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By Interest/National Parks in California

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National Parks in California

California is home to 8 national parks, each offering a distinct landscape and experience. Here they are, ranked by annual visitation.

Updated February 2026

#1Upper Yosemite Fall and Merced River in spring

Yosemite

CA

Comfortable

Granite cliffs rise 3,000 feet, seasonal waterfalls drop half a mile, and giant sequoias reach into the Sierra sky in this iconic valley.

#2people climbing on boulders are silhouetted against a colorful sunset sky

Joshua Tree

CA

Moderate CrowdsDark Sky

Two desert ecosystems meet where the Mojave's yuccas give way to the Colorado's slopes and granite formations split by ancient forces.

#3A steep granite slope leads from forest to a bare alpine landscape

Sequoia & Kings Canyons

CA

Comfortable

The giant sequoias here include General Sherman, the largest tree on Earth by volume, anchoring a forest where trunks exceed 30 feet wide.

#4Morning light on the badlands below Zabriskie Point.

Death Valley

CA, NV

Moderate CrowdsDark Sky

Death Valley's salt flats, singing dunes, and moving rocks reward October-to-April visitors with cooler temps and wildflower blooms.

#5Redwood trees line a narrow dirt road.

Redwood National and State Parks

CA

ComfortableHidden Gem

The world's tallest trees stand in groves you can walk through on level trails, three hours north of San Francisco with a third the crowds.

#6Golden grasses edge a pond reflecting a snow-dusted peak

Lassen Volcanic

CA

ComfortableHidden Gem

Lassen Peak's 1914-1917 eruptions left a volcanic laboratory where boiling mudpots and sulfurous vents still reshape the ground.

#7Light falling on tree

Pinnacles

CA

Moderate CrowdsHidden Gem

Volcanic spires rise above talus caves where you can crawl through darkness on designated routes. Half of Yosemite's crowds.

#8Yellow flowers in foreground extending out along a rocky coastline to a natural arch.

Channel Islands

CA

ComfortableHidden Gem

California's Galápagos lies 12 miles offshore with 145 endemic species. Sea lions, island foxes, and rare seabirds inhabit five islands.

Nearby States

Montana Nevada Washington Wyoming West Region
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Data sourced from the NPS API and NPS IRMA visitor statistics.