Oak Glen, fifteen kilometres east of Yucaipa on a steep mountain road, is the obvious half-day outing. The Glen sits at around 1,500 metres in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains and is the closest apple country to Los Angeles — a string of family-run orchards, cider mills, and country stores along Oak Glen Road. Riley's Farm, Los Rios Rancho, and Snow-Line Orchard are the long-established names. Visit in October for the harvest, when the orchards are packed; come in winter for the chance of snow and almost no crowds.
Other options: Big Bear Lake, an hour further up Highway 38 in the high mountains, for skiing in winter and sailing in summer. Joshua Tree National Park is two hours east. Palm Springs and the desert resorts are forty-five minutes south.