There’s never been a better time to show your support for this country’s incredible National Park system. We’re lucky to live in a nation that protects and preserves 61 separate parks (nine of which are in California, the most in any state) totaling 52.2 million acres of land. We highly suggest making the trip to as many of these parks as possible, but have chosen to highlight those within a day’s drive (eight hours or less) from Los Angeles—some are perfect for a day trip; others are better reserved for a road trip or weekend of camping. So get out there and enjoy (before it’s too late!).

Psst: Look out for free entrance days at all of these parks in 2020, including Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan 20), the first day of National Park Week (Apr 18), the National Park Service’s birthday (Aug 25), National Public Lands Day (Sept 26) and Veterans Day (Nov 11).

As we near the end of the summer, all National Parks on this list are open but with some restrictions, which we’ve noted below. The National Park Service recommends avoiding high-risk outdoor activities and following Leave No Trace principles and CDC guidance—which includes six feet of social distancing. In addition, the NPS advises that you keep to the parks closest to your home (so consider the bottom half of this list inadvisable).