Wildlife · 33 min south
Great Valley Grasslands State Park
A rare tract of native grassland near San Luis Reservoir with birds and wildflowers.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Best Mar-May
- See the official site for current fees
Day Trippin' › California › From Modesto
Day trips from Modesto
From Modesto, Great Valley Grasslands is under 40 minutes away, Old Sacramento under an hour and a half, and Exploratorium under two hours. The best day trips from Modesto, by drive time.
209 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
10 day trips from Modesto
- Great Valley Grasslands State Park 33 min south
- Haggin Museum 36 min northwest
- Sonora 1 hr northeast
- Columbia State Historic Park 1 hr 6 min northeast
- Old Sacramento State Historic Park 1 hr 15 min northwest
- Winchester Mystery House 1 hr 27 min west
- Lick Observatory 1 hr 28 min southwest
- Pinnacles National Park 2 hr 7 min south
- Empire Mine State Historic Park 2 hr 10 min north
- Alcatraz Island 2 hr 17 min west
Within an hour from Modesto 8 spots
Museum · 36 min northwest
Haggin Museum
An art and history museum in Stockton's Victory Park with California art.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Hours vary (confirm before you go)
- See the official site for current fees
Small town · 1 hr northeast
Sonora
The Gold Country hub with old brick streets, shops and eateries. Good for a slow afternoon.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Winery · 42 min northwest
Lodi Wine Country
Rustic tasting rooms in a Zinfandel region with old vines.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- See the official site for current fees
Museum · 40 min southeast
Castle Air Museum
A big collection of vintage military planes in Atwater, with cockpit tours.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Hours vary (confirm before you go)
- See the official site for current fees
Zoo · 41 min northwest
Micke Grove Park and Zoo
A county park near Lodi with a small zoo, a Japanese garden and playgrounds.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- See the official site for current fees
Zoo · 42 min southeast
Applegate Park Zoo
A small, friendly zoo and park in Merced with train rides.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Hours vary (confirm before you go)
- See the official site for current fees
Train · 55 min northeast
Railtown 1897 State Historic Park
A working steam railroad roundhouse in Jamestown that has appeared in many Western films, with seasonal steam excursions.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Admission
1 to 2 hours from Modesto 101 spots
Historic site · 1 hr 6 min northeast
Columbia State Historic Park
A whole Gold Rush town kept as it was, with stagecoach rides, gold panning, old saloons and costumed shopkeepers.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Historic site · 1 hr 15 min northwest
Old Sacramento State Historic Park
A riverfront district of Gold Rush and railroad-era buildings with wooden sidewalks, under Tower Bridge.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Landmark · 1 hr 27 min west
Winchester Mystery House
A huge odd mansion in San Jose with stairs to nowhere and doors that open to walls.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy to moderate
- Year-round
- See the official site for current fees
Observatory · 1 hr 28 min southwest
Lick Observatory
Historic hilltop telescopes above San Jose with a long winding road and big views.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Grounds open daily; visitor center hours limited (confirm before you go)
- See the official site for current fees
Theme park · 1 hr 34 min northwest
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Roller coasters, a water park and live animal shows in one park in Vallejo.
- Full day · Easy
- Check calendar; fall and winter events on select days (confirm before you go)
- See the official site for current fees
Museum · 1 hr 38 min west
California Academy of Sciences
An aquarium, planetarium, rainforest dome and living roof all under one roof in Golden Gate Park.
- 3-5 hrs · Easy
- Open daily (confirm before you go)
- See the official site for current fees
State park · 1 hr 42 min northeast
Calaveras Big Trees State Park
Giant sequoias in the North Grove on an easy, mostly flat loop, where the big trees first became famous in the 1850s.
- 2-4 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (best May to October)
- California State Parks day-use fee (per vehicle)
Historic site · 1 hr 54 min north
Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park
The place in Coloma where the 1848 gold find set off the Gold Rush, with a replica sawmill, a museum and gold panning on the American River.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- California State Parks day-use fee (per vehicle)
2 to 3 hours from Modesto 99 spots
National park · 2 hr 7 min south
Pinnacles National Park
Spires and talus caves from an ancient volcano, plus condors and good hiking trails.
- Half day · Moderate
- Year-round; best Oct-May
- See the official site for current fees
Historic site · 2 hr 10 min north
Empire Mine State Historic Park
One of California's richest hard-rock gold mines, with a stone owner's cottage, formal gardens and the old mine yard.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Admission (per person); trails free
Island · 2 hr 17 min west
Alcatraz Island
Ferry to the old island prison with an audio tour and big city views.
- Half day · Easy to moderate
- Year-round when ferry is running
- See the official site for current fees
Landmark · 2 hr 46 min west
Point Reyes Lighthouse
A historic lighthouse at the end of a long peninsula road with steep stairs and winter whale watching.
- 2-3 hrs · Moderate
- Year-round; open Thursday to Monday (confirm before you go); whale season Dec to Apr
- See the official site for current fees
Waterfall · 2 hr 53 min south
McWay Falls at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
Short walk to an overlook of an ocean waterfall dropping onto a beach.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- See the official site for current fees
Aquarium · 2 hr 8 min southwest
Monterey Bay Aquarium
World-famous aquarium with kelp forest, jellyfish and sea otters, right on the water.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- See the official site for current fees
Landmark · 2 hr 13 min east
El Capitan Meadow
Pull over and watch climbers on the granite face with binoculars. A flat walk by the Merced River.
- 30 min-1 hr · Easy
- Year-round
- See the official site for current fees
Viewpoint · 2 hr 13 min east
Tunnel View
The classic first look at Yosemite Valley, with El Capitan, Bridalveil Fall and Half Dome in one frame. Pull off right on the way in.
- 30 min-1 hr · Easy
- Year-round
- See the official site for current fees
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Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 95354 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.