Best Road Trips in Southern California for Couples

Love is in the air—and on the road. If you and your significant other are itching to get out there and embark on a romantic road trip in Southern California, we’re here for you. We’ve compiled the most beautiful road trips in Southern California for couples, to ensure that you and your loved one can reconnect on the open road!

This post is sponsored by ​Autotrader​, but the content and opinions expressed here are our own.

Best Road Trips in Southern California for Couples

We’re Southern California-born and raised, and over the decade or so we’ve been together, we’ve had ample time to explore the best road trips in Southern California for couples.

Finding the perfect Southern California road trip for you and your loved one is all about taking into account your personalities. What lights your fire? Are you an ocean-lover, a desert-seeker, or a mountain-enthusiast? No matter your preference, we’re positive you’ll find a perfect match in this list of the best road trips in Southern California. 

Pro tip: use the Roadtrippers App to plan.

We’re LA-based bloggers, so these Southern California road trips are all based out of LA. Feel free to adapt them to fit if you’re starting from somewhere else!

YOU’RE GONNA LOVE THIS| Best Scenic Drives in LA

Drive Up the Coast to the Santa Ynez Valley

This trip up the coast is one of the best road trips in Southern California for couples due to the stunning views along the way as well as the romantic destinations you’ll find.

If you plan on spending a few days in LA first, check out our LA itinerary and LA Bucket List.

Why Did It Make the List?

About 40 minutes north of Santa Barbara, the Santa Ynez Valley is well-known for its vineyards, wine culture, and its attractiveness. This Southern California road trip is a perfect getaway for couples seeking some private lovin’.

What You’ll See and Do

This Southern California road trip will treat you to beautiful views over the Pacific coast and out to the Channel Islands on the way between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara as you hug the coast on Highways 1 and 101.

On the way to or from Santa Ynez, don’t miss out on stopping in Santa Barbara, considered one of the most beautiful cities on the California coast.

If you have a fluffy friend with you, be sure to check out these best things to do in Santa Barbara with your dog!

We recommend you spend at least a night or two in the Santa Ynez Valley and go wine touring.

On the way back, if you didn’t already come over Highway 154 from Santa Barbara to Santa Ynez, we definitely recommend coming back this way. Going over San Marcos Pass treats you to epic views of the coast and almost all eight of California’s Channel Islands on a clear day.

If you’ve got the time to spare, the beautiful resort town of Ojai north of Ventura makes for another nice stopover.

Distance

About 130 miles from Los Angeles

Desert Trippin’ to Las Vegas

While Las Vegas may be in Nevada, most of the road miles you’ll put down towards Sin City are in the Golden State.

Why Did It Make the List?

This is one of the best road trips for couples in Southern California — not just because of the chance of making it big ($$$ cha-ching!), but for the variety of desert landscapes you’ll encounter on your way.

What You’ll See and Do

The town of Baker makes for a convenient stop about halfway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Baker’s claim to fame is its 134-foot-tall thermometer— its height being a reference to the record-breaking 134 degrees Fahrenheit heat in nearby Death Valley in 1913 (still the highest temperature reliably recorded on Earth).

Baker is also near the 1,500,000+ acre Mojave National Preserve, which boasts miles of singing sand dunes, Joshua tree forests, and volcanic craters. It’s worth adding on a day or so to your road trip time to check out the miles of desert solitude that the preserve offers. You’ll find similar landscapes to Joshua Tree National Park with a fraction of the crowds and no entrance fee.

We’d also recommend a visit Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and Valley of Fire State Park, both within about 1 hour of Las Vegas if you love deserts like we do. We recommend bringing some road-trip friendly walkie talkies, as you will likely be without service!

Distance

Los Angeles to Las Vegas is about 270 miles

San Gabriel Mountains and San Bernardino Mountains

While Southern California may be better known for Hollywood and beaches, it also has its fair share of mountain ranges.

Three of Southern California’s ranges (we’re not including the Sierra Nevada in SoCal) reach heights of over 10,000 feet, including the San Gabriels and San Bernardinos.

Drive through these mountains and you’ll see why we’ve included them in our list of the top road trips in Southern California for couples.

Watch our vlog from driving the Angeles Crest Highway:

Why Did It Make the List?

The 66-mile Angeles Crest Highway winds its way through the rugged San Gabriel Mountains (which hold a special place in Benny’s heart), offering stunning views down deep canyons and surprisingly dense forests of pine and fir. Angeles Crest ends at the quiet town of Wrightwood, which makes for a convenient stop for a night’s rest.

The full length of Angeles Crest Highway to Wrightwood is usually closed in winter, and sections of this road will be closed until April 2022 due to the 2020 Bobcat Fire. 

What You’ll See and Do

From Wrightwood, head down Highway 138 up to Crestline into the San Bernardino Mountains, home of Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear.

