Top Things to do in California
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Things to do in California, United States: The Best National Parks
California is a fertile, peaceful place where you’ll find a near-equal balance of vineyards and deserts, beaches and mountains, hippies and traditionalists. Catch an epic wave in Big Sur or swirl a glass in Napa Valley. Be dazzled by the Joshua Tree night sky or just star-gaze in Hollywood. Swish down the slopes of a Tahoe ski resort, or cruise across the Golden Gate Bridge with the top down and the music blasting. Above all, don’t forget to soak up some Golden State sunshine.
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1. Shasta-Trinity National Forest
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 80 reviews
Reviewed By FloridaLady - Summerfield, United States
This place looks like something you’d see in a travel magazine. It’s a great place to fish, hike, canoe, etc and enjoy the beautiful scenery. One of the most serene places in all of California.
2. Manzanar National Historic Site
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 499 reviews
Manzanar NHS tells the stories of 120,000 Japanese Americans excluded from the West Coast and confined during WWII. Manzanar was the first of ten camps and held 11,070 people, 2/3 of them American citizens. Today, visitors explore the site by walking or driving to see foundations, trees, rock gardens, and stone alignments. Extensive exhibits feature historic photos, film footage and audio programs, a scale model, a children’s exhibit, and special programs. Open daily. Free admission.
Reviewed By PDXtraveller707
This place was very moving, including an easily accessible indoor museum and a driving tour around the perimeter of the camp... the guard tower along the road and stone gates, as well as the absolute desolation of the place were striking... the stories and incredible photographs of the individual people and families are so moving, heartbreaking and yet, how people survived and even built a community within this place is awe-inspiring... well well well worth any time you can stop. We got there right before the museum closed and were still able to do the driving tour... it was amazing... I’m so glad it is preserved for us all to remember what Japanese Americans went through. An awesome stop.
3. Mount Tamalpais State Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 441 reviews
Beautiful state park north of San Francisco.
Reviewed By AdvtrTrvlr - Camarillo, United States
This area is north of the Marin Headlands and the Muir Woods. We drove all around on the Panoramic Highway down to Stinson Beach. Many of the roads are very narrow and have sharp curves. The main thing to do in this park are countless numbers of hikes you can do, many from the woods / mountains all the way down to either Muir Beach or to Stinson Beach.
4. Redwood National Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,127 reviews
National park that preserves an area of over 110,000 acres of Redwood rainforest and 50 miles of scenic coastline in Northern California.
Reviewed By LeeRuth - Eau Claire, United States
* Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park/Redwoods National Park * Turn on Davison Road/Elk Meadow/Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park/Redwood National Park-follow to Gold Bluffs Beach Campground /Fern Canyon Trail—Awesome Drive !!!! * The scenery changes dramatically when you turn onto this road. A 4 mile beautiful drive on a narrow, curvy, up hill road. There are beautiful blue/green ferns on either side of this road.Arrive at the ranger station for entrance fee. Then another 4 mile drive to the Fern Canyon trail. The campground entrance is along the way. You’ll have to ford a creek. Fern Canyon-FANTASTIC!! gorgeous, lush, green rocky, damp trail alongside a babbling creek. ( Be sure you have walking shoes) I could only go about 1/4 mile. We didn’t make it to the waterfall. The entire loop is 1.1 miles. Because I walk with a cane I was unable to complete the entire loop. Don’t miss this Canyon! * After coming out of here we drove north Towards Berry Glenn just North of here take a right off Hwy 101 then a left for a more "wilderness type" experience amongst the giant redwoods on Newton Drury scenic parkway.
5. Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 259 reviews
Reviewed By TheBel - Burlingame, United States
We visited this wonderful museum a year ago and it was so fulfilling. The memorabilia and the care for the exhibits is great. The highlight for us was to opportunity to watch and listen to a group of ladies who actually worked at the plant during the war. They were vibrant and had insights that showed what was needed during the war effort. If you have any interest in the Second World War this is the closest living exhibit you can see and hear. I am in awe of the women who spoke and gave us their insight into the war effort. There is also a very good restaurant next door which makes the day totally fulfilling.
6. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,177 reviews
Reviewed By crnflake - Phoenix, United States
Loved the views here. Plenty of driving if you start from the south and head to roads end in Kings Canyon, but worth it. Zumwalt meadow was a nice walk and very pretty although still partially closed. Favorite hikes are Little Baldy and Congress Trail —both seem almost private (the latter in spite of the Sherman Tree traffic) and are very accessible ways to see the amazing view and beautiful sequoias (we have kids under 11)
7. Sequoia National Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 321 reviews
Reviewed By liz171x
We entered the park about 10:30 am through the Ash Oak entrance just after Three Rivers (last place for chains is just before the enraince (Totem market and gifts) and took the main road North to the big trees. If you are prone to car sickness and/or have difficulty driving twisty roads and want to see the bigger trees, don't use this entrance. Going North on this road, the roads are so twisted, it looks like a toddler scribbled on the map, and they based the road on that. I don't suffer car sickness and got a bit dizzy on the drive. If you do get car sick, you should instead enter through the Big Stump entrance and drive South to the big trees. This wont work if you want to see the other parts of the park near the "scribbled" road, only if you're interested in JUST the larger trees and in the winter/spring, snow and snowplay. You can avoid the worst of the road driving from North to the South. Now, if you're prone to issues with heights? You'll want to drive the opposite way, South to North, that way you're driving up the worst of the roads and you can't see directly how steep it is were you to drive down. I absolutely believe everyone should drive through if possible instead of doubling back. We drove through, stopping wherever we saw something interesting. With the heavy rains this year, the rivers and waterfalls were full, the park has its own super bloom of wildflowers, and there was plenty of snow at the higher elevations. We greatly enjoyed the giant forest museum. If you park in the farthest parking lot, there's a staircase you'll need to walk down to get to the museum, with the snow I don't remember seeing a ramp, but there appeared to be closer handicapped parking if you have a placard. Right by these steps are some rocks that are the perfect place to stand to get a photo with the Sentinel tree, which sits just outside the museum. You'll be able to see the entire tree in your photo with your family at close range. I would recommend the museum to everyone first, it's quick and easy and has a little store and a kid's activity packet. From there I would do the big trees trail - "a panel near the start of Big Trees Trail explains: In Giant Forest, sequoias grow bigger than anywhere else, and Round Meadow is one of the best sequoia habitats within the Giant Forest."Hikespeak. Even in late April, there was so much snow that the trail was mostly covered. We're mostly sure we hiked the trail thanks to the markings in the trees. However, after 30 minutes we had to turn back as downed trees and deep snow prevented us from seeing where the trail continued. I'm told the path is paved and mostly flat, but could not verify this due to the 8-12 plus inches of snow, slush, and ice. We had the kids in snow and hiking boots, but my friend and I both wore tennis shoes that made walking in the snow very difficult. I would love to go back here and do the congress trail as well, based on what I saw, I'm thinking it would be less steep than to do the general Sherman trail with the 200+ foot elevation changes and many stairs. Take your time up here, the elevation makes things difficult. Make sure you hydrate well and don't refill bottles or wash food in bathroom sinks. I spent time explaining to a foreign tourist that she shouldn't wash her fruit in water marked not potable. There aren't a whole lot of bathrooms around here, bring clean water or use drinking fountains only, even to wash fruit. If you're someone who just wants to see the park and only do hikes of an hour or less, spend the day, you can take in some amazing vistas in a day. I do not recommend driving these roads at night. Bring an extra pair of shoes and socks, even waterproof hiking boots got soaked through in the snow. I recommend Wolverton for snow play, we found lots of people sledding there and just going there for the day to hang out and play.
8. Joshua Tree National Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 608 reviews
Reviewed By jamesmD3016MY - Boston, United States
Being NP aficionados, Joshua Tree has been on our list to visit for a few years. We were not disappointed. The scenery from the loop roads was diverse and wonderful. We took a couple of relatively easy trail hikes. My only quibble is on the Barker Dam and Hidden Valley Trails the descriptions/stories exceeded what we actually saw on the hikes.
9. Alcatraz Island
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 55,332 reviews
Park rangers conduct tours by recounting the prison's thrilling history along with intriguing anecdotes about Al Capone and other legendary figures that made a "home" here.
Reviewed By Piggin01
I did the night tour it was amazing and very interesting love that former inmates and staff did the audio recording for the tour which is easy to follow and very informative would highly recommend and would do again
10. Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 675 reviews
Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the nation's largest national park in an urban area, encompasses nearly 81,000 acres. Spanning Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties, Golden Gate National Recreation Area also includes areas such as Alcatraz Island, Muir Woods National Monument, Fort Point National Historic Site, Presidio of San Francisco, and the Marin Headlands.
Reviewed By LightFighter - Lafayette, United States
I have spend the last 30 years exploring various pieces of the amazing Golden Gate National Recreation Area - everything from Alcatraz to Fort Point to the expansive Marin headlands area. I hiker's paradise, the photo ops are some of the best in the world and there are wonderful opportunities to learn more about California history. Pick and small piece and go explore! You will be rewarded with wonderful memories!
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