Are you up for an adventure? Looking for a place to spend the holidays or weekends? Then California is the place to be. It has some of the fantastic parks that will make your retreat. Nothing is left to chance when in this heaven. From the sandy beaches to the Forest, up to the mountains and across the desert, this is what the state of California offers you.

The beauty in most of these parks is the intensity in importance that it gives to its nature. This happens to be one of the primary reasons why people even opt to go to this place in the first place.

After my research, I came to release that the state of California has impressive parks. This presents you with the adventures of a lifetime. One in which you will forever be grateful for. Even though it took me a sleepless night to come up with the list, I believe this is the best parks for you. So get your gear and headed off to the parks with your family, friends, or loved ones.

Some of the most beautiful national parks in California.

1. Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

The Park is located in the Santa Monica Mountains and covers 156,671 acres. This is an ideal place to bring our family. There is simply something for everyone, and being bored is not an option. For you who is in love with the beach, the Pacific coastline will do you great justice in satisfying that inner love that you happen to have. The warm sandy beaches and the cool breeze from the sea will soothe your body significantly. 

There are also all kinds of sports to engage in as a family. This includes beach volleyball, surfing, and kayaking on the coastline. For the hiker, get your gear ready and head to the top of sandstone Peak. It is quite a hike, so make sure that you are comfortable enough to be out and about for at least 3 hours. 

The kids are not left out in this as they can enjoy walking at Will Rogers State Historic Park. You and your family can have a picnic at Rocky Oaks. For those who prefer to bring their four-legged friends, then the Cheeseboro Canyon is the place to bring him or her. It is both safe and wide enough to allow the runaround and have some adventures of their own too.    

2. Redwood National Park

Redwood National Park is located up the northern coastal region, which is known to be the perfect climate to host the Redwood trees. This Park is known explicitly because of 35% Redwoods in the area has been planted. This is an apparent reason why people opted to call it Redwood Park.

Adding to the Park being vast, it also gives you a higher chance of choice in the areas that you would like to visit since it happens to have multiple parks.

Therefore I recommend that you carry your map when going into the Park. Do not forget having your compass with you. This is recommended because it is quite natural for you to get lost, especially if it would be the first time that you get to go to the Park.

Have watched the famous movie Star Wars? If you have, then you are aware of the Forest of the moon which was in Endor. If you haven’t, please make a point and watch this movie. You will be amazed. This Park is a home to salmons, owls and sea lions which happens to be one of the most intriguing animals on the planet. It will make your tour adventurous. The trails are also perfect for you to sweat and lose a bit of calorie if you are the type of person who enjoys a bit of exercise even when you are on vacation.

3. Lassen Volcanic National Park

Wouldn’t you be interested in visiting a place that has misty hot springs and bubbling pools of mud? This is a volcanic place meaning that unlike other sceneries you enjoy the Sulphur-infused Park that is unique. But do not be afraid. It is one of any inactive volcanoes. So don’t be alarmed. There are also clear lakes and verdurous forests that you will enjoy whether on your own or you came with friends or family.

One can enjoy this place, whether it is summer or winter. This is because the ice gives you a fantastic spot for memories where you can ski and have winter cabin stays around that place. You could also wait for summer when the ice has melted, and the lakes are not all filled. It also opens the area to have a fantastic field where you can enjoy picnics and camping almost all the time.

For a relaxed gate away, you should make a point and visit the Lassen Volcanic National Park more so because they have invested in the camping ability that it would offer. It has almost eight certified and well-maintained camping sites where you can enjoy your stay at this Park.

4. Yosemite National Park

This is one of the few places that are enticing enough to allow people want to come back to that place more than once. The presence of scenery that is tagged dramatic, amazing wildlife waterfalls and crazy cliffs that is very impressive for someone who enjoys wilderness hikes and trying out things that most people will label it as absurd.

If you decide to stay around Yosemite Park, there are various lodges that you could enjoy or maybe choose to try a risk and camp outside.  Especially during the warm and fantastic summer weather. Yosemite Valley and Cathedral Lakes are famous and known among people all over the world.

