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From Baja to British Columbia, these are the 101 best West Coast experiences

Logo animation by Jacky Sheridan; video editing by Li Anne Liew; Storyblocks

Walk the vast salt flats of Death Valley. Enter a den of magic and mystery on a Hollywood hilltop. Sidle up to a whale in a Baja lagoon. Tiptoe above a misty forest in Vancouver. Page through rare books under an open sky in Ojai. Though it rises, falls and sprawls for thousands of miles, this is our backyard. We’ll help you explore it. Here in these stories, find out what makes the West Coast, well, the absolute best coast.

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Essential things to do, see and eat right now in California, Oregon, Washington, the Baja Peninsula and British Columbia. Ready to explore?

Of our 101 best West Coast experiences, these resonate most for travel writer Christopher Reynolds. Check out his ranked list of favorites.

Adventurers, it’s your turn. Along the thousands of miles of towns, beaches, rivers, mountains and deserts, share the wonders you cherish most.

It’s the perfect size to pack in your travel bag as you discover the wonders of the West.

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If you’ve lived in the West for a while, you’ve probably covered a lot of ground. Test your travel savvy on California, the Baja peninsula, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.

After taking in our list of 101 best West Coast experiences, Times readers make the case for destinations we left out, from a country road in Malibu to a remote beach town on a Canadian island.

Credits

Lead writer: Christopher Reynolds
Contributing writer: Elisa Parhad
Editor: Michelle Woo
Creative director: Amy King
Design director: Taylor Le
Senior deputy design director: Faith Stafford
Lead art direction, design and digital production: Parisa Hajizadeh-Amini
Print design: Jamie Sholberg
Lettering Illustration and animation: Jacky Sheridan
Video editing: Li Anne Liew
Copy editor: Lisa Horowitz
Photo editor: Taylor Arthur
Photographers: Jason Armond, Don Bartletti, Mark Boster, Stephanie Breijo, Myung J. Chun, Gary Coronado, Nic Coury/For The Times, Gina Ferazzi, Amber Fotus/For The Times, Robert Gauthier, Wesley Lapointe, Dania Maxwell, Mel Melcon, Francine Orr, Elisa Parhad/For The Times, Denis Poroy/For The Times, Silvia Rázgová/For The Times, Christopher Reynolds, Allen J. Schaben, Luis Sinco, Mariah Tauger, Brian van der Brug, Michelle Woo
Audience engagement: Kelcie Pegher
Video producer, editor and camera: Albert Brave Tiger Lee
Zine editors: Michelle Woo, Brittany Levine Beckman, Marques Harper, Alyssa Bereznak
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