How to use this list
California's state park system is the largest in the country, and it carries some of the best coastline, old-growth redwood, and desert in the state. Day-use fees run roughly $8 to $15 per vehicle at most of these parks, a fraction of the $35 you pay at the big national parks. That makes them the smart move when the marquee parks are booked out or overrun.
The list below spans the whole state, so pick by where your trip already puts you. Each entry names the region, what it does best, and the fee so you can plan the day. If you are still deciding where to base your trip, start with the California travel guide and the San Francisco Bay Area hub, since several of these parks sit within a two-hour drive of the city. Pair the coastal picks with the best scenic drives in California and the mountain ones with the best hot springs in California for a fuller weekend.
The best state parks on the coast
**Region: Central Coast · Best for: the McWay Falls view · Fee: $10 per vehicle** Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park in Big Sur holds McWay Falls, an 80-foot waterfall that drops straight onto a beach cove. The overlook is a short, flat walk from the parking lot on Highway 1, so you get one of the best coastal views in the state for almost no effort.
**Region: Central Coast · Best for: tide pools and diving · Fee: $10 per vehicle** Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, just south of Carmel, is where the Monterey cypress meets clear water full of sea otters, seals, and diving cormorants. Get there before 10 a.m. on weekends or the lot fills and they hold cars at the gate.
**Region: San Diego · Best for: cliff-top hiking · Fee: $15 to $25 per vehicle** Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve above La Jolla runs sandstone bluffs and the rare Torrey pine over a wide beach. The trails are short and the ocean is always in view. Combine it with the rest of the best beaches in California if you are working the southern coast.
**Region: Orange County · Best for: an undeveloped beach near LA · Fee: $15 per vehicle** Crystal Cove State Park sits between Newport Beach and Laguna, three miles of open sand and a 1930s cottage district with no high-rises behind it. It is the closest thing to a wild beach you will find in the middle of Southern California.
The best state parks in the redwoods and the north
**Region: North Coast · Best for: the tallest trees · Fee: free (Avenue of the Giants)** Humboldt Redwoods State Park protects the largest stand of old-growth coast redwood left on earth, and the 32-mile Avenue of the Giants runs right through it parallel to Highway 101. You can drive it for nothing and stop to walk the Founders Grove flat loop among 300-foot trees.
**Region: North Coast · Best for: elk and Fern Canyon · Fee: $12 per vehicle** Prairie Creek Redwoods, part of the Redwood National and State Parks complex, gives you Roosevelt elk on the meadows and Fern Canyon, a slot canyon with 50-foot walls of ferns that stood in for a Jurassic Park set. Book the Fern Canyon permit ahead in summer.
**Region: San Francisco Bay Area · Best for: a big view close to the city · Fee: free to $8** Mount Tamalpais State Park rises straight out of Marin County just north of the Golden Gate. On a clear day the summit looks over the whole Bay, the ocean, and the Farallon Islands, and it is a 45-minute drive from downtown San Francisco. It pairs naturally with a day in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The best state parks in the mountains and desert
**Region: High Sierra · Best for: Lake Tahoe's best cove · Fee: $10 to $15 per vehicle** Emerald Bay State Park on Tahoe's southwest shore frames the only island in the lake and the Vikingsholm mansion below. The bay is the postcard shot of Tahoe, and the trail down to the water is a steep one-mile round trip. Read the full best scenic drives in California guide, because the road around Emerald Bay is one of them.
**Region: The Deserts · Best for: spring wildflowers · Fee: free day use, $10 to $25 to camp** Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the largest state park in the lower 48, an hour east of San Diego, and in a wet year the wildflower bloom in March draws people from across the state. Come October through April; summer is dangerously hot.
**Region: Gold Country · Best for: giant sequoias without the crowds · Fee: $10 per vehicle** Calaveras Big Trees State Park east of Stockton has two groves of giant sequoia and a fraction of the traffic you fight at the national parks. The North Grove loop is an easy, flat 1.5 miles past trees you can drive a car through the stump of.
**Region: Eastern Sierra · Best for: a preserved ghost town · Fee: $8 per adult** Bodie State Historic Park sits at 8,375 feet north of Mono Lake, a gold-rush town frozen in what the state calls arrested decay. Roughly 100 buildings still stand with furniture and goods inside. The last three miles of road are dirt, and it closes with the first heavy snow, so go June through October.
Where to stay and how to plan the day
Most of these parks are day-use, so you base in a nearby town and drive in. For the Tahoe parks, Edgewood Tahoe Resort and Harrah's Lake Tahoe in South Lake Tahoe put you minutes from Emerald Bay. For Point Lobos and the Big Sur parks, the Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa or The Inn at Spanish Bay on the Monterey Peninsula are a 20 to 40 minute drive up Highway 1. In the city, the Argonaut Hotel at Fisherman's Wharf or the Fairmont San Francisco leave you close to Mount Tam and the Marin parks. Browse more options in the hotels and resorts directory.
Buy a California State Parks day-use pass if you plan to hit several parks in a week, since the per-vehicle fees add up. Bring cash for the self-pay envelopes at the smaller parks that do not staff an entrance kiosk. And check each park's page before you drive out: coastal lots fill by mid-morning on summer weekends, and the Sierra and Eastern Sierra parks close roads with the first snow.
Frequently asked questions
How much do California state parks cost to enter?
Day-use fees run about $8 to $15 per vehicle at most parks, with a few coastal reserves like Torrey Pines charging up to $25 in peak season. That is well under the $35 per vehicle you pay at Yosemite or the desert national parks. If you plan to visit several in a year, the annual California State Parks pass pays for itself quickly.
Which California state park is the best for first-time visitors?
For coast, Point Lobos near Carmel or Julia Pfeiffer Burns in Big Sur give you the most view for the least effort. For redwoods, Humboldt Redwoods and its free Avenue of the Giants drive is the easiest win. If you are based in San Francisco, Mount Tamalpais is a 45-minute drive for a Bay-wide view.
Do I need reservations for California state parks?
Day-use entry is first-come at nearly all of them, but a few high-demand spots take timed permits in summer, including Fern Canyon at Prairie Creek Redwoods. Campgrounds book out months ahead through ReserveCalifornia, so reserve early if you want to stay overnight in Anza-Borrego, Big Sur, or the Tahoe parks.
When is the best time to visit California state parks?
The coast is good most of the year, with clear fall days often the best. The Sierra and Eastern Sierra parks like Emerald Bay and Bodie are summer and early fall only, since snow closes the roads. The desert parks like Anza-Borrego are October through April, and March is the wildflower window in a wet year. Avoid the deserts May through September.