California National Parks
Alcatraz Island: San Francisco, California
A former prison on a cold, foggy rock, it still captures the imagination.
Channel Islands National Park: Ventura, California
A spectacular collection of off-shore islands that some call California's Galapagos.
Death Valley National Park
A place of extremes - hot in summer, the lowest spot in the contiguous USA, dry - but with ethereal beauty and lots of fascinating places to go.
Devils Postpile National Monument: Mammoth Lakes, Calfiornia
A rare geologic sight, one of the world’s finest examples of columnar basalt with symmetric, six-sided columns tower 60 feet high.
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
This national park organization oversees the Marin Headlands, Crissy Field, Alcatraz and the Pacific coastline south of San Francisco.
Joshua Tree National Park: Near Palm Springs
A starkly beautiful landscape, filled with Joshua "trees," which really aren't trees at all, but tree-like members of the yucca family.
Lassen Volcanic National Park: Mineral, California
In 1915, Mount Lassen erupted, blowing ash up to 30,000 feet in the air, flinging house-sized boulders miles away and devastating a large forested area that is still recovering.
Lava Beds National Monument: Tulelake, California
Lava tube caves, Native American rock art and a historic battlefield.
Muir Woods National Monument: Mill Valley, California
An old-growth stand of coastal redwood trees, just a few miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Mojave National Preserve: Barstow, California
A 1.6 million acre national park with singing sand dunes, volcanic cinder cones, Joshua tree forests, and spring wildflowers.
Pinnacles National Park: Soledad and Hollister, California
Spectacular remains of an ancient volcano and one of the most popular California Condor viewing sites.
Point Reyes National Seashore: Marin County
A diverse park with some great beaches, historic ranches and a scenic lighthouse.
Presidio of San Francisco
After serving as a military base for over 200 years, the Presidio is now a center of outdoor recreation.
Redwood National and State Parks: Crescent City, California
A sprawling national park with five visitor centers, in the northern coastal redwood forest.
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Located next to Fisherman's Wharf, they have an interesting collection of sea-going vessels.
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area: Los Angeles Basin
There's more to LA than just concrete and freeways, and this national park area preserves a lot of it.
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks: Three Rivers, California
Two names but really one park, home to the state's biggest sequoia trees and a spectacular, glacier-carved canyon.
Yosemite National Park: Near Mariposa, California
America's third national park (established in 1890) and one of most beloved
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area: Redding, California
Some of this national park’s features are Whiskeytown Lake, Shasta Bally mountain (6,209 ft.) and numerous waterfalls.