Redlands is a useful base for several of the region's bigger draws. Big Bear Lake is about an hour into the San Bernardino Mountains on Highway 38 — alpine forest, swimming and boating in summer, skiing in winter. Joshua Tree National Park is about 90 minutes east, best done as a full day and ideally on either the spring or autumn shoulder seasons when temperatures are manageable.
Palm Springs is an hour east on I-10, with the aerial tramway up Mt. San Jacinto an interesting half-day in its own right. Oak Glen, in the foothills 20 minutes north, has the apple farms and cider operations that draw weekend day-trippers from across the Los Angeles basin in autumn. San Bernardino and the nearby Inland Empire Brewing scene round out the closer options.
