California National Parks

California national parks take visitors through a journey of the European discovery of the west coast of the new world, literary and environmental figures, and interpret this country’s fears in war and the reaction of our country both good and bad. Its natural resources allow us to explore sites of national and international significance, unique desert and island ecosystems, and ancient volcanoes.

Visit these California National Parks:

Alcatraz Island: Alcatraz Island offers a close-up look at the site of the first lighthouse and US fort on the West Coast, the infamous federal penitentiary long off-limits to the public, and the 18 month occupation by Indians of All Tribes which saved the tribes. Rich in history, there is also a natural side to the Rock - gardens, tide pools, bird colonies, and bay views beyond compare.

Alcatraz Weather     Alcatraz Ratings

Cabrillio National Monument: Climbing out of his boat and onto shore in 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo stepped into history as the first European to set foot on what is now the West Coast of the United States. In addition to telling the story of 16th century exploration, the park is home to a wealth of cultural and natural resources. Join us and embark on your own Voyage of Discovery.

Cabrillio Weather     Cabrillio Ratings

California National Historic Trail: The road to California carried over 250,000 gold-seekers & farmers to the gold fields & rich farmlands of California during the 1840's and 1850's - the greatest mass migration in American history. More than 1,000 miles of trail ruts and traces can still be seen in the vast undeveloped west – reminders of the sacrifices, struggles, and triumphs of early American travelers and settlers.

California Trail Ratings

Channel Islands National Park: Close to the California mainland, yet worlds apart, Channel Islands National Park encompasses five remarkable islands (Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara) and their ocean environment, preserving and protecting a wealth of natural and cultural resources. Isolation over thousands of years has created unique animals, plants, and archeological resources found nowhere else.

Channel Islands Weather     Channel Island Ratings

Death Valley National Park: Hottest, Driest, Lowest: A superlative desert of streaming sand dunes, snow-capped mountains, multicolored rock layers, water-fluted canyons and three million acres of stone wilderness. Home to the Timbisha Shoshone and to plants and animals unique to the harshest deserts. A place of legend and a place of trial. Death Valley. 

Death Valley Weather     Death Valley Ratings

Devils Postpile National Monument: Established in 1911 by presidential proclamation, Devils Postpile National Monument protects and preserves the Devils Postpile formation, the 101-foot high Rainbow Falls, and pristine mountain scenery.  The formation is a rare sight in the geologic world and ranks as one of the world's finest examples of columnar basalt. Its columns tower 60 feet high and display an unusual symmetry.

Devils Postpile Weather     Devils Postpile Ratings

Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site: America's only Nobel Prize winning playwright, Eugene O'Neill, chose to live in Northern California at the climax of his writing career. Isolated from the world and within the walls of his home, O'Neill wrote his final and most memorable plays; The Iceman Cometh, Long Day's Journey Into Night, and A Moon for the Misbegotten. Reservations are required to visit this site.

Eugene O'Neill Weather     Eugene O'Neill Ratings

Fort Point National Historic Site: From its vantage point overlooking the spectacular Golden Gate, Fort Point protected San Francisco harbor from Confederate & foreign attack during & after the U.S. Civil War. Its beautifully arched casemates display the art of the master brick mason from the Civil War period.

Fort Point Weather     Fort Point Ratings

Golden Gate National Recreation Area: Battery Chamberlin: Golden Gate National Parks chronicle two hundred years of history, from the Native American culture, the Spanish Empire frontier and the Mexican Republic, to maritime history, the California Gold Rush, the evolution of American coastal fortifications, and the growth of urban San Francisco.

Golden Gate Weather     Golden Gate Ratings

John Muir National Historic Site: A biography, part I: "Why should man value himself as more than a small part of the one great unit of creation?" John Muir asked. His remarkable vision – that all creation is one community made up of equal companions – still inspires people to love nature and work to save wild lands and wildlife.

John Muir National Historic Site: A biography, part II

John Muir Weather     John Muir Ratings

Joshua Tree National Park: Viewed from the road, this desert park only hints at its vitality. Closer examination reveals a fascinating variety of plants and animals that make their home in this land shaped by strong winds, unpredictable torrents of rain, and climatic extremes. Dark night skies, a rich cultural history, and surreal geologic features add to the attraction of this place. Come see for yourself!

Joshua Tree Weather     Joshua Tree Ratings

Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail: Map of historic sites and public access points.

Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail: With over 1200 miles of auto route connecting Mexico to San Francisco, the Anza Trail invites travelers to experience the interweaving of the three elements of the Spanish plan for colonization of its northern frontier: the presidio or fort (military), the mission (religious), and the pueblo or town (civilian).

Juan Bautista Trail Ratings

Kings Canyon National Park: These two parks testify to nature's size, beauty, and diversity: Immense mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns, and the world's largest trees! The parks lie in the southern Sierra Nevada, east of the San Joaquin Valley. Activities vary greatly by season and elevation - which ranges from 1300' to 14,494'.

Kings Canyon Weather     Kings Canyon Ratings

Lassen Volcanic National Park: To visit Lassen Volcanic National Park is to witness a brief moment in the ancient battle between the earth shaping forces of creation and destruction in Northern California. Nestled within Lassen's peaceful forests and untouched wilderness, hissing fumaroles and boiling mud pots still shape and change the land, evidence of Lassen’s long fiery and active past.

Lassen Weather     Lassen Ratings

Lava Beds National Monument: Along the shores of Tule Lake, ancient lava flows had formed a rugged, uneven terrain which became known as Captain Jacks Stronghold. The area was cut with deep lava trenches and dotted with small habitable caves, creating a natural fortification and a seemingly endless variety of places through which one could move unnoticed.

