7 Offbeat Southern California Towns To Visit In 2025

Southern California needs minimal introduction. From the cultural allure of Hollywood to the picturesque scenery of Joshua Tree National Park and the Pacific Coast, it is an all-around fantastic vacation destination. Whether you're a local to the Golden State or just visiting, diving deeper into this sun-soaked region's more obscure attractions doesn't hurt. Let us help you get started with these seven off-the-beaten-path towns. Many of them see little tourism and, therefore, fewer crowds, which is not always easy to come by in America's most populous state.

Trona

Truly get out and see a place that most have never heard of: the community of Trona, a remote mining town on the western edge of Death Valley, near the dry lakebed of Searles Lake. Its isolation, stark geography, and ongoing mineral extraction industry best define it.

Existing almost entirely because of the Searles Valley Minerals plant, which has been operating for over a century and still extracts borax, soda ash, and other evaporite minerals from the nearby lakebeds, there are, in fact, some tourist gems in the area if you know where to look. For example, the Searles Valley Historical Society is in town and gives an in-depth perspective of life in this part of the country.

Another sight is the Trona Pinnacles, which sit a few miles south and comprise a collection of over 500 spires rising from the desert floor. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management and accessible by dirt road, it is undoubtedly one of California's most underrated and lesser-known natural features. This spot is also memorable because these formations have appeared in dozens of science-fiction films due to their otherworldly qualities.

Borrego Springs

Borrego Springs is an unincorporated town surrounded by Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, the largest state park in California. It is quite the wild place, and with little urban development and dark sky protections, Borrego certainly feels more like a sparsely inhabited outpost than a resort town.

Its quaint town center includes a small cluster of mid-century buildings, a few motels, and the Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association. On the other hand, public art defines the outskirts, featuring over 130 large-scale metal sculptures by artist Ricardo Breceda scattered across the surrounding Galleta Meadows estate. These installations depict various subjects, mainly prehistoric animals, dinosaurs, and abstract forms. Each sculpture is unguarded and placed directly in the desert, leaving you to explore freely.

Borrego Springs is also known for seasonal wildflower blooms and extreme summer heat, often over 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring lots of water and sun protection before heading to this unique desert community.

Niland

Niland is a sparsely populated agricultural town near the southeastern edge of the Salton Sea. What more or less qualifies it for this list is its proximity to two of the most unusual manmade environments in California: Slab City and Salvation Mountain.

Slab City occupies the site of a former World War II Marine barracks and has no formal governance, utilities, or property lines. It functions as a squatter and off-grid community with a fluctuating population, attracting seasonal residents, travelers, and artists alike. Salvation Mountain is adjacent to this community, a massive hillside artwork created by artist Leonard Knight using adobe, found objects, and thousands of gallons of colorful paint. Since his passing in 2014, it has been maintained by volunteers and recognized as one of the most significant pieces of "outsider art" in the United States.

Niland itself shows visible signs of economic decline, with many of its buildings abandoned or in disrepair, attracting those who wish to see the creation of a potential ghost town in action. Its location near the shrinking, increasingly saline Salton Sea also places it in one of Southern California's most environmentally stressed regions — a sad but fascinating sight.

Frazier Park

Rising from the deserts of SoCal, Frazier Park is a mountain town in the Transverse Ranges at the edge of Los Padres National Forest, just west of Interstate 5 at Tejon Pass. Though close to major transit routes, it remains physically and culturally removed from the rest of Southern California in many ways.

Frazier Park’s position at the meeting point of the desert, forest, and mountain ecosystems gives it an environmental identity more aligned with the Great Basin than the California coast. The surrounding area is part of the Chumash Wilderness, and trail access is largely unmanaged throughout the year, adding to its remote feel.

Frazier Park is a base for access to Mount Pinos, an 8,847-foot peak known among amateur astronomers for its dark sky visibility. It is something you don't get in nearby Los Angeles or Bakersfield. Given the area's high elevation in general, snow is common in the winter months, drawing day-trippers from the big city looking to cool off. Despite the lack of real ski resorts in the area, a good pair of snowshoes will allow you to easily explore the hills around town, an absolute novelty for coast/desert dwellers who live just a short drive away.

Guadalupe

Guadalupe is a small coastal town in northern Santa Barbara County. It is just a few miles inland from the Pacific Ocean and surrounded by a colorful collage of farm fields. Quieter than renowned nearby destinations like Pismo Beach or Santa Barbara, it is the perfect place for an oceanside escape if you want to avoid the crowds.

The town’s population comprises farmworkers and their families, making it more reliant on its produce economy than tourist dollars. With that, the downtown core is relatively modest. Centered on Guadalupe Street, it hosts several restaurants, the historic Royal Theater, and several other older buildings from long ago.

The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center is a nice locale to visit before heading out to the nearby Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge, the world's largest intact coastal dune system. The vast dunes that call it home are only accessible via a multi-mile hike. They notably contain the once-buried remnants of Cecil B. DeMille’s 1923 “Ten Commandments” film set, making it an excellent spot for nature enthusiasts and film buffs.

Port Hueneme

Port Hueneme sits wedged between Oxnard and the Point Mugu Naval Base on the Ventura County coastline. It contains the only deep-water port between Los Angeles and San Francisco, but unlike larger port cities, it is surprisingly scenic and clean, hosting several beaches and parks.

What is usually considered the area's main beach, Port Hueneme Beach Park, includes a long fishing pier, small surf break, and wide stretches of sand used mainly by locals, not tourists. There are also no luxury hotels or built-up boardwalks, adding to its unfettered appearance.

Get a better understanding of this community at the Port Hueneme Historical Society Museum. Housed in the Bank of Hueneme building, this landmark documents the area’s role in regional transportation and its shift from a railroad hub to a port town. Between the museum and the water, you'll probably also see the Hueneme Wharf Plaza and/or the Port Hueneme Lighthouse, a distinct-looking Art Deco-style structure.

Get an elevated view of this gorgeous slice of coastal landscape at Point Mugu State Park. Sitting a short drive south of Port Hueneme, it boasts more beaches, a vast network of trails in its lush foothills, and a sizable dune off the Pacific Coast Highway.

Wrightwood

Wrightwood is another peaceful mountain town (that is also very close to Los Angeles) in the eastern San Gabriel Mountains, near the Cajon Pass. Its location, at about 6,000 feet, also makes it one of the few places in Southern California where snow accumulation is reliable each winter, drawing crowds to Mountain High ski resort just outside town. But Wrightwood has no lake or sprawling resorts, unlike Big Bear or Lake Arrowhead. Instead, the town center is a simple strip along Park Drive with a post office, small stores, a market, and a handful of small restaurants and bars primarily serving locals and seasonal workers.

Some hikers consider the town well-established since the Pacific Crest Trail passes nearby. Several other trailheads, including access to the Blue Ridge and the rugged Sheep Mountain Wilderness, are also within a short drive or walk.

Escape Los Angeles, San Diego, or any of the other tourist hotspots in California this year and explore something new. From obscure museums to out-of-this-world natural landmarks and more, your options to get off the beaten path are almost endless. For your next road trip in this southern half of the Golden State, bring back memories that not all can say they've had, and see what other hidden gems you can discover along the way.