The U.S. National Park Service preserves 58 national parks, 390 parks, historic sites, memorials, and recreation areas that attract nearly 300 million visitors every year. Our U.S. national parks are repositories of the nation’s biological diversity and contain some of the last ecosystem remnants that are found nowhere else in the world. Explore US Parks Online

Shenandoah National Park is a beautiful, historic national treasure which includes the 105-mile long Skyline Drive, a National Scenic Byway. The Park covers the crest of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains for over seventy-five miles. The Appalachian Trail roughly parallels the Skyline Drive and 101 miles of this trail run through the Park. (more…)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

California National Parks

List of California State Parks, State Beaches, State Reserves, and Recreation Areas

This is a List of California State Parks, State Beaches, State Reserves, and Recreation Areas in the California state park system. The California Department of Parks and Recreation, also known as California State Parks, manages the California state parks system. The system administers 278 parks totalling 1.4 million acres.

A

  • Admiral William Standley State Recreation Area
  • Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park
  • Albany State Marine Reserve
  • Anderson Marsh State Historic Park
  • Andrew Molera State Park
  • Angel Island State Park
  • Annadel State Park
  • Año Nuevo State Reserve
  • Año Nuevo State Park
  • Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve
  • Antelope Valley Indian Museum State Historic Park
  • Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
  • Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve
  • Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park
  • Asilomar State Beach
  • Auburn State Recreation Area
  • Austin Creek State Recreation Area
  • Azalea State Reserve

B

  • Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook
  • Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park
  • Bean Hollow State Beach
  • Benbow Lake State Recreation Area
  • Benicia State Recreation Area
  • Benicia Capitol State Historic Park
  • Bethany Reservoir State Recreation Area
  • Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park
  • Bidwell-Sacramento River State Park
  • Big Basin Redwoods State Park
  • Big River State Park
  • Bodie State Historic Park
  • Bolsa Chica State Beach
  • Border Field State Park
  • Bothe-Napa Valley State Park
  • Brannan Island State Recreation Area
  • Burleigh H. Murray Ranch
  • Burton Creek State Park
  • Butano State Park

C

  • Calaveras Big Trees State Park
  • California Citrus State Historic Park
  • California Mining and Mineral Museum
  • California State Capitol
  • California State Capitol Museum
  • California State Indian Museum
  • California State Railroad Museum
  • Candlestick Point State Recreation Area
  • Cardiff State Beach
  • Carlsbad State Beach
  • Carmel River State Beach
  • Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area
  • Carpinteria State Beach
  • Caspar Headlands State Reserve
  • Caspar Headlands State Beach
  • Castaic Lake State Recreation Area
  • Castle Crags State Park
  • Castle Rock State Park
  • Castro Adobe
  • Caswell Memorial State Park
  • Cayucos State Beach
  • China Camp State Park
  • Chino Hills State Park
  • Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park
  • Clay Pit State Vehicular Recreation Area
  • Clear Lake State Park
  • Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park
  • Columbia State Historic Park
  • Colusa-Sacramento River State Recreation Area
  • Cornfield State Park
  • Corona del Mar State Beach
  • Cowell Ranch/John Marsh State Historic Park
  • Crystal Cove State Park
  • Cuyamaca Rancho State Park

D

  • D. L. Bliss State Park
  • Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park
  • Delta Meadows
  • Dockweiler State Beach
  • Doheny State Beach
  • Donner Memorial State Park

E

  • Eastshore State Park
  • El Capitán State Beach
  • El Escorpion State Park
  • El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park
  • Emerald Bay State Park
  • Emeryville Crescent State Marine Reserve
  • Emma Wood State Beach
  • Empire Mine State Historic Park
  • Estero Bluffs State Park

F

  • Folsom Lake State Recreation Area
  • Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park
  • The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
  • Fort Humboldt State Historic Park
  • Fort Ord Dunes State Park
  • Fort Ross State Historic Park
  • Fort Tejon State Historic Park
  • Franks Tract State Recreation Area
  • Fremont Peak State Park

G

  • Garrapata State Park
  • Gaviota State Park
  • George J. Hatfield State Recreation Area
  • Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park
  • Gray Whale Cove State Beach
  • Great Valley Grasslands State Park
  • Greenwood State Beach
  • Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park
  • Grover Hot Springs State Park

H

  • Half Moon Bay State Beach
  • Harmony Headlands State Park
  • Harry A. Merlo State Recreation Area
  • Hatton Canyon
  • Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument
  • Heber Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area
  • Hendy Woods State Park
  • Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
  • Henry W. Coe State Park
  • Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area
  • Humboldt Lagoons State Park
  • Humboldt Redwoods State Park
  • Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area
  • Huntington State Beach

