Death Valley National Park
P.O. Box 579 Death Valley, CA 92328
760-786-3280
Death Valley National Park is the largest National Park in the lower 48 states and contains a diverse desert environment of salt flats, sand dunes, badlands, valleys, canyons and mountains. A group of settlers became stuck in the valley in 1849 while looking for a shortcut to the California gold fields. It was at that time they gave the valley the name of Death Valley.
Death Valley National Park has a history of mining operations and ghost towns. Several boom towns sprang up during the late 19th and early 20th centuries but they were short lived as the gold and silver they were seeking became harder to find. The park is home to a variety of wildlife and plants that have adapted to the harsh desert environment. Death Valley National Park is the hottest and driest of the National Parks in the U.S. and is located in the Mojave Desert. The park is located in California and Nevada.
Devils Postpile National Monument
P.O. Box 3999 Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
760-934-2289
Devils Postpile National Monument protects the Devils Postpile, an unusual rock formation of columnar basalt. Its columns tower 60-feet high and display an unusual symmetry. Along with the 101-foot high Rainbow Falls and pristine mountain scenery, the formation is a rare sight in the geologic world and ranks as one of the world's finest examples of columnar basalt (basalt features a glassy matrix interspersed with minerals).
Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site
P.O. Box 280 Danville, CA 94526
925-838-0249
Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site preserves the Monterey Colonial hillside home of America's only Nobel Prize winning playwright, Eugene O'Neill. Eugene O’Neill called his home the Tao House. O'Neill and his wife, actress Carlotta Monterey, showed their interest in Asian art, decor and thought while preparing the home. The ceilings were dark blue to copy the sky above with dark wood floors representing the earth below. The home also had Noh masks, Chinese guardian statues and Chinese lacquerware furnishings throughout the interior. Outside, Carlotta installed a garden in a zigzag pattern which Chinese tradition indicated would keep away evil spirits. They also planted several trees, including pine, almond and redwood.
Fort Point National Historic Site
Fort Mason, Building 201 San Francisco, CA 94123
415-556-1693
Fort Point National Historic Site is a masonry seacoast fortification located at the southern side of the Golden Gate Bridge at the entrance to San Francisco Bay. This fort was completed just before the American Civil War by the U.S. Army to defend San Francisco Bay against hostile warships. From its vantage point overlooking the spectacular Golden Gate, Fort Point defended the San Francisco Bay following California's Gold Rush through World War II. The parks beautifully arched casemates display the art of 3rd system brick masonry and interacts gracefully with the Golden Gate Bridge.
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Building 201, Fort Mason San Francisco, CA 94123
415-561-4700
Golden Gate National Recreation Area protects over 80,000-acres of 19 separate ecosystems and historically significant landscapes. The park chronicles 200-years of history, from Native American culture, to Spanish Empire frontier, to the California Gold Rush, and the evolution of American coastal fortifications and growth of urban San Francisco Bay Area. Other features of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area are Alcatraz Island, Fort Point National Historic Site, Muir Woods National Monument and Presidio of San Francisco. Golden Gate National Recreation Area is America’s most visited park unit within the National Park Service.
John Muir National Historic Site
4202 Alhambra Ave. Martinez, CA 94553
925-228-8860
Muir Woods National Monument protects an old growth costal redwood forest, one of a few such stands remaining in the San Francisco Bay area and is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The forest was named in honor of John Muir (naturalist, author, environmental philosopher and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States) after William and Elizabeth Kent had purchased the land to preserve its beauty and restful wilderness and donated it to the federal government to protect it from destruction.
Joshua Tree National Park
74485 National Park Dr. Twentynine Palms, CA 92277
760-367-5500
Joshua Tree National Park has two distinct desert ecosystems, the Mojave across the northern part and the Colorado (part of the Sonoran Desert) along the southern boundary. The Joshua tree is the iconic symbol of the park, as are the rock and boulder formations. The park can seem unwelcoming, even brutal during the heat of summer when, in fact, it is delicate and extremely fragile.
Joshua Tree National Park encompasses some of the most interesting geologic displays found in California’s deserts. The park welcomes climbers and bouldering enthusiasts and is truly a world-class climbing destination. Joshua Tree has many miles of hiking trails; ranging from short walks and nature trails to more moderate hikes to much more challenging hikes. Boasting some of the darkest nights in Southern California, Joshua Tree National Park offers many visitors the chance to admire the Milky Way for the first time in their lives.
Kings Canyon National Park
47050 Generals Hwy Three Rivers, CA 93271
559-565-3341
Kings Canyon National Park is the younger of the two parks in the Sierra Nevada’s range (the other is Sequoia National Park). The park consists of two distinct areas, Grant Grove and Cedar Grove. Grant Grove is home to the General Grant tree, which has been called “the Nation’s Christmas Tree.” The General Grant tree is the second-largest tree in the world, being slightly smaller than the General Sherman tree found in neighboring Sequoia National Park. Kings Canyon National Park offers huge mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons and vast caverns. Kings Canyon is also home to Redwood Canyon, the world’s largest remaining grove of sequoia trees.
Lassen Volcanic National Park
P.O. Box 100 Mineral, CA 96063
530-595-4480
Lassen Volcanic National Park with Lassen Peak; the dominant feature of the park, the largest plug dome (circular mound-shaped) volcano in the world and the southern-most volcano in the Cascade Range. The forest landscape is filled with fumaroles from its multiple volcanoes and boiling mud pots. Snowshoeing is a popular winter activity, and rangers lead snowshoe tours for the less experienced.
Lava Beds National Monument
P.O. Box 1240 Tulelake, CA 96134
530-667-8113
Lava Beds National Monument lies on the northeastern flank of the Medicine Lake Volcano and has the largest total area covered by a volcano in the Cascade Range. Over the past half-million years, volcanic eruptions on the Medicine Lake Volcano have created a rugged landscape dotted with diverse volcanic features. There are more than 700 caves, Native American rock art sites, historic battlefields and ample camping for your pleasure.
Manzanar National Historic Site
5001 Highway 395 Independence, CA 93526
760-878-2194
Manzanar