) - these are the most scenic places in the state, and include beaches, canyons, deserts, forests, lakes, mountains, rock formations, scenic drives and volcanic areas.
★★★★★
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 |
★★★★★
MANZANAR National Historic Site - remains of a WW2 internment camp, with a remote yet spectacular location in Owens Valley |
★★★★★
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 Park - 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 |
★★★★★ SEQUOIA National Park - huge trees, cliffs and mountains |
★★★★★
WHISKEYTOWN-SHASTA-TRINITY National Recreation Area - forested lakes in the northern California mountains |
★★★★★ YOSEMITE National Park - glaciated peaks and valleys of great beauty |
★★★★★ ALABAMA HILLS - rounded granitic rocks below the eastern Sierra Nevada, containing many arches |
★★★★★ 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 State Park - 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 |
★★★★★
MONTANA DE ORO State Park - scenic, unspoilt section of the south California coast |
★★★★★
PALM SPRINGS - exclusive city surrounded by deserts and mountains |
★★★★★
POINT LOBOS State Natural Reserve - beautiful, rocky peninsula with abundant wildlife, near Carmel and Big Sur |
★★★★★
Algodones Dunes - vast sandy expanse in the far southeast |
★★★★★
Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest - photogenic trees along the summit ridge of the White Mountains |
★★★★★
Andrew Molera State Park - Big Sur beaches and coastal bluffs |
★★★★★
Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve State Natural Reserve - orange poppies and other wildflowers, on low hills at the edge of the Mojave Desert |
★★★★★
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 |
★★★★★
Crowley Lake Columns - eroded rock formations along the shoreline of Crowley Lake in Owens Valley |
★★★★★
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 |
★★★★★
Estero Bluffs State Park - undeveloped Pacific coastline with small beaches and eroded cliffs |
★★★★★
Fossil Falls - dryfall and narrow ravine through ancient lava deposits |
★★★★★
Garrapata State Park - beautiful section of the Big Sur coastline |
★★★★★
Gaviota State Park - beaches, cliffs and coastal mountains, west of Santa Barbara |
★★★★★
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 |
★★★★★
Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park - little-visited redwood groves along the Van Duzen River |
★★★★★
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 |
★★★★★
La Jolla Tide Pools - wave-carved pools, sea caves, terraces and other rock formations, along the Pacific coastline of La Jolla |
★★★★★
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 |
★★★★★
Mendocino Headlands State Park - small promontory lined by cliffs, beaches and sea stacks |
★★★★★
Mojave Trails National Monument - desert plains and mountains, crossed by Route 66 and other historic trails |
★★★★★
Mono Lake - unusual lake in the eastern Sierra Nevada foothills |
★★★★★
Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve - remote, little-visited grove of redwoods in the Coastal Mountains |
★★★★★
Morro Bay State Park - hills, marsh and shoreline around Morro Bay, including Morro Rock |
★★★★★
Mount Shasta - snow-capped volcano in the Cascade range |
★★★★★
Patricks Point State Park - compact, developed, wooded promontory along the north Pacific coast; a popular camping location |
★★★★★
Pinnacles National Natural Landmark - strange spires in the desert south of Trona |
★★★★★
Point Arena - unusual rocks and a historic lighthouse, along the Pacific coast |
★★★★★
Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park - lighthouse at the edge of grassy bluffs, lined by scenic inlets and offshore rocks |
★★★★★ Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park - coastal redwoods near Crescent City |
★★★★★
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 |
★★★★★
Sand to Snow National Monument - varied preserve including desert ravines and mountain summits |
★★★★★
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 |
★★★★★
Volcanic Tableland - tuff plateau crossed by boulder-filled ravines, with many petroglyphs |