National Parks - California

map courtesy of the National Park Service

Cabrillo National Monument
Memorializes Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, Portuguese explorer who landed at San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542, and claimed this coast for Spain.

Channel Islands National Park
Comprising five islands off the Southern California coast, park includes nesting sea birds, sea lion rookeries, and a variety of plants found nowhere else in the world.

Death Valley National Park
This large desert, nearly surrounded by high mountains, includes the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere.

Devils Postpile National Monument
Features basalt columns 40 to 60 feet high resembling a giant pipe organ that were formed by the cooling and cracking of hot lava some 900,000 years ago.

Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site
Eugene O'Neill, Nobel Prize winning playwright and the architect of modern American theater, lived at Tao House in the hills above Danville from 1937 to 1944.

Fort Point National Historic Site
Constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1853 and 1861 to prevent entrance of a hostile fleet into San Francisco Bay.

Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Hosting nearly 20 million visitors a year, this large urban park includes ocean beaches, redwood forests, lagoons, marshes, military properties, and Alcatraz Island.

John Muir National Historic Site
Preserves the 17-room mansion where naturalist and Sierra Club founder John Muir lived from 1890 until his death in 1914.

Joshua Tree National Park
Desert park and Biosphere Reserve features a variety of plants and animals, and a representative stand of Joshua-trees.

Kings Canyon National Park
The third oldest national park features a rugged canyon and powerful river, waterfalls, and desolate backcountry. It includes Grants Grove and Cedar Grove.

Lassen Volcanic National Park
Established as a national park due to active volcanism. Lassen Peak erupted intermittently from 1914 until 1921.

Lava Beds National Monument
Volcanic activity here created a rugged landscape -- a natural fortress used by the Indians in the Modoc Indian War, 1872-73.

Manzanar National Historic Site
Best preserved of ten camps at which Japanese American citizens and Japanese aliens were interned during World War II.

Mojave National Preserve
Protects fragile environment of the desert tortoise, and features a variety of landscapes, geologic phenomenon, historic sites, and recreation areas.

Muir Woods National Monument
Includes a virgin stand of coastal redwoods, named for John Muir, writer and conservationist.

Pinnacles National Monument
Features spirelike rock formations 500 to 1,200 feet high, with caves and a variety of volcanic features. Closed until further notice due to storm damage.

Point Reyes National Seashore
Peninsula near San Francisco is noted for its long beaches backed by tall cliffs, lagoons and esteros, forested ridges, and offshore bird and sea lion colonies.

Redwood National and State Parks
Features old growth coastal redwood forests and 40 miles of scenic Pacific coastline.

Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park
This Richmond, California park was created to commemorate the mobilization of the workforce on the home front during World War II, while specifically recognizing the contributions of women and minorities to this effort. 

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Includes the historic fleet at Hyde Street Pier, the Maritime Museum, and the Maritime Museum Library.

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Located near Los Angeles, it features more than 580 miles of hiking trails and a 55-mile scenic drive through the Santa Monica Mountains

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
The second oldest national park is home to groves of giant sequoias, Mineral King Valley, and Mount Whitney.

Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area
Featuring mountainous backcountry and a large reservoir, the Whiskeytown Unit offers activities such as hiking and boating.

Yosemite National Park
Established in 1890, this Sierra Nevada park features alpine wilderness, groves of Giant Sequoias, and the glacially-carved Yosemite Valley.

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