Anzo-Borrego State Park

In spring of 2009, I read an article in the LATimes about the wildflowers blooming in Anzo-Borrego State Park.  I also read that Anzo-Borrego is the largest state park in the U.S.  I, thus, had to go explore. It takes a few hours to get to the park from LA so plan to be there all day.  Also, the roads to the park are pretty deserted so make sure you have gas.  I recommend leaving before dark too.  In addition, make sure you have a good map if you go hiking.  (I got lost on a hike.)  The park also has a lot of off-road trails so it could be a fun  place to rent a 4WD vehicle.

In the park

Wildflowers

Elephant Statue in the desert

Camel statue in the desert

The desert

The desert

Yosemite and Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks

For Labor Day of 2009, I decided to explore Yosemite and Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.  All were wonderful; however, I liked Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks better than Yosemite.   They were much less crowded, and I thought they were prettier.  My biggest piece of advice if you go to one of these national parks is to go on as many ranger programs as they offer.  The ranger programs are fabulous.  My favorite one was a bear walk, on which we saw a bear in Yosemite and learned all about bears.  My goal is to visit all of the national parks in the U.S.  

View from the top of a mountain in Yosemite

View from a field in Yosemite

Walking through a tree

Large Tree

Note that Kings Canyon and Sequoia are on the way back to LA if you're coming from Yosemite so the parks are easily combined into one trip.
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Joshua Tree National Park

Cool Rock

Three hours east of Los Angeles is a fantastic national park, Joshua Tree.  Joshua Trees are a type of cacti that grow in the park.  The park is most popular among rock climbers, but non-climbers will definitely enjoy the park as well.  Touring the park only takes a day so it is definitely an easy (though slightly ambitious) day trip.

Cacti

Hiking in Joshua Tree

Teddy Bear Cacti

Cacti