There is also a fantastic glacier point where you are then able to see the scene for an elevated position, which is still very nice. You can see the half doe and sentinel rocks which for the longest while have been exact places where any photographers have pointed it out.

5. Joshua Tree National Park

The Park is named after the Joshua tree that is present in the Park. These trees are monumental because they tend to have a unique feature that has attracted people from far and wide. Any of the have however come looking for some divine significance of this Park which to nay people has made them have some very quire and funny beliefs.

From different angles and with the changes in the position of the sun, you can see the tree as a different thing. It can take various forms that have over the years been beneficial to people who need the inspiration to do, like write books, songs, or scripts for movies or plays.

Joshua Tree National Park has several hiking trails like Indian cove nature trail and echoes cove that has been enjoyed by many people who during the tie at Joshua Tree Park. This is perfect for people who have also been interested in having a slight adventure trail to other parts of the Park. Here you can enjoy a bit of rock climbing and a few other things that you will enjoy, especially if you are in a group of people.

6. Channel Island National Park

This Park is any made up of island that happens to be scattered all over the coast of Santa Barbara. It has been named the Americas Galapagos by any people. I tend to believe this is because it contains five amazing islands that happen to be a home for more than 2000 plants and animals of which 150 of them are said to be only found in the islands sole right.

This is marine Park too, therefore, don’t be shocked when you find whale and dolphins making their usual rounds along the shores of this place though it is not a sure bet. They might or might not pass when you are there, especially during the summer when the waters are warm. Diving and kayaking are also one of the exciting activities that this Park offers, especially during the autumn.

There is also an absolute joy that comes with being a marine park with a magnificent shoreline during the holidays you get to enjoy amazing sunsets and sunrise moments in most cases at the peace of your room, especially from Anacapa Island. A fantastic thing about this place is also that between the islands wheeled transport is banned. You will, therefore, have to walk or even you can get crazy enough, you cause horses and donkeys to make your trip more and more enjoyable.

7. Pinnacles National Park

The beautiful features that are available here were formed years ago after a volcanic activity that feels rocks in some exciting ways around that place. Bushmen have then used the cliffs, crags, and caves over the years. Just recently has it been identified as an essential place for people to come and enjoy what nature has to offer!

The wild nature of this Park has housed so many birds and wildflowers that give you a pleasing sight all year round. Therefore you will be able to see the blooming of the flowers when temperatures rise during the day and also with the changes in the seasons that it is fortunate enough to experience.

There is also a 5-mile walk across the Park that will allow you to move from the east to the west side of the Park. You will be able to go across the Park, enjoying all that it has to offer.

8. Point Reyes National Park

This Park is one of the most admired of the bird sanctuaries that are available across the globe.  Along with the excellent bird culture that is present in that place, there are also almost more than 1500 species of various plants and animals that are living in their natural habitat in those islands.  I can practically swear if you are a sucker for nature, you will enjoy this place.

Point Reyes National Park is one that is believed to have detached itself for the mainland into the Pacific Ocean has made it different from the region in very many forms. It, therefore, has a beautiful beach life and coastal hills including the meadows that are almost ever covered by fog create an excellent chance for the visitors to look forward to every new morning when they are at that place.

I also came to realize that it is also a prime place for researchers and nature bloggers. The ability to be able to see the animals and plants in their natural habitat without any effect for the industrialization from the mainland gives better results and trial tests than when you opt to go to areas that are in the region.

This is one of those places you can make a one-day trip to. More so if you come from San Francisco. You will end up enjoying the axing sceneries and if you are aiming for a romantic getaway like most of the people who visit this place. You will not regret it in any way.

9. Death Valley National Park

I was reluctant at first to try out this place. Why would you go to the site with death in its name? But then I came across an individual article that hanged how I thought about the place. It gave me a clear understanding of the beauty that awaits in that place. Especially if you are a person that adores the mysterious nature of the world.

The area is known to have peculiar climatic conditions. Death Valley National Park is one of the few places in the world that is the driest and hottest yet it experiences weighty hailstorm rains and blossoming spring flowers. Crazy right? It is this quire nature of this place that has attracted very many people, and it is still attracting people.

