California state parks

California has a number of beautiful state parks in addition to a number of national parks, national monuments, and other national nature reserves. These parks are not as well known as their national counterparts and are somewhat more off the beaten path.

Understand


California's diverse regional scenery is summarized by the national parks within the state: Death Valley National Park showcases the desert, Yosemite National Park the Sierra Nevada, and Kings Canyon/Sequoia the forest. There are other national parks that feature other parts of the state as well.

However, for the preservation of smaller ecological habitats, dozens of state parks have been created. These have been an ongoing development and particularly during the 20th century spread to every part of the state, as all natural ecosystems in the state are valued by tourists and locals for their natural beauty. These include coastal habitats, mountain ranges, the remnants of the Central Valley wetlands, and inland desert. Accessibility varies widely but topography and distance to cities play a role, with difficult topography (for transportation) along parts of the coast and the Sierra/Cascades making the challenge of forming parks in these areas evident. The region of California farthest from cities, the far north and particularly northeastern corner, remains remote and has few state parks. The coastal region, due to its natural beauty, small towns and proximity to the popular California Route 1, has abundant state parks despite the rugged terrain.

The regions north of L.A. to the Oregon border have the bulk of the state parks, as from Los Angeles south the coastline is more developed. Meanwhile, the higher Sierras have relatively few state parks as much of this land is protected in national parks and national forests. The East Bay contains relatively few state parks, although much of the region is protected land; it's instead part of the East Bay Regional Parks District (EBRPD), which provides similar management to the state parks. While not considered state parks, EBRPD parks offer many of the same facilities and there are no obvious differences between the state parks and the East Bay Regional Parks.

Not all state parks have many facilities, and large parks such as Henry Coe, the size of national parks, have remote areas and tourists should only travel to these areas if they are experienced with safety precautions such as wildlife hazards. Bears, mountain lions, coyotes, and rattlesnakes are found across large portions of the state. Depending on elevation, severe heat and cold (or both) can be a major travel concern. Most mountain ranges in the state, with the exception of those immediately adjacent to the sea, receive snow in winter, and in the taller mountain ranges, the snow can get deep as to make hiking impossible.

Shasta/Cascades
The Shasta Cascades region is the northeast corner of the state. It is wild and remote, with forests, mountains, lakes, and even the occasional volcano.



San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley, also called the Central Valley, runs through the interior of California. Its fertile soil makes it an important area for agriculture.

Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada region is the place to go for sequoia trees and serious mountain sports.

North Coast
The North Coast is a great place for outdoor sports, including fishing. The vineyards are good but not as famous as Napa and Sonoma, and some areas are known for growing marijuana.

Sacramento Valley
Sacramento Valley is at the northern end of the San Joaquin Valley.

Gold Country
Gold Country is the best destination for history buffs interested in the California gold rush.

Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area is an urban area, but there are still plenty of parks, often on the smaller side.

Central Coast
The Central Coast runs along the ocean below the San Francisco Bay area.

Southern California
Southern California is Hollywood and so much more.

Desert
The Desert region of California is at the southern in, and inland.