Park |
Features |
Location |
Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park |
Bays, creeks and tiny islands, surrounded by lava flows. Park reachable only by boat |
Shasta County, near McArthur and Burney |
Andrew Molera State Park |
Big Sur coastline, meadows and inland redwood forests |
Along Hwy 1, 20 miles south of Carmel |
Angel Island State Park |
Forested island in San Francisco Bay, with several historic buildings |
Accessed by ferry from San Francisco, Vallejo or Tiburon |
Annadel State Park |
Meadows and wooded hills, with many trails |
Sonoma Mountains, east of Santa Rosa along US 101 |
Año Nuevo State Park |
Island and undeveloped stretch of the coastline, providing a variety of wildlife habitats |
San Mateo County, 55 miles south of San Francisco |
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park |
California's largest state park - rugged desert wilderness, cacti, wildflowers, oases, badlands, narrow canyons and mountains |
East of San Diego, near the Salton Sea |
Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park |
Joshua trees and juniper bushes |
Antelope Valley, near Lancaster |
Bidwell-Sacramento River State Park |
River lined by dense woodland, popular for fishing and boating |
Five miles west of Chico, Butte County |
Big Basin Redwoods State Park |
Atmospheric old growth redwood forest |
In the hills southwest of Santa Cruz |
Border Field State Park |
Salt marshes and sand dunes, home to several rare bird species |
South of San Diego, adjoining the Mexican border |
Bothe-Napa Valley State Park |
Coastal redwoods and small streams - hiking and horse riding available |
Napa Valley, between Calistoga and St Helena |
Burton Creek State Park |
Hiking and skiing through forested terrain |
Tahoe City, Lake Tahoe |
Butano State Park |
Shady mountain canyon with redwood trees |
Near Pescadero, west of Santa Cruz |
Calaveras Big Trees State Park |
Giant sequoia in the northern Sierra Nevada |
Along CA 4, 20 miles northeast of Angels Camp |
Castle Crags State Park |
Granite rock formations and a section of the Sacramento River |
Near Mt Shasta, just off interstate 5 |
Castle Rock State Park |
Mixed fir/redwood forest and rock formations, along the top of the Santa Cruz Mountains; many trails |
CA 35, a few miles from Santa Cruz |
Caswell Memorial State Park |
Oak woodland and riparian habitats beside the Stanislaus River |
South of Stockton, near Hwy 99 |
China Camp State Park |
Marsh, oak woodland and meadows beside San Pablo Bay |
Peninsula just northeast of San Rafael |
Chino Hills State Park |
Grassy hills, patches of woodland, spring wildflowers; 60 miles of trails |
Ten miles northwest of Corona, Orange County |
Clear Lake State Park |
Wooded section of the shoreline of 43,785 acre Clear Lake |
West side of the lake, a few miles from Lakeport |
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Crystal Cove State Park |
Sandy beaches, tidepools and undeveloped woodland, plus an undersea park open for scuba diving |
Between Newport Beach and Laguna Beach, Orange County |
Cuyamaca Rancho State Park |
Pine/oak woodland, grassy hills, meadows and small streams - over 100 miles of trails |
Cuyamaca Mountains, northeast of San Diego |
D. L. Bliss State Park |
Forest and promontory on the west shore of Lake Tahoe |
Ten miles north of South Lake Tahoe |
Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park |
Tall but rather inaccessible redwoods adjoining the Pacific Ocean |
Part of Redwood National and State Parks - near Crescent City |
Donner Memorial State Park |
Wooded land next to Donner Lake, with museum and relics from the Donner Party |
On the edge of Truckee, close to I-80 |
Ed Z'berg Sugar Pine Point State Park |
Historic mansion on the west shore of Lake Tahoe, surrounded by pine forest |
18 miles north of South Lake Tahoe |
Emerald Bay State Park |
Beautiful inlet on the west shore of Lake Tahoe, containing Fannette Island; also has a reproduction Viking castle |
Nine miles north of South Lake Tahoe |
Estero Bluffs State Park |
Coastal hills, cliffs, wetlands and secluded beaches - varied plant and wildlife habitats |
Along Hwy 1 between Morro Bay and Cambria |
Fort Ord Dunes State Park |
Bluffs and a sandy beach |
Seven miles north of Monterey, just off CA 1 |
Fremont Peak State Park |
Grasslands and wooded hills in the Gabilan Range, with views of Monterey Bay |
Near Salinas, Hollister and San Juan Baptista |
Garrapata State Park |
Beaches and rock formations on the Big Sur coast |
Seven miles south of Carmel along Hwy 1 |
Gaviota State Park |
