United States California California Guide Things To Do Essentials Where to Stay Itineraries Getaways All California The 15 Best State Parks in California By Katherine Gallagher Katherine Gallagher Instagram Katherine is a freelance writer who covers Hawaii and California travel for Tripsavvy. TripSavvy's editorial guidelines Published on 03/17/22 Share Pin Email John Elk / Getty Images Encompassing 340 miles of coastline, 15,000 campsites, and 5,200 miles worth of trails, California’s 280 state parks embody all the finest and most diverse sides of the state. You find every environment imaginable, from forests and beaches to mountains and deserts. Escape to nature for adventure, history, or relaxation at one of the 15 best state parks in California. 01 of 15 Crystal Cove State Park Jon Farmer / Getty Images Located off the Pacific Coast Highway between Corona Del Mar and Laguna, Crystal Cove State Park combines the best of southern California. Wedged between a wild landscape filled with backcountry hikes and a classic sandy beach, this spot is perfect for diving, surfing, camping, or just enjoying the scenery. Experience over 2,400 acres of coastal landscape including vibrant tide pools and a 3.2-mile beach before grabbing a burger at the park’s very own Oceanfront Beachcomber restaurant and Bootlegger Bar. To stay even longer, book one of the 24 oceanfront cottages (originally built between 1920 and 1940) that have been restored for overnight guests. View Map Address 8471 N Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, CA 92651, USA Get directions Phone +1 949-494-3539 Web Visit website 02 of 15 Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Kevin Key / Slworking / Getty Images Covering a whopping 600,000 acres in Borrego Springs near the Mexican border, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the largest state park in all of California. Due to its rough desert terrain and scorching summer temperatures, a visit will require plenty of preparation (and water) as well as an all-terrain vehicle to navigate the rugged roads. The park is stunning year-round but its best known for wildflower blooms in the spring and colorful sunsets. There are more than 90 flowering plants to enjoy and the park contains an exciting section of the Pacific Crest Trail. View Map Address 200 Palm Canyon Dr, Borrego Springs, CA 92004, USA Get directions Phone +1 760-767-4205 Web Visit website 03 of 15 Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park Yuval Helfman / EyeEm / Getty Images This state park located just a few miles from the city of Santa Cruz is a favorite for hikers and backpackers thanks to the more than 4,650 acres of forest and open land. Perhaps the most popular spot within Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is the 40-acre grove of old-growth redwood trees, the largest of which is 277 feet tall, 16 feet wide, and 1,500 years old. View Map Address California, USA Get directions Phone +1 831-335-4598 Web Visit website 04 of 15 Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park Sean Duan / Getty Images It’s almost impossible to visit Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and not recognize its most famous landmark—the 80-foot McWay Falls that plummets from a rocky cliff straight onto the beach. The surrounding area is home to several other state parks that are also worth a visit (especially for camping), including Limekiln and Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, as well as incredible vista points like Bixby Bridge. Although access to the beach below is strictly off-limits as it’s part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the park features a short, half-mile trail that provides a great view of the famous waterfall. Likewise, the 1-mile, round-trip Partington Cove Trail includes steeper portions that take hikers to another rocky beach nearby. View Map Address 52801 CA-1, Big Sur, CA 93920-9528, USA Get directions Phone +1 831-667-1112 Web Visit website Continue to 5 of 15 below. 05 of 15 Empire Mine State Historic Park JimFeliciano / Getty Images Located in Grass Valley in the heart of the Sierra Nevada Foothills (about 60 miles northeast of Sacramento), Empire Mine State Historic Park safeguards an important piece of California’s history: the Gold Rush. Learn about the park’s retired gold mine and historic buildings at the visitor’s center before setting out to explore 14 miles worth of interpretive hiking trails. For true history buffs, head to the park between May and September to experience guided tours of the mine yard and cottage grounds where William Bowers Bourn Jr. built a stunning country estate in the 19th century. View Map Address 10791 E Empire St, Grass Valley, CA 95945-8801, USA Get directions Phone +1 530-273-8522 Web Visit website 06 of 15 Columbia State Historic Park S. Greg Panosian / Getty Images Located a couple of hours south of Empire Mine, Columbia State Historic Park offers a more inclusive glimpse into the same Gold Rush era and the people who lived through it. Visitors can stroll through the expertly-preserved town that served as the second-largest city during the peak of the Gold Rush, complete with stagecoach rides, a Western-style saloon, and a blacksmith’s shop. Families with kids will definitely enjoy the park on “Gold Rush Days” on the second Saturday of each month, where visitors can participate in craft making, gold panning, and interactive tours led by costumed guides. View Map Address 22708 Broadway St, Columbia, CA 95310, USA Get directions Phone +1 209-588-9128 Web Visit website 07 of 15 Emerald Bay State Park Jim Duran / Getty Images Take a look at the blue-green waters of Lake Tahoe’s southwest corner (a breathtaking contrast to the main lake’s deep blue tones) and it’s not hard to guess how Emerald Bay State Park got its name. Tahoe’s only island sits right in the center of the bay, topped with the ruins of an old teahouse and surrounded by an underwater maritime heritage trail, the state’s first, where scuba divers can swim past sunken boats and barges from the early 20th century. Even more unexpected is the Scandinavian-style stone castle known as Vikingsholm Castle found on a nearby shore. Visitors can also go camping at Eagle Point Campground, hiking on the Rubicon Trail, or simply take a cruise around the lake. View Map Address 138 Emerald Bay Rd, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150, USA Get directions Phone +1 530-541-3030 Web Visit website 08 of 15 Salt Point State Park Gerald Corsi / Getty Images Off of Highway 1 just north of Sonoma Coast State Park, Salt Point boasts some of the best coastal views in Northern California. Campers can choose from two separate campgrounds within the park’s 6,000 acres as well as 20 miles of hiking trails leading to breathtaking sights of the foggy offshore waters below. At Gerstle Cove, one can still see sandstone rocks scattered along the beach (remnants of a former rock quarry) and honeycomb-like tafoni caverns carved into the rocks by nature. View Map Address 25050 CA-1, Jenner, CA 95450-9738, USA Get directions Phone +1 707-847-3221 Web Visit website Continue to 9 of 15 below. 