National Parks in California

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

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

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

CA, NV

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

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.

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

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

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

Nearby States