I

  • Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park
  • Indio Hills Palms

J

  • Jack London State Historic Park
  • Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
  • John B. Dewitt State Reserve
  • John Little State Reserve
  • Jug Handle State Reserve
  • Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

K

  • Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area
  • Kings Beach State Recreation Area
  • Kruse Rhododendron State Reserve

L

  • La Purísima Mission State Historic Park
  • Lake Del Valle State Recreation Area
  • Lake Oroville State Recreation Area
  • Lake Perris State Recreation Area
  • Lake Valley State Recreation Area
  • Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park
  • Leo Carrillo State Park
  • Leucadia State Beach
  • Lighthouse Field State Beach
  • Limekiln State Park
  • Little River State Beach
  • Los Angeles State Historic Park a.k.a. Cornfield State Park
  • Los Encinos State Historic Park
  • Los Osos Oaks State Reserve

M

  • MacKerricher State Park
  • Mailliard Redwoods State Reserve
  • Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park
  • Malibu Creek State Park
  • Malibu Lagoon State Beach
  • Manchester State Park
  • Mandalay State Beach
  • Manresa State Beach
  • Marconi Conference Center State Historic Park
  • Marina State Beach
  • Marital Cottle Project
  • Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park
  • McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park
  • McConnell State Recreation Area
  • McGrath State Beach
  • Mendocino Headlands State Park
  • Mendocino Woodlands State Park
  • Millerton Lake State Recreation Area
  • Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve
  • Montaña de Oro State Park
  • Montara State Beach
  • Monterey State Historic Park
  • Monterey State Beach
  • Montgomery Woods State Reserve
  • Moonlight State Beach
  • Morro Bay State Park
  • Morro Strand State Beach
  • Moss Landing State Beach
  • Mount Diablo State Park
  • Mount San Jacinto State Park
  • Mount Tamalpais State Park

N

  • Natural Bridges State Beach
  • Navarro River Redwoods State Park
  • New Brighton State Beach

O

  • Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area
  • Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area
  • Old Sacramento State Historic Park
  • Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
  • Olompali State Historic Park

P

  • Pacheco State Park
  • Pacifica State Beach
  • Palomar Mountain State Park
  • Patrick’s Point State Park
  • Pelican State Beach
  • Pescadero State Beach
  • Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park
  • Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
  • Picacho State Recreation Area
  • Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park
  • Pío Pico State Historic Park
  • Pismo State Beach
  • Placerita Canyon State Park
  • Plumas-Eureka State Park
  • Point Cabrillo Light Station
  • Point Dume State Beach
  • Point Lobos State Reserve
  • Point Lobos Ranch
  • Point Montara Light Station
  • Point Mugu State Park
  • Point Sal State Beach
  • Point Sur State Historic Park
  • Pomponio State Beach
  • Portola Redwoods State Park
  • Prairie City State Vehicular Recreation Area
  • Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
  • Providence Mountains State Recreation Area

R

  • Railtown 1897 State Historic Park
  • Red Rock Canyon State Park (California)
  • Refugio State Beach
  • Reynolds Wayside Campground
  • Richardson Grove State Park
  • Rio de Los Angeles State Park
  • Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach
  • Robert Louis Stevenson State Park
  • Robert W. Crown Memorial State Beach
  • Russian Gulch State Park

S

  • Saddleback Butte State Park
  • Salinas River State Beach
  • Salt Point State Park
  • Salton Sea State Recreation Area
  • Samuel P. Taylor State Park
  • San Bruno Mountain State Park
  • San Buenaventura State Beach
  • San Clemente State Beach
  • San Elijo State Beach
  • San Gregorio State Beach
  • San Juan Bautista State Historic Park
  • San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area
  • San Onofre State Beach
  • San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park
  • San Simeon State Park
  • San Timoteo Canyon
  • Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park
  • Santa Monica State Beach
  • Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park
  • Schooner Gulch State Beach
  • Seacliff State Beach
  • Shasta State Historic Park
  • Silver Strand State Beach
  • Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area
  • Sinkyone Wilderness State Park
  • Smithe Redwoods State Reserve
  • Sonoma State Historic Park
  • Sonoma Coast State Beach
  • South Carlsbad State Beach
  • South Yuba River State Park
  • Standish-Hickey State Recreation Area
  • State Indian Museum State Historic Park
  • Stone Lake
  • Sugar Pine Point State Park
  • Sugarloaf Ridge State Park
  • Sunset State Beach
  • Sutter Buttes State Park (not yet open as of August, ’06)
  • Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park