Beach, pier and grassy hills overlooking the Channel Islands |
30 miles west of Santa Barbara via US 101 |
Great Valley Grasslands State Park |
Grassland and marshes in the Central Valley; few visitor facilities |
Hwy 165, 28 miles south of Modesto |
Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park |
Two small groves of coastal redwoods beside a winding river |
Hwy 36, Humboldt County, 37 miles from Eureka |
Grover Hot Springs State Park |
Pine forest and meadows, plus a swimming pool fed by hot springs |
In the eastern Sierra Nevada, 34 miles from South Lake Tahoe |
Harmony Headlands State Park |
Grassy hills and eroded sandstone formations beside the Pacific Ocean; limited facilities |
Along Hwy 1 between Morro Bay and Cambria |
Hearst San Simeon State Park |
Two sections; coastal bluffs alongside the Pacific Ocean, and Hearst Castle, the extravagant home of William Randolph Hearst |
CA 1, north of Cambria |
Hendy Woods State Park |
Two redwood groves beside the Navarro River |
Anderson Valley, Mendocino County - 27 miles from Ukiah |
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park |
Trails an through ancient redwood forest |
Along Hwy 9, north of Santa Cruz |
Henry W. Coe State Park |
Large, undeveloped area of hills, ridges, valleys and forest |
East side of Santa Clara Valley, near Morgan Hill |
Humboldt Lagoons State Park |
Coastal lagoons and long, windswept beaches |
US 101, near Redwood National Park |
Humboldt Redwoods State Park |
Large area of dense forest, with many huge old growth redwoods |
US 101, 45 miles south of Eureka |
Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park |
Scenic redwood forest along the Smith River |
Part of Redwood National and State Parks - near Crescent City |
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park |
Pretty section of the Big Sur coastline, bordered by steep, wooded hills |
Hwy 1, 38 miles south of Carmel |
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Leo Carrillo State Park |
Pacific Ocean beach, part of Santa Monica Mountains NRA |
Hwy 1, 28 miles from Santa Monica |
Limekiln State Park |
Small part of the Big Sur coast plus a few miles of Limekiln Creek and an adjacent redwood forest |
Hwy 1, 53 miles south of Carmel |
MacKerricher State Park |
Variety of coastal landscapes including dunes, tidepools and eroded rock formations |
Hwy 1, just north of Fort Bragg, Mendocino County |
Malibu Creek State Park |
Oak, sycamore and chaparral hills either side of a wide, shallow stream |
Four miles south of US 101 - part of Santa Monica Mountains NRA |
Manchester State Park |
Long beach with sand dunes, next to Point Arena |
Hwy 1, Mendocino County |
McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park |
Spectacular cascade waterfall in wooded country adjacent to Lake Britton |
Shasta National Forest, north of Lassen Volcanic National Park |
Mendocino Headlands State Park |
Beaches, cliffs and grassy hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean |
Either side of Mendocino, just off Hwy 1 |
Mendocino Woodlands State Park |
Group campsite and environmental learning center in second growth redwood forest |
Seven miles east of Mendocino |
Montaña de Oro State Park |
Beaches, cliffs and a sizeable hilly area along the Pacific coast |
South of Morro Bay and west of San Luis Obispo |
Morro Bay State Park |
Hills, marsh, beach and coastal wetlands, plus the conspicuous landmark of Morro Rock |
Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo County |
Mount Diablo State Park |
Scenic, forested mountain - many trails and viewpoints |
East of Concord and I-680 |
Mount San Jacinto State Park |
Granite summit and cool pine forests high above Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley |
Hwy 243 through the San Bernardino National Forest; also reached by the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway |
Mount Tamalpais State Park |
Redwood groves surrounded by oak-covered hills; many miles of trails, and views over San Francisco Bay |
West of Mill Valley, along US 101 |
Navarro River Redwoods State Park |
Second growth redwood trees along the Navarro River, ending at a small beach by the ocean |
Hwy 128, 20 miles south of Fort Bragg, Mendocino County |
Pacheco State Park |
Grassy hills and floral meadows with fine views over the Central Valley |
14 miles from interstate 5, near Los Banos |
Palomar Mountain State Park |
Cool, forested mountain; hiking, camping and fishing are available |
Cleveland National Forest - off Hwy 76, southeast of Temecula |
