Top 10 Places To Visit In Southern California In The Fall

Southern California is a quintessential falltime oasis where the mild temperatures, clear days, and sunshine highlight the vivid transformation that is slightly delayed but right on time, according to Mother Nature, and for all of you who haven't had the chance to escape and drool over the scenery.

Catch the fantastic foliage of yellow, golden, orange, and crimson colors peaking in the second half of October through early November. The slightly cooler air is perfect for midday hikes or a trip to the beach—never too far away in SoCal! These ten getaways are ideal to unwind after colorful adventures for every group to taste the fall flavors of Southern California.

Antelope Valley

Part of LA County's desertic northern area, Antelope Valley is an undercover paradise in the autumn. Home to two cities amid a unique nature landscape with many outdoor pursuits, Lancaster boasts a mural-painted cultural district downtown. There is also an art museum, historic buildings, and a delicious food scene, including wine-tasting rooms. From the three sub-AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) to the trail-spliced Saddleback Butte State Park, you can unwind or stay active in your favorite way over the colorful SoCal scenery in the fall.

A Golden State indeed, with hikes for sights through Devil's Punchbowl County Park and the Prime Desert Woodland Preserve, the Indian Museum State Historic Park offers insights into the region's past. From tasting your way around Sierra Pelona, Leona Valley, and Antelope Valley of the High Desert to the family-friendly Brian Ranch Airport U-Pick Orchard with fruit picking, a pumpkin patch, and on-site-made products for sale, you can bond, split up, or find your niche in Antelope Valley.

Calabasas

A SoCal city called "Pumpkin" in Spanish with a big fall festival in October at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains? What sounds like a dream fall escape is very much accurate, with "only here" attractions and mild temperatures for epic fall foliage hikes. Home to over 8,000 acres of rugged, beautiful hills and trails, the three natural preserves—Liberty Canyon, Udell Gorge, and Kaslow—showcase rare plants and volcanic formations. There's wildlife, hiking, and biking between Agoura Hills and Malibu Lagoon State Beach, with the serene Malibu Hindu Temple, an Instagram-worthy set of structures, halfway.

Malibu Creek State Park served as the set for M*A*S*H scenes, with camping, picnic spots, and fishing in the 25-mile Malibu Creek, the only stream channel through the Santa Monica Mountains. Owned by one of the legendary razor company owners, the historic King Gillette Ranch is a trail-spliced nature park with Spanish revival mansions, ponds, creeks, bridges, and access to the scenic Mulholland Highway. From nature along Gillett Ranch Loop, Gillett Ranch Summit, Inspiration Point, and Las Virgenes View, you can also find architecture, like the Leonis Adobe, one of the oldest buildings in Los Angeles.

Descanso Gardens

The Descanso Gardens becomes a foliage wonderland in the autumn through nine botanical collections for nature lovers and family pursuits like a miniature railroad. Located in Los Angeles at 1418 Descanso Dr., La Cañada Flintridge, your group will have a hoot seeing gorgeous blooms in autumn like roses, camellias, ginkgo, and toyon berries! It is a real urban retreat at your doorstep for quiet strolls through serene nature you would have a hard time finding in the city, like a redwood forest, streams, a lake, and a bird sanctuary.

The US's largest camellia garden dates back to WWII, when Japanese-Americans were exiled to internment camps, including the nursery owners FM Uyematsu and F.W. Yoshimura, who sold their esteemed collection of camellias to Elias Boddy, an estate owner. Programmed events here include morning yoga, weekend walks, kids' story time, tutorials, and festivals, as well as free entrance every third Tuesday of the month for a leisurely day off work! In between, you can visit an onsite art gallery, a house museum, a cafe, and a gift shop for memorabilia of the lovely times.

Idyllwild

Idyllwild, an idyllic town in the San Jacinto range of the Inland Empire, is an ideal falltime escape or even a day trip from LA for every group to chill out in the foliage. From the crisp trails to the colorful mountains for the most avid and cozy cabin stays for everyone to unwind after, there is also the irreplicable Nature Center at 25225 Hwy. 243. The one-way 2,6-mile Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail and the 3.3-mile on-way Deer Springs Trail are fun and family-friendly for a weekend escape, and the legendary rock formations are just another quick hike away.

Nestled among tall pines, you can enjoy the views and the scents of the sweet-smelling cedars even over your morning java from Higher Grounds. The alternative getaway for peace and quiet in a small-town atmosphere must include incredible browsing through independent shops and restaurants like Mile High Cafe and the Middle Ridge Winery Tasting Gallery. Nearby, Lake Hemet is a fishing paradise with hiking trails around, and Lake Fulmor Day Use Area is just to the north.

Jackson Lake

Tucked within the trail-spliced Angeles National Forest, Jackson Lake, one of the few lakes in the San Gabriels, may be small but serene and awash in fall colors among groves of oak and Jeffrey pine. Just west of Wrightwood, alongside the Big Pines Highway, this 7-acre "sag pond" is a depression on the notorious San Andreas Fault, which has other unique features along its length. Popular and topped up with fish during the spring and summer, Jackson Lake Day Use Area sees few visitors in the fall, with the remaining rainbow trout, bluegill, and largemouth bass up for grabs.

Make it a two-in-one getaway in the little town that comes alive in fall with the most vibrant colors along the tree-lined streets, where shops and eateries peak through the foliage and comfortable accommodations come at laughable prices. You can stock up for a picnic in Wrightwood for the broad beach and grassy area around the lake, with floating and non-motorized boats around, while an actual picnic area on the south side includes tables and a restroom.

