You've heard of Disneyland, the Golden Gate Bridge and Wine Country. You may even know about Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and Santa Anita, but there's a lot more to California than the super-star sights that get all the attention. Today, you'll discover some of the California spots that we think are unjustifiably overlooked.
Catalina Island:
If you're old enough to remember the song about "26 miles across the sea," you may have heard of Catalina. Fortuitously placed into a conservancy before it got overdeveloped, with visitation limited by ferry service capacity, Catalina is one of our favorite California places for romantic getaways, back country hikes and general relaxation.
Channel Islands:
I call the California's Galapagos, located just off the coast between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. They're so little-known that unless you're an area student who went there on a field trip, you may not know about them, yet I've been thinking about going back every since I first discovered them.
Lassen Volcanic National Park:
We all know about Mt. St. Helens, but it wasn't the first volcano to blow its top in the twentieth century. Mt. Lassen erupted in 1915 with much of the same drama. Today, it's further along the road to recovery than St. Helens, but it also boasts a landscape reminiscent of Yellowstone, with boiling hot springs, mud pots and belching fumaroles.
Newport Beach Balboa Island:
You may know about the "OC" from one of the television shows about the area, but this little corner of Newport Beach retains an old-fashioned, small-town charm that has enchanted everyone I've ever take there.
Point Reyes National Park
The Point Reyes lighthouse is one of California's most scenic, but that's only a starter. In Point Reyes, you'll find spectacular beaches backed by dramatic cliffs, herds of tule elk grazing in the evening and a wide variety of water birds in the marshes.
Scenic Highway 395
Running along the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Highway 395 boasts some of the state's best scenery, skiing and most unusual sights.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
These twin parks lie in the Sierras south of Yosemite, offering spectacular scenery and home to the biggest giant sequoia tree. While Yosemite is packed all summer, you can get in here a week or two in advance and off season, you may feel like you have it all to yourself.
Traditional Beach Towns
The legendary beach spots in California are victims of their own fame and most have succumbed to modernization. If you're looking for a place to find an old-fashioned California beach scene, travel along the coast about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Cayucos and Pismo Beach retain the beach ambiance you may associate with all of California.Next Step: Uniquely California
