13 California State Parks You Must Visit

california has almost 300 state parks that encompass some of the state's most beautiful natural areas whether it's the stunning coastline towering trees or wildlife sanctuaries the state parks have something for everyone of course it's impossible to pick the best but i wanted to share 13 of my favorites in this video also note that i didn't include places like hearst castle and bodhi which would normally be on a list like this as i wanted to make a separate list of state historic parks with that said here are 13 of my favorite state parks in california and let me know what i left off in the comments first up emerald bay is easily in my top three most beautiful places in all of california i've been so many times but i love going back every chance i get when you're driving highway 89 and see fanet island sitting out in the water it's just an incredible view and something you won't soon forget the park itself is accessed by parking in the lot at the top and walking down about a mile to the beach below from there you can rent kayaks and float out on the water tour the historic vikings home or view eagle falls on a nice short hike it's one of those parks that you'll spend the entire day at and still leave wanting more also it's an incredible place for sunrise if you want to get up early too next up anza borrego state park is an awesome desert park in southern california with lots of fun places to explore the park has over 500 000 acres and it's the largest state park in california anza borrego has slot canyons awesome off-roading and dozens of metal sculptures scattered around the desert landscape also fonts point is one of my favorite spots for sunset in the state as well do make sure you have a half to a full day to explore the park though as there's lots of driving between the different attractions my next recommendation is julia pfeiffer burns state park heading north from hurst castle julia pfeiffer burns state park is right in the middle of big sur and it features one of the state's most famous attractions mcquay falls the park also has hiking trails to some beautiful views but the main attraction is a short quarter mile trail that allows you to walk along and overlook and look down on the waterfall that falls directly on the beach it's a really easy spot to access and a popular one for photography so you'll see dozens of other people there with you especially at sunset it's really hard to find a better view in all of california than this spot though my next recommendation is crystal cove state park crystal cove is located in the heart of orange county and has over three miles of coastline the park also has many miles of hiking trails with beautiful coastal views and amazing sandy beaches at the end i love hiking here on a spring day and then spending a few hours just relaxing on the beach plus the park also has the crystal cove shake shack which is an awesome spot for a milkshake and a view of the ocean after a nice hike number five is lime kiln state park lime kiln state park is another entry from big sur and one that was even scheduled to close about a decade ago luckily that didn't happen and now lime kiln can be explored in the southern section of big sur the park has a great beach beautiful campground and a few nice trails one of the trails goes to a waterfall and the other goes to some historic lime kilns it's not as visited as many of the other parks on this list but i think it's a beautiful example of the diversity in the california state parks next up is macarthur bernie state park this park is the second oldest in california after big basin and it's home to probably my favorite waterfall in the state the park has lots of hiking options a campground and of course the amazing bernie falls this waterfall is truly a sight to see as it dominates the landscape and provides some amazing photographic opportunities honestly if you're anywhere near this park which is east of reading then you must make the trip over to see it my next recommendation is angel island state park angel island is an island in the san francisco bay that was originally used for military installations now the island is a state park that you must take a ferry over to visit and it's an incredible place to explore while in san francisco the ferry takes you by alcatraz on your way to the island then once you're there you basically have the whole place to yourself as you walk around on the five mile perimeter walk you can explore old buildings and soak in all of the amazing views just make sure you're back in time for the last ferry off the island my next recommendation is humboldt redwood state park humboldt redwood state park is home to the avenue of the giants which is another one of my favorite places in the entire state this beautiful 32 mile drive passes under massive redwoods has dozens of groves to explore and has truly some of the largest trees you've ever seen i have an entire video on just this drive if you're interested plus you can drive through a tree here as well which is something that many california visitors want to do my next recommendation is prairie creek redwood state park heading north from the last recommendation you'll enter redwood national park this park is basically a collection of several state parks with one of them being prairie creek prairie creek redwood state park has amazing groves to explore but my favorite thing to do there is to visit fern canyon one of my favorite hiking trails in the state the hike through fern canyon is like something you would see in hawaii and it's not a hike you'll soon forget plus driving through the state park you may even see elk as well which are frequent in the area also trillium falls is on the outskirts of prairie creek and it's another great hike with beautiful redwoods and a nice waterfall at the end you'll easily fall in love with the area just by driving through this park my next recommendation is russian gulch state park russian gulch is in the city of mendocino along the northern coast of california and it has a few attractions that make it a must visit the first is a large sinkhole out near the mendocino headlands that you definitely need to see the second is a viewpoint looking back towards the park and the historic bridge which is one of my favorite photo spots in the state the last thing to do is to hike through the park to a stunning waterfall with a tree that's fallen right in the middle of the waterfall it's another park that doesn't get visited as often but there's a lot to like at this park my next recommendation is antelope valley state park heading back to southern california antelope valley state park is about 45 minutes outside of los angeles this park is incredibly popular in the spring when the poppies are blooming and if you come at the right time you'll find a sea of orange stretching out in front of you it's a beautiful park every year with nice hiking trails but if you go during a super bloom like we had a few years ago it's incredibly hard to beat i've even been on non-super bloom years though and it's definitely still worth the visit my next recommendation is torrey pines state park torrey pines is probably the best place for coastal hiking in southern california the trails are stunning with amazing coastal views and equally amazing san diego weather the hiking trails also have the famous torrey pine trees which are only found in san diego and one of the channel islands off the coast most of the trails in the park ultimately lead down to an amazing beach and it's a great spot to relax after a morning of hiking my last recommendation is anno nuevo state park outside of santa cruz and a nuevo state park protects an important breeding ground for elephant seals and it's one of the most unique state parks i've explored depending on when you go you will either be able to hike around the park yourself or go on a ranger-led hike out to where the seals are at it feels like you're on a safari as you cross over the sand dunes hoping to see these massive creatures and it's one of the most fun adventures i've had at a state park in california so there you have it my list of 14 parks you must visit in california be sure to let me know what i left off in the comments and we'll see you on the next video you

Channel: California Through My Lens

Views: 135,656

Rating: 4.9609375 out of 5

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Id: qrGshkW8cZI

Length: 8min 28sec (508 seconds)

Published: Sun May 02 2021