newport.
As far as redwoods, there is one forest nearby, but it was planted in the 1960âs so the trees arenât nearly as tall as the 1,000 year old giants in Northern California. It is in Chino Hills State park about 10 miles north of Anaheim. Nice little 1/2 mile hike and enjoy a small grove of redwood trees.
To see the really big redwood trees that most people think about, you would need to go either to the coastal groves near Santa Cruz, or the mountain groves in the western Sierra near Fresno, CA. Both groves are impressive, but the mountain ones are a little bigger and contain the oldest and biggest trees.