There’s never a bad timewell, heavy snow, rain and fire seasons asideto take advantage of this country’s incredible National Park system. We’re lucky to live in a nation that protects and preserves 63 separate parks (nine of which are in California, the most in any state) totaling more than 52 million acres of land. We highly suggest making the trip to as many of these parks as possible, but here we’ve specifically chosen to highlight those within a day’s drive (eight hours or less) from Los Angelessome are perfect for a day trip; others are better reserved for a road trip or weekend of camping. So get out there and enjoy (just make sure to check the road and weather conditions at each park first, especially the mountainous ones during cold, wet winters and the desert ones during punishingly hot summers).
Psst: Look out for free entrance days at all of these parks in 2024, including Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan 15), the first day of National Park Week (Apr 20), Juneteenth (June 19), the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act (Aug 4), National Public Lands Day (Sept 28) and Veterans Day (Nov 11).
