Parks & Places in California
The places worth your time in California, from headline parks to the towns you will actually base in.
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite Valley's granite walls, Half Dome and El Capitan, and the waterfalls that run hardest in May and June. A peak-season reservation system has applied in recent summers, so check the current-year rules. Tioga Road over the high country usually opens late May to July and closes with the first big snow.
Explore
Sequoia National Park
Home to the General Sherman Tree and the Giant Forest, the largest trees on earth by volume. Paired with Kings Canyon next door, about four hours from LA or five from San Francisco. The Generals Highway climbs fast, so allow time and check for chain controls in winter.
Explore
Kings Canyon National Park
The deep glacial canyon next to Sequoia, quieter than its neighbor, with the Kings River, Zumwalt Meadow, and Grant Grove. Highway 180 into Cedar Grove is open roughly late April through November.
Explore
Death Valley National Park
The largest national park in the lower 48 and the hottest place on earth: Badwater Basin at 282 feet below sea level, the Mesquite Flat dunes, and Zabriskie Point at sunrise. Go October through April; summer is genuinely dangerous heat.
Explore
Joshua Tree National Park
Where the Mojave and Colorado deserts meet, an hour from Palm Springs. Boulder piles and Joshua trees, rock climbing and stargazing, and cool enough to hike October through May.
Explore
Redwood National and State Parks
The tallest trees on earth along the far north coast, a joint national and state park system near Crescent City and Orick. Fern Canyon, Roosevelt elk on the prairies, and often fog and cool temperatures even in summer.
Explore
Lassen Volcanic National Park
An active volcanic landscape of boiling mud pots, fumaroles, and alpine lakes in the far north. The main park road usually clears of snow by June or July and closes again by late fall.
Explore
Channel Islands National Park
Five islands off Ventura and Santa Barbara reached only by boat or small plane, sometimes called the Galapagos of North America. Sea caves, kayaking, and endemic island foxes; Santa Cruz and Anacapa are the easiest day trips.
Explore
Pinnacles National Park
The eroded remains of an ancient volcano east of the Salinas Valley, with talus caves, rock spires, and one of the best places to see California condors. Spring and fall are ideal; summer bakes.
Explore
Lake Tahoe
The largest alpine lake in North America, straddling the California and Nevada line. Summer swimming and paddling at Emerald Bay, a dozen ski resorts in winter including Palisades Tahoe and Heavenly, and about a two-hour drive up from Sacramento.
Explore
Big Sur
The 90-mile stretch of Highway 1 where the Santa Lucia Mountains drop straight into the Pacific: Bixby Bridge, McWay Falls, and the redwoods of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Check for road closures, which happen after winter storms.
Explore
Napa Valley
California's best-known wine region, an hour north of San Francisco. Cabernet-focused estates along Highway 29 and the quieter Silverado Trail, the town of Yountville's restaurants, and harvest crush in September and October. Most tastings are by reservation.
Explore
Sonoma Valley
Napa's more relaxed neighbor: the historic Sonoma Plaza, Healdsburg, and the Russian River Valley pinot and zinfandel. More drop-in tastings and a shorter drive from the Bay than eastern Napa.
Explore
Monterey and Carmel
The Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row, the 17-Mile Drive past Pebble Beach, and storybook Carmel-by-the-Sea just south. The northern anchor for a Big Sur drive, about two hours from San Francisco.
Explore
Santa Barbara
The American Riviera: red-tile Spanish architecture, State Street, the Old Mission, and beaches facing south. The gateway to the Santa Ynez wine country and Solvang, about 90 minutes up the coast from LA.
Explore
Palm Springs
The mid-century desert resort town two hours east of LA: modernist architecture, golf and pools, the Aerial Tramway up San Jacinto, and warm winters that flip to extreme summer heat. Base for Joshua Tree and the Coachella Valley.
Explore
Mammoth Lakes
A high Eastern Sierra town at 8,000 feet: Mammoth Mountain skiing deep into spring, summer hiking around the Lakes Basin and Devils Postpile, and the nearby ghost town of Bodie. Highway 120 through Yosemite links it to the west only in summer.
Explore
Mendocino
A New England-style village on the bluffs three hours north of San Francisco: headland trails, the Botanical Gardens, and a quiet, foggy coast of cove beaches and redwoods inland.
Explore
Mount Shasta
The 14,179-foot volcano that dominates the far north, visible for a hundred miles down I-5. Mountaineering and hiking in summer, a small ski park in winter, and the town of Mount Shasta at its base.
Explore
Golden Gate Bridge
San Francisco's landmark and one of the most photographed bridges in the world. Best seen from Battery Spencer on the Marin side or from Crissy Field; walk or bike across, and expect fog on summer mornings.
Explore
Disneyland Resort
The original Disney park in Anaheim, plus Disney California Adventure next door. Reservations and date-based tickets apply; go midweek and off-peak to cut the lines. The anchor of any Orange County family trip.
Explore
Hollywood
The Walk of Fame, the TCL Chinese Theatre, the Griffith Observatory view of the Hollywood Sign, and the studio tours in Burbank and Universal City nearby. A half-day of the icons, easily paired with the rest of LA.
Explore
Santa Cruz
A surf-and-boardwalk town at the north end of Monterey Bay: the Beach Boardwalk, the wharf, redwoods in the hills above, and the drive over Highway 17 from San Jose.
Explore
LA Jolla
San Diego's upscale coastal neighborhood: the sea caves and sea lions at the Cove, tide pools and kayaking, and cliff-top walks. About 15 minutes north of downtown San Diego.
Explore
Catalina Island
An hour by ferry from Long Beach or San Pedro: the harbor town of Avalon, snorkeling and glass-bottom boats, and a car-free interior of hiking and bison. A doable overnight or long day trip from LA.
Explore
Solvang
A Danish-heritage village in the Santa Ynez Valley 45 minutes from Santa Barbara: windmills and bakeries, and a base for the Santa Barbara County wine country made famous by the film Sideways.
Explore