Today, it’s the fifth-most-visited park in the country, with over 4.4 million visits per year. “Nowhere will you see the majestic operations of nature more clearly revealed beside the frailest, most gentle and peaceful things,” wrote naturalist John Muir of this majestic 761,266 acre park in 1901. Yosemite National Parkīy far the best-known and most-loved park in California, Yosemite lies in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, about 170 miles due east of San Francisco and 280 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Closer to San Francisco, Pinnacles rarely ever gets crowded. Home to four national parks, the popular region also includes nearby Sequoia and Kings Canyon, with many similar attractions as Yosemite-granite cliffs, waterfalls, giant sequoias-but far fewer people. The Best National Parks in Central CaliforniaĬhampioned by John Muir and immortalized by Ansel Adams, Yosemite National Park draws visitors from across the state, and the world, to Central California. It’s an easy day trip from anywhere in the Bay Area, with a number of hiking options and a café that serves food and take-out. Adjacent to Mount Tamalpais State Park in Marin County, the coast redwoods at Muir Woods are 400 to 800 years old, and rise up to 250 feet tall. If time doesn’t allow for a visit to Redwoods National Park, you can still walk among some of the world’s tallest trees at Muir Woods National Monument, just 12 miles north of San Francisco. Plan on visiting Lassen from spring through early fall, as snow closes the road and many trails in winter. Both trailheads are accessible from the Lassen National Park Highway (Highway 89) that winds through the park. The best ways to get an up-close view is by hiking the 3-mile round-trip Bumpass Hell Trail or taking a short walk from the Sulphur Works parking lot. The last time Lassen Peak-the largest lava dome volcano in the world-erupted was in 1914, but the volcanic activity here has never ceased. Lassen Volcanic National ParkĬonsider Lassen Volcanic National Park, 45 miles east of Redding in the north-central part of the state, as California’s answer to Yellowstone: a geothermal wonderland of mud pots, hot springs, fumaroles, and sulphur vents. Look for accommodations in nearby Orick, Crescent City, or Klamath, as there are no lodgings or campgrounds within the park. Start at the Prairie Creek Visitor Center before heading out to hike in the redwoods or explore Fern Canyon, whose vertical walls are covered in ferns and moss. These behemoths live to be centuries old and more-some live 2,000 years. Almost half of the world’s old-growth redwoods, including the 380-foot Hyperion Tree-the tallest tree on earth-are found in this coastal park in the far-northwest corner of the state near Oregon. Part of a unique system of state and federal land developed to protect the giant coast redwoods, Redwood National Park shelters some of the tallest trees on the planet. It’s thebest region to visit if you want to avoid crowds-even in summer. Stunning national monuments and seashores await besides. Temperate Northern California hosts two vastly different national parks: One, with giant redwood trees and rugged coast the other, with geothermal features and pristine lakes. The Best National Parks in Northern California Early spring is a perfect time to go, when the temperatures in Death Valley are still comfortable, and Yosemite’s waterfalls are at their peak.īefore your trip, be sure to order an America the Beautiful Pass, especially if you plan to visit more than one park, and check the parks’ reopening status to know what’s open or closed. Start in Los Angeles and head to Death Valley, followed by Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Yosemite, and finally, John Muir National Monument near San Francisco. Alternatively, you can experience four or five top parks in a week, on a one-way road-trip from south to north (or vice versa). Fortunately, you can see many of the best on day trips (or overnights) from either San Francisco or Los Angeles. With the exception of contiguous Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks, it’s at least a three-hour drive from any one park to another. Spread out over 600 miles along the length of the state, getting to all nine parks in one trip would take at least two weeks. Whether you’re seeking a remote island sanctuary, bubbling volcanic hotspots, groves of the tallest trees on earth, granite rock formations, or wild desert, you’ll find these and more in the Golden State. The sheer diversity of landscapes sets California’s nine national parks apart.
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