National Parks in California

California is full of wonderful National Parks. The west coast of California is shoreline and is full of beaches. Just north of San Francisco is Muir Woods, named after John Muir the naturalist and author.

California has many redwood forests and you can see those further north at Redwood National Park.

Then there is beautiful and magnificent Yosemite National Park best known for its magnificent waterfalls.

For deserts there is Joshua National Park, Death Valley National Park and the Mojave National Preserve, and for volcanoes you can go to Lassen Volcanic National Park.

California has so much to offer and much of it is preserved in the National Park Service.

Yosemite National Park is one of the first wilderness parks in California. It is well known for its waterfalls, deep valleys, and giant sequoias. One big challenge many people like is to climb Half Dome.

Some of Yosemite reaches over 13,000 feet, with the valley floor being at an elevation of just over 2,000 feet. Most of the snow and rain falls in Yosemite in the spring. Many of the waterfalls are fed by snow melt and run dry in the summer.Often in the winter many of the roads leading to Yosemite are closed due to snow.

In the summer it is very dry and there is always a high risk of fire.

The best way to see Yosemite is by hiking and camping.

Muir Woods is just north of San Francisco, over the Golden Gate Bridge. It is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and has been a National Park for over 100 years. It consists of forests of redwood trees close to the coastline of California.

The weather is mild with a cool dry summer. The coastline is well known for fog which often takes until lunchtime to clear.

The Redwood National and State Parks can be found just north of Eureka on the California Coast.

It is full of redwoods, as you would expect. But also prairie lands, major rivers and coastline.

Joshua Tree National Park, about 3 hours' drive from Los Angeles, is thought be be desert by many, but within the desert environment there is a huge variety of life. It is enjoyed by birdwatchers and rock climbers.

Point Reyes is a National Seashore and park preserve in Marin County, just north of San Francisco. It has a wide variety of plants and animals and many different birds, some of which are endangered. The coastline is undeveloped and marvelous to look at and walk along.

It is also a good place to whale watch from as the California Grey Whale migrates from Alaska to Mexico and back again. You can also sometimes see harbor seals, sea lions and elephant seals.
.

The Lassen Park Peak Trail is so popular that sometimes it can even get crowded. There is potentially snow on the peak year round, so always check the weather before you go.

The Mojave Desert is located between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Visitors can expect hot temperatures, especially in the daytime during the summer. It does still get cold at night. Occasionally there are strong winds. There are abandoned mines, homesteads and military outposts.

The most popular time to visit Death Valley is in the spring because summer is too hot. If there has been some rainfall during the winter then there will be an impressive array of flowers in the spring.

The best way to see Death Valley is with a ranger guided tour. They will show you the historic mining sites, canyons or the salt-flats.

While you are in Death Valley you may wish to visit Scotty's Castle. Guided tours are available daily, 365 days a year.