Julian

Aside from being a famous pie-eating mountain town, Julian, overlooking San Diego County, is fall-worthy in countless ways, just under an hour east of the city. Home to a myriad of leaf-peeping opportunities along the colorful slopes and cozy accommodations to tuck you in after an evening out at the town's cider house, you can get away in your favorite way from the daily stressors. With Pioneer Museum and Eagle Mountain Mining Company for heritage insights, the Volcan Valley Apple Farm and Apple Starr Orchard welcome a family day of scenic apple-picking strolls.

The gold mining town turned into a quaint mountain retreat with specialty shops and historic streets, follows the traditional four-season scenery, with a fabulous fall atmosphere of harvests and foliage under the bright skies and crisp days. There is so much to do in the high country outdoors, so pack a picnic and follow your heart to the Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve, William Heise County Park, or Lake Cuyamaca in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park! Nearby, the Menghini Winery, Volcan Mountain Winery, and Julian Beer Company, right next to the famous Julian Pie Company, will unwind you in the evening.

Lake Arrowhead

Coming alive in the summer, this scenic mountain resort town and alpine lake gets a second wind in the fall, with leaf-peeping trails and browsing through the festive vibe in the village that really celebrates the season. Lake Arrowhead is epic for trailing, with beautiful North Shore and South Shore Trails winding around the lake's different bays and the smaller Papoose Lake and Grass Valley. Make a plan, pack a picnic, and venture both ways over an epic weekend escape to get the most out of the area's fall foliage and unwind by the water. A quick drive away, the 0.7-mile loop of the Heaps Peak Arboretum Trail and the 1-mile Seeley Creek Trail are easily scenic strolls, while the Exploration Trail is a one-way, 4.5-mile moderate hike.

Dockside Arrowhead Village, the downtown area with a unique European air, boasts several half-timbered buildings in a Bavarian style that fit the mountain atmosphere like a postcard. Start with an inspired breakfast at Belgium Waffle Works before an hour-long ride on Arrowhead Queen for different views of the lush banks against the sparkling waters aboard a two-wheeler along the lake's perimeter. This quintessential SoCal getaway, ensconced within the San Bernardino National Forest, is a hop away from the Rim of the World Scenic Byway for a quick drive to the breathtaking Rim of the World Viewpoint.

Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden, Arcadia

The LA County Arboretum is the place to sync up with nature along 127 acres of stunning gardens and natural landscapes featuring historic structures and learning spaces. Located at 301 N. Baldwin Ave., this official wildlife sanctuary introduces you to plants and trees from around the world and various birds, including the famous peacocks. Set dramatically against the San Gabriel Mountains, Meadowbrook Garden is awash in the glorious fall colors, while the Peacock Cafe, with a picnic area on-site and a vast lawn just outside, invites you to unwind after.

With no reservation, visit anytime with regular $15.00 admission, discounts for students, seniors, and kids, and come with an adult if you are under 18. You can also become a member with free entry in every beautiful season, including other participating venues in the American Horticultural Society's reciprocal admissions program. There are also no-fee days every third Tuesday of the month that require advance tickets on a first-come, first-served basis.

Oak Glen

Nestled in the apple-growing foothills, the historic town of Oak Glen is a quintessential family fall escape, central to LA, Orange, and Riverside counties, with apple and pumpkin picking around through Thanksgiving. With everything related to apples and other fruit harvested from the surrounding orchards and farms, you will catch foliage on-site and scenic drives between each venue. This peaceful hideaway wakes up as the mile-high destination in the harvest season with u-pick farms, fun mazes, live music downtown, and the most worthy Oak Glen Cider Company.

Nothing gets you going like a stack of apple pancakes at Apple Annie's Restaurant, a bakery famous for its 5-pound apple pie. You can stroll around the nearby Oak Tree Mountain with its fun slide or hop on Oak Glen Road, the looping road against the San Bernardino National Forest, for a scenery-ridden drive to the next farm. The best include Snow-Line Orchard, Los Rios Rancho, Willowbrook Apple Farm, and Heritage Orchard, with many offering family pursuits like petting zoos, horseback rides, wagon rides, and even pressing your own cider.

Santa Ynez Valley and Solvang

Why not combine the semantics of viticulture with Danish culture for one epic fall getaway in the south of the state? From wine tastings and vineyard strolls that catch falltime "fire" in a look-alike Italian countryside to four towns in the valley, Solvang transports you to Denmark with cultural attractions, shopping, and authentic food! The endlessly rewarding Santa Ynez is among the state's premier wine regions, with harvest on the roll through the golden grape vines before the last fruit is pressed to become fine wines distributed throughout the country.

Get in the fall harvest spirit at the vivid town of Los Olivos, which revolves almost 100% around wine with vineyards, yellow and crimson, and 30 tasting rooms. Aspire to a European picnic with a bottle to go, or even a beachy escape to pop one open some 30 miles south in Santa Barbara by the ocean! Lompoc features the Wine Ghetto, with over a dozen tasting rooms in an industrial setting. In contrast, the area's most popular tasting routes include the Santa Rita Hills and Foxen Canyon Trail.

The Golden State transforms into a golden state, north to south, with plenty of places to taste the best! From the wine country to mountain ranges and idyllic lakes, you can also visit botanical gardens in your city for an urban escape into nature.

Why not aspire to a European getaway in the small town of Lake Arrowhead or the viticulture destination of Santa Ynez? The rich history and vibrant culture at the hands of SoCal hospitality will make you feel at home with budget stays, local cuisine, and kid-friendly pursuits for the fall.