These two famous towns make for great bases to explore the surrounding area, home to hundreds of miles of hiking trails, lakes, camping, and winter sports. But if you’re feeling like a homebody, we won’t judge you if you want to stay cozy in that cute cabin you rented.

Distance

About 150 miles from Los Angeles if you take the length of Angeles Crest Highway

Palm Springs, the Salton Sea, and Joshua Tree

Located east of the greater Los Angeles area, these desert destinations pack tons of different sights and vibes into their close proximity.

Why Did It Make the List?

Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley has long been known as a desert resort getaway destination from the LA area.This is one of the best road trips for couples in Southern California who love all the weird and wonderful that the desert has to offer.

What You’ll See and Do

From Palm Springs down to La Quinta, you’ll pass by miles of tony desert communities that are a feast for the eyes. There’s tons of activities in the area for couples and families alike — just make sure to soak up the rays by the pool before you check out a date farm or the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.

Next, head out to the Joshua Tree area, home to Joshua Tree National Park and several artsy desert communities.

Be sure to check out our One Day Joshua Tree National Park Itinerary, so you can make the most out of this stop!

The park preserves hundreds of thousands of acres of otherworldly rock formations and dense Joshua tree forests straddling the Mojave and Colorado Deserts. If you’re a camper, try to snag a spot at one of the park’s many campgrounds, and if camping’s not your thing, the Joshua Tree area hosts tons of cool desert vacation rentals.

After Joshua Tree, head down to the Salton Sea, a huge salty lake that’s over 200 feet below sea level. Known for its oddities including dead fish on its shores and abandoned towns, the area is also home to the unique hillside art of Salvation Mountain. Ladder Canyon and the Painted Canyon trail in nearby Mecca are also some of the most unique SoCal hikes if your car can handle the rough road out there.

Distance

Varies, but count on around 400 miles round trip

READ MORE | Fun Things to Do in Orange County

Los Angeles to San Diego via Temecula and Julian

If driving between LA and San Diego isn’t enough for you, how about we throw in a little trip to Temecula to make this one of the best road trips for couples in Southern California?

Conveniently located about 60 miles north of San Diego and 90 miles south of LA, visiting Temecula makes for a fantastic stopover in between the two cities if you’re looking to make a trip out of it.

Another option to consider is taking a scenic train ride from LA to San Diego.

Why Did It Make the List?

Connecting Southern California’s biggest cities with romantic stops like wineries and a quaint mountain town, this is the drive for you if you’re looking to experience the city activities of San Diego, while experiencing some diverse stops along the way.

If you’re short on time, here’s a perfect one day San Diego itinerary.

What You’ll See and Do

Temecula is one of the best destinations in SoCal for wine lovers, with tons of wineries, eateries, and hotels to keep you busy for days. We’d also recommend a stop in the historic gold mining town of Julian, about an hour east of San Diego.

This mountain town is known for its apples and apple pie, but also makes for a convenient base to visit the nearby Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, the largest state park in California.

Once you reach San Diego, there’s a whole city worth of activities to keep you busy. Whether it’s a visit to Coronado Island, the Gaslamp Quarter, or munching on burritos, you can easily fill a few days in San Diego.

Feel free to return home any way you like, but as always, we recommend the scenic route.

Distance

Los Angeles to San Diego via Temecula and Julian is about 200 miles

Couples Road Trips in Southern California: Final Thoughts

There you have it—the best road trips in Southern California for couples! From the ocean blue to the mountains a’rollin’, we’re positive you’ll find a perfect match in Southern California road trips for you and your honey to get out and ramble on.

Be sure to drive safe! In case of the unfortunate event of a car accident, prepare yourself by checking out our guide for what to do if you get in a car accident while traveling. (And on a related note: we happen to know one amazing California car accident attorney who is also a wonderful human being).

We’d love to hear which of these road trips in Southern California for couples resonated most with you, so be sure to leave a comment or send us a message on Instagram or Facebook to let us know.

Also, be sure to share with us your result from taking Autotrader’s zodiac quiz—we’re dying to see your matches, babes!

Safe road tripping 🛣️🚗✌️

Get the Perfect Car for Your Couples Road Trip

Finding your perfect match is hard, but since you’ve already found it in a partner, and you’re about to find it in your road trip—make sure you also have the perfect match in your perfect car!

Autrotrader is the car matchmaker you’ve always wanted. You can literally put in EVERYTHING you want in a perfect car into their search engine and find a match—all from the comfort and safety of your own home. Love at first search, anyone? You can literally even take Autotrader’s quiz to find your perfect car based on your zodiac sign. Honey, I wish finding a date had been this easy!

Be sure to check out Autotrader’s zodiac quiz as well as their picks for the Best New Cars of 2021!

Now grab your perfect car (Autotrader comin’ in clutch!), grab your perfect date, and let’s match you to your perfect road trip in Southern California for couples!

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Which of these is your favorite road trips in Southern California for couples?

Let us know in a comment below!