California Parks overview

California Parks are of the most treasured and beloved parks in the country and it is not just because they offer the sort of aesthetic beauty that is normally associated with state and national parks, but the fact that the parks are sprinkled up and down along the West Coast providing enormous versatility, environmental nobility and dynamism. Throughout California there are basically twelve different types of parks and locations. Among them are: North Coast California parks, San Francisco Bay Area parks, Central California parks, Los Angeles County parks, Orange County parks, Inland Empire parks, San Diego County parks, Shasta Cascade parks, the Gold Country parks, the Central Valley California parks, the High Sierra California parks and then there are the Desert California Coast parks.

History within California Parks

On the Southern most tip of California one finds the historical mission sites of the early Spanish settlers along with the State Park of Saddleback Butte which holds tough with an elevation 3,651 feet featuring granite mountaintops that towers some thousand feet above the broad bottom land of the Antelope Valley on the western edge of the Mojave Desert. Of the desert parks the imagination is challenged by the extraordinary spacious landscapes of Death Valley National Park, the Mojave National Preserve, and Joshua Tree National Park. Joshua Tree park is considered a national monument and offers endless landscapes that defy our preconceived notions of Earth-bound beauty. After a drive through Joshua Tree National Park visitors feel as if they have just moved through a celestial body.

On the East Central California slope one finds Yosemite National Park that spans east covering over 761,266 acres and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain.

Redwood trees in California Parks

Of the most notable parks in the Northern Coast California area are the infamous Redwood National and State Parks which have captured the imagination of millions of visitors throughout history.  Northern Coast Redwoods (often referred to as Sequia Sembervirens) have been acknowledged globally as one of the most transcendent visions on this earth. These magnificent redwood forests located along the Northern California coasts provide substantial life preserving plains to the misty damp valleys of the Big Sur Coast. Northern California Redwoods stand formidably as high as 350 feet giving them the prestigious title of being the tallest trees in the entire world.  With a base of 15 feet and an astounding lifespan of 2000 years, the Northern California Redwoods stand as one of the most famous of our planet’s many natural wonders.

Popular California Parks

Then of course there is Big Sur which is considered globally as a wonder with its spellbinding cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean that then track deep into the surrounding forestlands that feature redwoods, conifers, oaks, sycamores, cottonwoods, maples, alders and willows and open meadows in the confines of the nearby Muir Woods National Monument in San Francisco and Point Reyes National Seashore.
In the Southern end of California, Los Angeles is home to a number of State and City parks which are quite well known and highly visited by tourists. Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area features up to 580 miles of hiking trails and over 60 miles of devastating scenic beauty. Malibu State Beaches and ranches, as well as the Topanga Mountain State Parks offer a wealth of natural pleasure while also being the site of abundant folklore from Chumash Indian burial sites to hiking trails with heart wrenching views of the moon, the ocean and the desert like rock formations that drip with charm and aesthetic symmetry. For additional detailed information on all of the California State and National parks feel free to click on those pages of interest.

Recreational Resources:

Campgrounds

Tours and Guides

Park Events

Hunting and Fishing licenses can be purchased thru the California Department of Fish and Game.