9 State And National Parks Just A Day Trip Away From Bakersfield, California

Bakersfield is far from the most famous destination in California, but this underrated town has a surprisingly extensive collection of attractive options, with everything from beer and wine trails to art centers and live entertainment. One reason Bakersfield gets overshadowed may be its centralized location. Situated about two hours north of Los Angeles and 4.5 hours south of San Francisco, Bakersfield is somewhat removed from the Golden State's big-name tourism destinations. 

However, its location may be a blessing in disguise, especially for outdoor lovers. Located at the south end of the Central Valley, it's within an hour or two of the Sierra Nevada, the Mojave Desert, and the California Coast Ranges. In other words, it's within a day's drive from many of the state's best outdoor destinations. You don't even have to leave the immediate area to find great spots for hiking, rafting, golfing, and immersive tours of the region's agricultural communities. 

Bakersfield's convenient geography puts it within a reasonable road trip from several national and state parks. This includes some of California's best state parks for sightseeing and recreation, and even some of the nation's most bucket-list-worthy national parks. These nine parks are all roughly three hours or less from Bakersfield, with more diversity in scenery, climate, and activities than most cities could boast in such a radius.

Red Rock Canyon State Park is an underrated paradise with unique sandstone cliffs and intricate desert canyon systems. Though red gets top billing, Red Rock Canyon's eye-catching cliffs also display bands of pink, brown, and white, representing a complex mixology of different geological influences. 

Just 77 miles east of Bakersfield, the park sits at the intersection of the Sierra Nevada, the El Paso Mountains, and the Mojave Desert. Though it's a reasonable drive from Bakersfield, Red Rock Canyon also features a cliffside campground, with breathtaking displays of the night sky after sundown. 

Joshua Tree National Park is iconic for its titular Joshua trees and popular recreational spots like the unique and scenic Jumbo Rocks Campground. Joshua Tree, however, is more than three hours from Bakersfield, leaving little time to enjoy the place if your aim is a day trip. Much closer is the equally scenic Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park, which protects a similar desert ecosystem just an hour away. 

Alongside impressive groves of famous Joshua trees, Arthur B. Ripley has California junipers on view along the Rare Juniper Trail and other beautiful hikes. The park is also notable for its dazzling spring wildflower fields. 

Seventy-four miles from Bakersfield and just 7 miles from Arthur B. Ripley is another unforgettable desert park. The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve State Natural Reserve is a broad, open grassland in the western Mojave Desert. Rather than Joshua trees or junipers, the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve stands out for its brightly-colored poppies. 

The California golden poppy is the state flower, so a massive collection of poppies is obviously a must-see state park. The reserve's kaleidoscopic panorama of bright orange, red, and yellow poppies brings the western Mojave to life each spring. 

Placerita Canyon State Park is an underrated California canyon gem about 90 minutes south of Bakersfield. As you can see in the image above, the park's namesake canyon is decidedly not a primarily rocky affair. Rather, Placerita Canyon decorates its huge sandstone formations with verdant forests of oak, sycamore, and cottonwood trees. 

The park's location between the San Gabriel Mountains and the Mojave Desert creates large-scale views of riparian forests, waterfalls, and meadows from its many nature trails. However, the park also connects to California history, being the location of the first discovery of gold in California back in 1842. 

Saddleback Butte State Park is another worthy Joshua Tree alternative about two hours southeast of Bakersfield. Across the park's many trails, you can get perfect shots of the 3,651-foot Saddleback Butte surrounded by Joshua trees and other desert plants. 

Beyond its butte and Joshua trees, Saddleback Butte State Park protects a captivating high desert alluvial plain with a thriving population of desert wildlife. The park's surreal scenery is often painted by multicolored wildflowers in the spring, with a horizon defined by the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains. 

Yosemite National Park is arguably the crown jewel of California's national parks. It's certainly the most popular, welcoming nearly 4.3 million guests in 2025. Yosemite is also about three hours from Bakersfield. Though this drive is slightly longer than drives to other parks, the road trip is undeniably worth it for a chance to see Yosemite's world-famous scenery. 

The above image features the magnificent Yosemite Valley. Gargantuan stone monoliths rising thousands of feet above mountain forests are a defining feature of the park, as is its impressive assortment of waterfalls, such as the photogenic Yosemite and Bridalveil Falls (pictured).

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is an overlooked National Park Service wonder just two hours from Bakersfield and, more amazingly, right on LA's doorstep. This image gives just a taste of the extraordinary views you'll find here: majestic coastal mountains decorated in lush layers of greenery, basking in the pleasant Mediterranean climate of California's Pacific Coast. 

At 150,000 acres, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area may be the largest urban national park in the world. The recreation area includes both large vistas and self-contained geographic attractions, like the stunning Solstice Canyon and its historic mountain trail.

Just under three hours northeast of Bakersfield, Death Valley National Park may have the most intimidating name of any U.S. national park. However, Death Valley's one-of-a-kind views are worth braving its extreme conditions. Located in a Mojave Desert rain shadow caused by neighboring mountain ranges, Death Valley features 3.3 million acres of dunes, canyons, salt flats, and other strange (yet beautiful) desert features. 

Pictured here is a view of Death Valley's colorful side from the stunning Zabriskie Point. Other Death Valley attractions include the lowest point in North America, Badwater Basin, and the mysterious moving rocks of the Racetrack. 

Bakersfield's urban landscape gives no indication that it's just two hours away from the planet's largest trees. Sequoia National Park, however, sits just 95 miles north of the city with its legendary mountain views and even more legendary giant sequoia trees. 

Sequoia and its twin, Kings Canyon National Park, protect a high-elevation forest in the Sierra Nevada. The park's giant sequoia forests have some of the planet's largest individual trees, including the largest tree in the world by volume, General Sherman. As you can see, walking through Sequoia National Park is somewhat humbling — but the views are definitely worth feeling a bit small!