T

  • Tahoe State Recreation Area
  • Thornton State Beach
  • Tijuana Estuary
  • Tolowa Dunes State Park
  • Tomales Bay State Park
  • Tomo-Kahni State Historic Park
  • Topanga State Park
  • Torrey Pines State Beach
  • Torrey Pines State Reserve
  • Trinidad State Beach
  • Tule Elk State Reserve
  • Turlock Lake State Recreation Area
  • Twin Lakes State Beach

V

  • Van Damme State Park
  • Verdugo Mountains

W

  • Ward Creek
  • Washoe Meadows State Park
  • Wassama Round House State Historic Park
  • Watts Towers of Simon Rodia State Historic Park
  • Weaverville Joss House State Historic Park
  • Westport-Union Landing State Beach
  • Wilder Ranch State Park
  • Wildwood Canyon
  • Will Rogers State Beach
  • Will Rogers State Historic Park
  • William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park
  • William Randolph Hearst Memorial State Beach
  • Woodland Opera House State Historic Park
  • Woodson Bridge State Recreation Area

Z

  • Zmudowski State Beach

California National Wildlife Refuge Areas

  • Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Blue Ridge National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Butte Sink Wildlife Management Area  
  • Castle Rock National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Clear Lake National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Colusa National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Delevan National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Ellicott Slough National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Farallon National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Grasslands Wildlife Management Area  
  • Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Kern National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Kesterton National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Marin Islands National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Merced National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Modoc National Wildlife Refuge  
  • North Central Valley Wildlife Management Area  
  • Pixley National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge  
  • San Diego National Wildlife Refuge  
  • San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge  
  • San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge  
  • San Luis National Wildlife Refuge  
  • San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Sutter National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge  
  • Willow Creek-Lurline Wildlife Management Area

California Wilderness Areas

There are 69 wilderness areas in California.

  • Agua Tibia Wilderness
  • Ansel Adams Wilderness
  • Bigelow Cholla Garden Wilderness
  • Bright Star Wilderness
  • Bucks Lake Wilderness
  • Cache Creek (Sacramento River)
  • Cache Creek Wilderness
  • Caribou Wilderness
  • Carson-Iceberg Wilderness
  • Castle Crags Wilderness
  • Chimney Peak Wilderness
  • Chumash Wilderness
  • Cleghorn Lakes Wilderness
  • Clipper Mountain Wilderness
  • Cucamonga Wilderness
  • Dardanelles and Freel Roadless Areas
  • Darwin Falls Wilderness
  • Death Valley Wilderness
  • Desolation Wilderness
  • Dick Smith Wilderness
  • Dinkey Lakes Wilderness
  • Domeland Wilderness
  • El Paso Mountains Wilderness
  • Emigrant Wilderness
  • Fish Creek Mountains Wilderness
  • Garcia Wilderness
  • Golden Trout Wilderness
  • Granite Chief Wilderness
  • Havasu Wilderness
  • Hoover Wilderness
  • Ishi Wilderness
  • Jennie Lakes Wilderness
  • John Muir Wilderness
  • Kaiser Wilderness
  • Kiavah Wilderness
  • King Range Wilderness
  • Marble Mountain Wilderness
  • Mokelumne Wilderness
  • Monarch Wilderness
  • Mount Shasta Wilderness
  • Old Woman Mountains Wilderness
  • Owens Peak Wilderness
  • Phillip Burton Wilderness
  • Piper Mountain Wilderness
  • Red Buttes Wilderness
  • Rice Valley Wilderness
  • Russian Wilderness
  • Sacatar Trail Wilderness
  • San Francisco Estuary Partnership
  • San Gabriel Wilderness
  • San Gorgonio Wilderness
  • San Rafael Wilderness
  • Santa Rosa Wilderness
  • Sawtooth Mountains Wilderness
  • Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness
  • Sheep Mountain Wilderness
  • Silver Peak Wilderness
  • Siskiyou Wilderness
  • Snow Mountain Wilderness
  • South Sierra Wilderness
  • South Warner Wilderness
  • Stateline Wilderness
  • Sylvania Mountains Wilderness
  • Thousand Lakes Wilderness
  • Trinity Alps Wilderness
  • Ventana Wilderness
  • White Mountains Wilderness
  • Yolla Bolly–Middle Eel Wilderness
  • Yosemite Wilderness