09 of 15 Point Lobos State Natural Reserve Michael Marfell / Getty Images Popular with scuba divers and wildlife enthusiasts who come to discover the dynamic waters of Monterey Bay, Point Lobos State Park covers 550 acres of coastal land and another 775 acres offshore. Doubling as a nature reserve, the park hosts a large colony of seals along with sea lions and otters. Be prepared to share the space with a variety of photographers, bloggers, and even painters who come to experience the stunning scenery—there’s a reason why it’s known as "the crown jewel of the State Park System.” View Map Address 62 CA-1, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923-9725, USA Get directions Phone +1 831-624-4909 Web Visit website 10 of 15 Big Basin Redwoods State Park Wolterk / Getty Images Big Basin Redwood State Park helps protect some of the world’s oldest and largest trees, which makes sense considering it is the oldest state park in California. First established in 1902, the 18,000-acre park hosts the largest continuous stand of ancient coast redwoods south of San Francisco. Big Basin also contains many of Santa Cruz’s favorite campgrounds and hiking trails as well as opportunities for mountain biking and horseback riding. Don’t miss the Redwood Loop Trail to explore the park’s tallest and most ancient trees, some are between 1,000 and 1,800 years old. View Map Address 21600 Big Basin Way, Boulder Creek, CA 95006, USA Get directions Phone +1 831-338-8861 Web Visit website 11 of 15 Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park Dave G. Houser / Getty Images Located just about an hour east of Sacramento, Marshall Gold State Park has a pretty special claim to fame: it’s the place where gold was first discovered in California. It’s named for James W. Marshall, who’s credited for discovering the state’s first speck of gold in 1848 on the South Fork of the American River. Visitors can learn about this local history at the on-site Gold Discovery Museum, try their hand at panning for gold, or take a walk through the park’s oak woodlands. View Map Address 310 Back St, Coloma, CA 95613, USA Get directions Phone +1 530-622-3470 Web Visit website 12 of 15 Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park Brent Durand / Getty Images Draped in lush foliage and green ferns about 50 miles north of Eureka, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park is one of four parks (known collectively as the Redwood National and State Parks) that protect 45 percent of California's remaining old-growth redwoods. Among this verdant, jungle-like scenery (pristine enough to have earned the park designation as both a World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve) is a great span of meadows known as Elk Prairie, regularly grazed by large herds of massive Roosevelt elk. Apart from camping and hiking, visitors are also encouraged to experience the park via its three scenic drives. View Map Address 127011 Newton B. Drury Scenic Pkwy, Orick, CA 95555, USA Get directions Phone +1 707-465-7354 Web Visit website Continue to 13 of 15 below. 13 of 15 McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park Bartfett / Getty Images Find McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park tucked into the Cascade Mountains and centered around Lake Briton in Shasta County. The second-oldest state park in the California State Park system, many visitors come here for views of 129-foot Burney Falls fed by Burney Creek and several underground springs. For hikers, the park spans over 5 miles of hiking trails, including a portion of the famous Pacific Crest Trail. View Map Address 24898 CA-89, Burney, CA 96013, USA Get directions Phone +1 530-335-2777 Web Visit website 14 of 15 Año Nuevo State Park MargaretW / Getty Images Año Nuevo State Park and Nature Reserve provides a habitat for several endangered species and is an important breeding site for the thousands of elephant seals who migrate there each year. While most visitors come to Año Nuevo to spot the colossal seals and their pups who are typically born between December and February, the park has plenty of other features to choose from, such as sand dunes and a Marine Education Center. View Map Address 1 New Years Creek Rd, Pescadero, CA 94060, USA Get directions Phone +1 650-879-2025 Web Visit website 15 of 15 Limekiln State Park Doug Meek / Getty Images Named for the historic limestone kilns used to extract pure lime from the coastal slopes, and another stop along Highway 1, Limekiln State Park offers history and scenery in just over 700 acres. Back in the 1880s, lime was a hot commodity used for buildings in nearby San Francisco and Monterey. When the limestone reserves were depleted and the kilns closed, the landscape could recover as the kilns slowly crumbled into stone and metal ruins. While the kilns remain the park’s signature attraction, there’s also beach access and 29 dedicated campsites set among redwood groves. View Map Address 63025 CA-1, Big Sur, CA 93920, USA Get directions Phone +1 805-434-1996 Web Visit website Article Sources TripSavvy uses only high-quality, trusted sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial policy to learn more about how we keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy. California Department of Parks and Recreation. "About Us." Accessed March 17, 2022. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Share Pin Email Tell us why! Submit