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park |
Several miles of land in the forested canyon of the Big Sur River, including groves of coastal redwoods |
Hwy 1, 28 miles south of Carmel |
Placerita Canyon State Park |
Hilly country with streams and oak woodland; contains site of the first gold to be discovered in California (1842) |
North of San Fernando, close to the 14 Freeway |
Plumas-Eureka State Park |
Forested hills in the northern Sierra Nevada, plus museum and relics from the gold mining era |
Five miles from Blairsden/Graeagle, on Hwy 89 |
Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park |
Grassy peninsula along the Mendocino Coast, home to a historic lighthouse |
Between Mendocino and Fort Bragg, just off Hwy 1 |
Point Mugu State Park |
Beaches, bluffs, hills and sand dunes alongside the Pacific Ocean |
Hwy 1, 30 miles from Santa Monica - part of Santa Monica Mountains NRA |
Portola Redwoods State Park |
Redwood, fir and oak trees covering hilly terrain in the Santa Cruz Mountains |
30 miles west of San Jose |
Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park |
The best collection of giant redwood trees in California |
Part of Redwood National and State Parks - near Crescent City |
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Red Rock Canyon State Park |
Colorful, eroded rock formations at the edge of the Mojave Desert |
Hwy 14, 27 miles from Ridgecrest |
Richardson Grove State Park |
Coastal redwoods along the South Fork of the Eel River - southernmost of the old growth redwood parks |
US 101, Humboldt County |
Robert Louis Stevenson State Park |
Wooded hillsides just north of Napa Valley - honeymoon location for the famous author |
Five miles from Calistoga on Hwy 29 |
Russian Gulch State Park |
Beach, rocky headland and a forested river canyon |
Hwy 1, Mendocino County, near Fort Bragg |
Saddleback Butte State Park |
Mojave Desert peak surrounded by a forest of Joshua trees |
11 miles north of Hwy 138, near Palmdale |
Salt Point State Park |
Pacific Ocean beaches, bluffs, forest, grassland and amazing rock formations |
Hwy 1, Sonoma County |
Samuel P. Taylor State Park |
Hilly country with coastal redwoods and grasslands, good for hiking |
Just off Hwy 1, near Point Reyes |
San Bruno Mountain State Park |
Undeveloped grassy ridge rising above San Francisco and its suburbs - summit has excellent views |
Accessed from US 101 or I-280 |
Sinkyone Wilderness State Park |
Remote wilderness bordering the Pacific Ocean - part of the Lost Coast |
25 miles from US 101 via winding mountain roads; in Mendocino County |
Sonoma Coast State Park |
Collection of beaches, coves and cliffs extending for 15 miles along the Pacific Coast of Sonoma County |
Hwy 1, between Bodega Bay and Jenner |
South Yuba River State Park |
20 mile stretch of the Yuba River as it flows through a rocky, forested canyon. Includes a historic covered bridge |
East of Bridgeport, in the western Sierra Nevada foothills |
Sue-meg (Patricks Point) State Park |
Thickly wooded promontory, tide pools and Pacific Ocean beaches |
US 101, near Redwood National Park |
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park |
Wooded mountains with streams, eroded rocks, meadows and chaparral; 25 miles of trails |
Seven miles east of Santa Rosa, Sonoma County |
Sutter Buttes State Park |
Lava flows on the north side of a volcanic dome. Park is not yet open |
15 miles northwest of Yuba City |
The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park |
Second growth redwoods and steep-sided coastal mountains, with relics from former logging operations |
North of Aptos, along Hwy 1 - near Santa Cruz |
Tolowa Dunes State Park |
Wetlands and sand dunes bordering the Pacific Ocean - diverse wildlife habitats |
Two miles north of Crescent City |
Tomales Bay State Park |
Shallow bay adjacent to Point Reyes - site of the San Andreas Fault |
Hwy 1, Marin County |
Topanga State Park |
Hilly land with oak woodland and grassy meadows - part of Santa Monica Mountains NRA |
East side of Hwy 27 between CA 1 and the San Fernando Valley |
Van Damme State Park |
Wooded canyon with abundant ferns and unusual plants, leading to a beach on the Pacific Ocean |
Three miles south of Mendocino, along Hwy 1 |
Washoe Meadows State Park |
Forest and meadows along Angora Creek, once home to Native American tribes. Park is not yet developed |
Two miles from South Lake Tahoe |
Wilder Ranch State Park |
Historic ranch surrounded by extensive grassland and forest, plus riparian habitats and a section of coastline |
West of Santa Cruz along Hwy 1 |