Featured California locations are listed below, and shown on the California map (south, north) - these are the most scenic places in the state, and include beaches, canyons, deserts, forests, lakes, mountains, rock formations, scenic drives and volcanic areas.
Alternatively, see these other California listings pages:
National Parks, National Monuments, National Recreation Areas and National Historic Sites
State Parks
State Natural Reserves
National Park Service Units
| CABRILLO National Monument - rocky peninsula near San Diego |
| DEATH VALLEY National Park - starkly beautiful desert wilderness |
| DEVILS POSTPILE National Monument - unusual volcanic basalt formations in the eastern Sierra Nevada |
| GOLDEN GATE National Recreation Area - beaches, coastal bluffs, historic buildings and military sites around San Francisco |
| JOSHUA TREE National Park - desert, large rocks and curious plants |
| KINGS CANYON National Park - large wilderness area with deep canyons, lakes, sequoia trees and waterfalls |
| LASSEN VOLCANIC National Park - amazing volcanic and geothermal phenomena |
| LAVA BEDS National Monument - cinder cones, craters and lava caves in the far north |
| MOJAVE National Preserve - excellent desert scenery |
| MUIR WOODS National Monument - small but accessible redwood forest north of San Francisco on the Marin Peninsula |
| PINNACLES National Monument - isolated mountains composed of eroded, volcanic rock |
| POINT REYES National Seashore - isolated hilly peninsula bordered by miles of wind-swept beaches and cliffs |
| REDWOOD National and State Parks - dense coastal redwood forests |
| SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS National Recreation Area - canyons, grassy hills and Pacific Ocean beaches, northwest of Los Angeles |
| WHISKEYTOWN-SHASTA-TRINITY National Recreation Area - forested lakes in the northern California mountains |
| SEQUOIA National Park - huge trees, cliffs and mountains |
| YOSEMITE National Park - glaciated peaks and valleys of great beauty |
Other Major Scenic Places
| ANZA-BORREGO DESERT State Park - large, varied area of canyons, mountains, desert and badlands |
| BIG SUR - the Pacific Coast of central California, south of Carmel |
| BIG BASIN REDWOODS - thick coastal redwood forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains, south of San Jose |
| BODIE State Historical Park - exceptionally intact, well preserved and authentic California ghost town |
| CALAVERAS BIG TREES State Park - giant sequoia in the northern Sierra Nevada |
| CALIFORNIA MISSIONS - series of historic Spanish churches dating from 1769 |
| EASTERN SIERRA - the steep, more remote east side of the Sierra Nevada, accessed by several paved roads to high elevation trailheads |
| HUMBOLDT REDWOODS State Park - ancient redwood forest in north California |
| LAKE TAHOE - major center for recreation, enclosed by high mountains |
| PALM SPRINGS - exclusive city surrounded by deserts and mountains |
| POINT LOBOS State Reserve - beautiful, rocky peninsula with abundant wildlife, near Carmel and Big Sur |
Miscellaneous Locations
| Algodones Dunes - vast sandy expanse in the far southeast |
| Andrew Molera State Park - Big Sur beaches and coastal bluffs |
| Big Pine Lakes - mountain lakes high in the Sierra Nevada, beneath Palisade Glacier |
| Box Canyon - twisting, eroded ravine, part of the San Andreas Fault |
| Calico Ghost Town Regional Park - partially restored silver mining town northeast of Barstow |
| Castle Crags State Park - sculptured granite cliffs in far north California |
| Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park - redwood groves alongside the Pacific Ocean |
| Donner Memorial State Park - historic location with a relaxing setting |
| Emerald Bay State Park - scenic inlet on the west side of Lake Tahoe, containing Fannette Island |
| Garrapata State Park - beautiful section of the Big Sur coastline |
| Giant Sequoia National Monument - many groves of giant sequoia trees, in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains |
| Griffith Park - hilly city park overlooking Hollywood and Los Angeles |
| Harmony Headlands State Park - sandstone formations along an isolated, roadless section of the Pacific coast |
| Hat Creek Volcanic Area - lava flows, craters, cinder cones and lava caves, near Lassen Volcanic NP |
| Hot Creek Geological Area - hot springs and fumaroles close to Mammoth Lakes, part of the Long Valley Caldera |
| Humboldt Lagoons State Park - forested lagoons beside the northern Pacific coast |
| Jacumba Outstanding Natural Area - desert and mountains near the Mexican border |
| Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park - giant redwoods in the far northwest |
| Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park - a coastal waterfall, beaches, cliffs and wooded hills, along Big Sur |
| Lost Coast - the wildest and least developed stretch of California's Pacific coast |
| MacKerricher State Park - sand dunes, beaches and tidepools, on the Pacific coast north of Fort Bragg |
| Mammoth Lakes - ski resort town at the edge of the Sierra Nevada |
| McArthur Burney Falls Memorial State Park - beautiful waterfall and a wooded lake |
| Mono Lake - unusual lake in the eastern Sierra Nevada foothills |
| Mount Shasta - snow-capped volcano in the Cascade range |
| Onion Valley - trailhead high in the eastern Sierra, for hikes to Kearsarge Pass, Mt Gould and many other places |
| Pinnacles National Natural Landmark - strange spires in the desert south of Trona |
| Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park - coastal redwoods near Crescent City |
| Point Arena - unusual rocks and a historic lighthouse, along the Pacific coast |
| Rainbow Basin National Natural Landmark - weathered desert canyons and badlands |
| Red Rock Canyon State Park - exposed, eroded, colorful strata |
| Route 66 - long section of the old highway through the Mojave Desert |
| Saddleback Butte State Park - isolated peak in Antelope Valley, in the southern Mojave Desert |
| Salt Point State Park - undeveloped section of the north California coastline, with unusual sandstone formations |
| Salton Sea - large, shallow, salty inland lake bordering Imperial Valley |
| San Bernardino Mountains - steep-sided range northeast of San Bernardino, including Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear Lake |
| San Gabriel Mountains - hilly area providing a refuge from Los Angeles |
| Sonoma Coast State Park - 15 miles of beaches, cliffs and coastal grasslands, in Sonoma County, north California |
| Tomales Bay State Park - sheltered inlet at the edge of Point Reyes |
| Torrey Pines State Reserve - dunes and sandstone cliffs north of San Diego |
| Trinidad State Beach - beautiful section of the north California coastline |
| Vasquez Rocks County Park - exposed, angular strata north of Los Angeles |
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California Hotels
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Choose from over 2,000 California hotels in 400 towns and cities;
South & Central: maps, national park hotels, interstate hotels, brand directories
North: maps, national park hotels, interstate hotels, brand directories
Major locations include:
Bakersfield,
Barstow,
Fresno,
Los Angeles Area,
Monterey,
Palm Springs,
Rancho Cordova,
Redding,
Sacramento,
San Diego Area,
San Francisco Area,
Santa Barbara,
Santa Cruz |
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Other California Resources
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Driving Distances - mileages between selected places
Introduction - brief summary of California's scenic areas
Maps - state map and national park maps
Weather - forecasts for California towns, cities and parks
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California Travel Itineraries
California Big Trees - 12 day loop visiting the giant sequoia of the Sierra Nevada, in the Kings Canyon, Sequoia and Yosemite national parks, plus the coastal redwoods of the north
California Deserts - the vast deserts of south California, from Death Valley to Anza Borrego, also including Joshua Tree, Palm Springs, the Salton Sea and the Mojave National Preserve, plus lesser known places
California North Coast - the rugged north coast of California, from the cliffs of Point Reyes, through the scenic beaches of Sonoma and Mendocino counties, to the coastal redwood forests of the far north
California South Coast - beaches, cliffs, mountains and the Pacific Ocean, along Route 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) from San Diego near the Mexican border north to San Francisco
Sierra Nevada - the spectacular mountains of central California; popular locations include Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Lake Tahoe and Yosemite, but there are many lesser known places like Devils Postpile and Big Pine Lakes
Plants of California
Cacti - photos and descriptions of 25 California cactus species; most common genera are cylindropuntia, echinocactus, echinocereus, ferocactus, mammillaria and opuntia
Flowers - California wildflowers and flowering shrubs; photographs and identifying characteristics, arranged by the most common color groups (blue, orange, pink, purple, red, white and yellow)
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