Lava Beds Weather     Lava Beds Ratings

Manzanar National Historic Site: Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941, led the United States into World War II and radically changed the lives of 120,000 men, women, and children of Japanese ancestry living in the United States.

Manzanar Internment Camp: Japanese American History: About 5,000 Japanese Americans were serving in the U.S. Army when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941. The U.S. military soon called for another 5,000 volunteers from the mainland and Hawaii. In January 1942, however, the Selective Service reclassified Japanese Americans as "enemy aliens" and stopped drafting them.

Manzanar Weather     Manzanar Ratings

Mojave National Preserve: Ripple sand dunes sing an eerie chorus. Cactus flowers bloom after a spring rain, jewels against buff-colored earth. Juniper and pinyon trees clinging to rock. Saltbush borders a dry lakebed, and countless Joshua tree limbs reach toward the sky as if in prayer. Mojave is all these scenes and more – a bounty for the senses.

Mojave Weather     Mojave Ratings

Muir Woods National Monument: Coast redwoods dominate this fog-drenched forest. Redwoods of all ages, including many over 600 years old, grow among standing dead trees, rotting logs, and diverse undergrowth. This specialized forest environment provides habitat for a range of plants and animals adapted to the low light and moist conditions.

Muir Woods Weather     Muir Woods Ratings

Old Spanish National Historic Trail:  Take a journey across the Southwest on the Old Spanish National Historic Trail between Santa Fe and Los Angeles for history, culture, and scenic beauty.

Old Spanish Trail Ratings

Pinnacles National Monument: Rising out of the chaparral-covered Gabilan Mountains, east of central California's Salinas Valley, are the spectacular remains of an ancient volcano. Massive monoliths, spires, sheer-walled canyons and talus passages define millions of years of erosion, faulting and tectonic plate movement.

Pinnacles Weather     Pinnacles Ratings

Point Reyes National Seashore: From its thunderous ocean breakers crashing against rocky headlands and expansive sand beaches through its open grasslands to its brushy hillsides and forested ridges, visitors can discover over 1000 species of plants and animals. Home to several cultures over thousands of years, Point Reyes preserves a tapestry of stories and interactions of people. Point Reyes awaits your exploration.

Point Reyes Weather     Point Reyes Ratings

Pony Express National Historic Trail: The legend of the "the Pony," as it was affectionately known, may overshadow its brief history, but the bold founders and brave riders of the Pony Express helped spread important news, shrink a continent, and bind a nation that was being torn apart by civil war.

Life of the Pony Express Riders: Hires ranged from teenagers to about age 40. Weight restrictions were strict.

History of Mail Delivery Before and After the Pony Express:  Officially the Pony Express ceased operations with the completion of the transcontinental telegraph on October 26, 1861. The Pony made its last run on November 20, 1861. It completed some 300 runs each way over 600,000 miles and carried more than 33,000 pieces of mail.

Pony Express Ratings

Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial: On the evening of July 17, 1944, residents in the San Francisco east bay area were jolted awake by a massive explosion that cracked windows and lit up the night sky. At Port Chicago Naval Magazine, 320 men were instantly killed when the munitions ships they were loading with ammunition for the Pacific theatre troops mysteriously blew up. Reservations are required to visit this site.

Port Chicago Weather     Port Chicago Ratings

Presidio of San Francisco: The Presidio of San Francisco served as an almost continuously active military garrison for more than 200 years under the flags of three nations.

Presidio Weather     Presidio Ratings

Redwood National and State Park: Stand at the base of a coast redwood and the huckleberry bushes tower over you. Watch statuette Roosevelt elk grazing in the prairies. Observe the tail of a female Chinook salmon heave skyward as she makes a nest for her eggs. Whether a morning or night person, you can hear the endangered marbled murrelets' keer across the treetops as they fly from sea to mossy nest.

Redwood Weather     Redwood Ratings

Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historic Park: Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park, located in the wartime boomtown of Richmond, California, preserves and interprets the stories and places of our nation's home front response to World War II.

Rosie the Riveter Weather     Rosie the Riveter Ratings

San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park: Stand on the stern of Balclutha, face west to feel the fresh wind blowing in from the Pacific Ocean. Located in the Fisherman's Wharf neighborhood, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park offers the sights, sounds, smells and stories of Pacific Coast maritime history.

San Francisco Maritime Weather     San Francisco Maritime Ratings

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area: Portraying Africa, the Amazon, and the old west? That's talent! Combining the scenic and the imagination play a big role in the movies and at this national park! Close to Hollywood, with beaches, grasslands, canyons, and oak woodlands, this coastal mountain range has star quality! Explore a rare, diverse landscape inspiring preservation and creativity. Meet the Santa Monica Mountains in person.

Santa Monica Weather     Santa Monica Mountains Ratings

Sequoia National Park: This park testifies to nature's size, beauty, and diversity: Immense mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns, and the world's largest trees! The park lies in the southern Sierra Nevada, east of the San Joaquin Valley. Activities vary greatly by season and elevation - which ranges from 1300' to 14,494' .

Sequoia Weather     Sequoia Ratings

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area: Located 8 miles west of Redding, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area is located at the juncture of the Klamath Mountain range and the northern edge of the Sacramento Valley, making it home to a special collection of animal and plant life. Some of the park's features are Whiskeytown Lake, Shasta Bally (6,209 ft.) and numerous waterfalls, providing outdoor enthusiasts opportunities for water recreation.

Whiskeytown Weather     Whiskeytown Ratings

Yosemite National Park: A shrine to human foresight, strength of granite, power of glaciers, the persistence of life, and the tranquility of the High Sierra. Yosemite National Park, one of the first wilderness parks in the United States, is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more.

Yosemite Weather     Yosemite Ratings