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The
Golden State may be pricey, but it's terrain readily gives back:
California's State Parks provide access to pristene environments,
unrivaled viewscapes, historical curiosities, and natural gems.
Features
vary by park, with amenities ranging from picnicking among wildflowers
to hike and bike access, snow trails, and scuba-friendly coves.
Many parks provide camping; here's our Cooke's Dozen list of the
Top Twelve, plus Three:
•
Angel Island: Far bigger than
Alcatrax, Angel Island rises 788 feet in the middle of San Francisco
Bay, with woodlands, bluffs, and nine campsites truly offering unique
perspectives. The city, erupting with lights at dusk, East Bay sunrises
getting a jump on the busy Bay Area. Plus there's the island's history
as military base, missile silo, and Chinese Immigration Center,
the Ellis Island of the West. 415-435-1915
•
Anza Borrego: Massive desert
park replete with badland canyons, cacti stands, pinon-juniper woodlands,
and dusty mountains, Anza Borrego draws its name from its famed
inhabitants: bighorn sheep, some 200 strong. They roam the park,
as can you, seeking native petroglyphs, old stage routes, and, in
springtime, dazzling ocotillo and brittlebush wildflowers bursting
into red and yellow. 760-767-5311
•
Big Basin Redwoods: California's
oldest state park (est. 1902), and one of its most popular, Big
Basin attracts climbers, hikers, and bikers to its 30+ miles of
trail. From the ocean to Castle Rock, Big Basin is crisscrossed
with paths amid redwoods, live oaks, pines, creeks, waterfalls,
wildflowers, and vista points. This one was first for a reason.
831-338-8860
•
Big Sur: The mythical midpoint
of California'a Highway One, Big Sur has three excellent coastal
parks. Andrew Molera, 4,800 lightly-used acres buttressed by pines
and Pacific; Julia Pheiffer, with coves, waterfalls, and Scuba reserve;
Phieffer Big Sur, the communal park with giant redwoods, native
American cemetary, and riverside camping. 831-667-2315
•
Calavaras Big Trees: Hundreds
of giant sequoias grace Calavaras, and they are big - the tallest
crest 250 feet. Interpretive trails wind through the giants, and
past massive stumps, including that of the famed Discovery Tree,
felled in 1853. 209-795-2334
•
Castle Crags: Thrusting upward
from the Northern Sacramento River valley, the Castle Crags have
been a beacon for travelers since pioneer days. Though adjacent
to I-5, the park gets wild in a hurry, with river frontage, Pacific
Crest Trail access, and killer views of Mt. Shasta to the north.
530-235-2684
•
Donner Memorial: The tragic
tale of the Donner Party - who, in October 1846, made the ill-fated
choice to break camp at this high Sierra pass - is commemorated
at Donner Memorial. A snowstorm stranded the party here through
the 1846-47 winter, to a fate of starvation and cannibalism. Today
the park honors emigrant history, with a museum, interpretive trail,
and campgrounds by the 350-acre lake. 530-582-7892
•
Grover Hot Springs: Tucked amid
eastern Sierra folds south of Lake Tahoe, Grover Hot Springs bubbles
over with two soaking options: the 102-104-degree hot pool, or the
larger conventional pool hovering in the 70s. Showers on site. 530-694-2248
•
Malibu Creek: If the scenic
Santa Monica Mountains look familiar, perhaps its those MASH reruns
on TV Land - the show's famous introduction showed choppers cresting
its peaks. You can hike up to the MASH set, snapping some photos
at the rusted jeep and ambulance, or visit the rest of nearby Paramount
Ranch at this wooded treasure just outside greater Los Angeles.
A treat. 818-880-0367
•
Mount Diablo: Second only to
Killamanjaro in its breadth of sweeping vistas, Mt. Diablo offers
360-degree viewing from the Farallon Islands to the Sierra Nevada,
and fabulous vantages of the glittering Bay Area below. 925-659-2607
•
Prairie Creek Redwoods: The
North Coast has great parks, but Prairie Creek Redwoods stands head
and antlers ahead. Coastal redwoods, wide-open beaches, and free-roaming
herds of Roosevelt elk, surely not camera shy. 707-464-6101
•
Sinkyone: Remote Lost Coast
park rewards pilgrims who exit Highway One and rumble up steep gravel
roads for this sheltered merging of thick forest and hidden coves.
Hard to imagine this rugged area supporting active settlements,
but that's what the Sinkyone Wilderness did in the 1880s, with logging,
ranching, and shipping. 707-986-7711
•
Sonoma Coast State Beaches:
Stretching 16 miles along the Sonoma coastline between Jenner and
Bodega, the Sonoma State Beaches provide black sand beaches, crashing
waves, rocky outcroppings and seasonal whale watching (Dec-Jan,
Mar-Apr). The location makes for an easy day trip from San Francisco;
arrive early on weekends to secure optimum spots. 707-875-3483
–
Jay Cooke is a San Francisco-based travel, food, and culture writer.
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