Famous photographers and professional hikers have more than once been to this place. The curiosity in such people pushes them to come and get pictures of the crazy rock formations that they see to be hearing from people who have been here. The terrains also have been a fascinating excursion for people who live to hike new places. It also offers exercise freaks chances to break some right amount of sweat even as they enjoy the fantastic features.

10. The Devils Postpile National Monuments

Just like the Devil’s Valley National Park, the name itself becomes every effective in chasing away any potential visitors who any have been interested in getting to that place. This place happens to be in the heart of the Sierra Nevada mountain ranges that are found in California.

The place has some fantastic basalt rock formations that for some weird reason are facing skywards. It is strange because they are known to have been formed from volcanic eruption whose lava flowed down the slopes creating those features. 

Being a mountain, there are times when there is ice formed on the hill. The icebergs are then responsible for having the hexagonal shape of the rocks that have over the years attracted thousands and thousands of people to that place. The icebergs are also believed to have also been the source of all the exciting hiking trails that have been created in this place.

Some are around the 100-foot rainbow falls, and the mammoth falls. Though some of them come for the view, there are also hikers come to enjoy the landscapes and terraces that have been formed over the years. The lakes offer exciting swimming periods, especially during the summer when large groups of people are available for the holidays.

11. Alcatraz Island

Unlike the other parks that I have mentioned the Alcatraz Island not only has impressive natural features but also houses a vibrant history that pulls ore and more people every time. The abandoned prison, the oldest operating lighthouse that allows the visitors to look into the fantastic sea horizon, early military forts, the rock pools and the colonies of seas birds that have found homes in the island happens to be some of the prized possessions of this place. This is the reason why it was opened for the general public also to enjoy.

You can have fantastic picnic ventures and even have practical team building activities knowing you have places to play, and also the old dining halls that were being used that offered great spaces for your people to fit. Very nay people have used these places to film their movies and also to have very romantic experiences.

Its proximity to the shores has opened it to very many marine life forms and fantastic views over the horizon every morning and evening. The climate also ensures that the plants in the area s are indigenous and can survive in some natural habitat that is most suited for them. It is a fantastic place, especially if you are a history lover.

12. Sonoma Coast State Park

This is a park that happens to be quite close to the Pacific Ocean. It is therefore used by many people who would like to access the ocean. It has some known beaches like the Arched Rock Beach, Gleason Beach and Goat Rock Beach. This extensive beach line also makes the area to have an attractive marine terrace that many people come to enjoy the beautiful walks.

There are very many various vertical rock formations that have been one of the reasons why people get attracted to this place more often. They have however been withered making then acquire the name sea stacks because more often than not you will find standing over the water like sculptures. 

Experts have over time tried to use this features to try and prove the global warming issue stating that the surface of the rocks was the first level that the sea used to be therefore there has been great asses of water levels added to the ocean. Detailed looking on the stones will also show the amazing of quartz and sandstone that gives it a unique shine that cannot be seen in most of the other places.

You will also be able to see several white whales, harbor seals, and sea lions apart from any other fish species that in most cases swim over to the shores without knowing. Such things make the Sonoma coast a beautiful and impressive place to be, especially when you are on holiday. You also appreciate quite some right amount of fun and adventure.

Summary

Enjoying your holidays in California is one of the most exciting things that anyone could have wished to experience. This is more if you are looking for places to enjoy nature and the natural habitat of plants and animals. This could be for recreational purposes or even for study purposes, especially for researchers. Visiting areas like the Redwood Park, the Santa Monica Mountains, the Channel Islands, Pinnacle Park, and the devils’ valley parks among a few others could be the peak of your trip. To many people, this is the most important places you could get to when you are in California. Such sites embrace the beauty of nature and maintaining the natural habitat apart from other modernized services like food trucks and picnic services. However, beauty is versatile. There are areas that not only live for nature but also the history that is attached to it. It is a very brilliant idea to try out most of the places on this list.

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