History & Culture
Close History & Culture
Nature & Science
Close Nature & Science
For Kids & Teachers
Close For Kids & Teachers
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Alcatraz Island - San Francisco, CA | |
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Alcatraz Island offers a close-up look at the site of the first lighthouse and US fort on the West Coast, the infamous federal penitentiary long off-limits to the public, and the 18 month occupation by Indians of All Tribes which saved the tribes. Rich in history, there is also a natural side to the Rock - gardens, tide pools, bird colonies, and bay views beyond compare. |
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Cabrillo National Monument - San Diego, CA | |
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Climbing out of his boat and onto shore in 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo stepped into history as the first European to set foot on what is now the West Coast of the United States. In addition to telling the story of 16th century exploration, the park is home to a wealth of cultural and natural resources. Join us and embark on your own Voyage of Discovery. |
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California National Historic Trail - Various States, CA,CO,ID,KS,MO,NE,NV,OR,UT,WY | |
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The road to California carried over 250,000 gold-seekers & farmers to the gold fields & rich farmlands of California during the 1840's and 1850's - the greatest mass migration in American history. More than 1,000 miles of trail ruts and traces can still be seen in the vast undeveloped west – reminders of the sacrifices, struggles, and triumphs of early American travelers and settlers. |
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Channel Islands National Park - Ventura, CA | |
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Close to the California mainland, yet worlds apart, Channel Islands National Park encompasses five remarkable islands (Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara) and their ocean environment, preserving and protecting a wealth of natural and cultural resources. Isolation over thousands of years has created unique animals, plants, and archeological resources found nowhere ... |
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Death Valley National Park - Death Valley, CA,NV | |
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Hottest, Driest, Lowest: A superlative desert of streaming sand dunes, snow-capped mountains, multicolored rock layers, water-fluted canyons and three million acres of stone wilderness. Home to the Timbisha Shoshone and to plants and animals unique to the harshest deserts. A place of legend and a place of trial. Death Valley. |
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Devils Postpile National Monument - the Sierra Nevada near Mammoth Lakes, CA | |
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Established in 1911 by presidential proclamation, Devils Postpile National Monument protects and preserves the Devils Postpile formation, the 101-foot high Rainbow Falls, and pristine mountain scenery. The formation is a rare sight in the geologic world and ranks as one of the world's finest examples of columnar basalt. Its columns tower 60 feet high and display an unusual symmetry. |
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Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site - Danville, CA | |
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America's only Nobel Prize winning playwright, Eugene O'Neill, chose to live in Northern California at the climax of his writing career. Isolated from the world and within the walls of his home, O'Neill wrote his final and most memorable plays; The Iceman Cometh, Long Day's Journey Into Night, and A Moon for the Misbegotten. Reservations are required to visit this site. |
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Fort Point National Historic Site - Presidio of San Francisco, CA | |
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From its vantage point overlooking the spectacular Golden Gate, Fort Point protected San Francisco harbor from Confederate & foreign attack during & after the U.S. Civil War. Its beautifully arched casemates display the art of the master brick mason from the Civil War period. |
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Golden Gate National Recreation Area - San Francisco, CA | |
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Golden Gate National Parks chronicle two hundred years of history, from the Native American culture, the Spanish Empire frontier and the Mexican Republic, to maritime history, the California Gold Rush, the evolution of American coastal fortifications, and the growth of urban San Francisco. |
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John Muir National Historic Site - Martinez, CA | |
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John Muir National Historic Site preserves the Victorian home of the noted author and preservationist. Surrounded by almost 9 acres of fruit orchards and 326 acres of oak woodland, the site today is just a small piece of the original 2,600 acre ranch. The United States is forever indebted to the "Father of the National Park Service" for helping to preserve this country's greatest treasures. |
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Joshua Tree National Park - Southern California between I-10 and Hwy 62; headquarters in Twentynine Palms, CA | |
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Viewed from the road, this desert park only hints at its vitality. Closer examination reveals a fascinating variety of plants and animals that make their home in this land shaped by strong winds, unpredictable torrents of rain, and climatic extremes. Dark night skies, a rich cultural history, and surreal geologic features add to the attraction of this place. Come see for yourself! |
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Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail - Nogales, AZ to San Francisco, CA, AZ,CA | |
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"Everyone mount up!" This became a familiar call from Spanish Captain Juan Bautista de Anza. In 1776, as Americans fought for their independence in the East, Anza led almost 300 people over 1200 miles to settle Alta California. It was the first overland route established to connect New Spain with San Francisco. Walk in their footsteps from Nogales, Arizona to San Francisco, California. |
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Kings Canyon National Park - In the southern Sierra Nevada in Tulare and Fresno counties, CA | |
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These two parks testify to nature's size, beauty, and diversity: Immense mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns, and the world's largest trees! The parks lie in the southern Sierra Nevada, east of the San Joaquin Valley. Activities vary greatly by season and elevation - which ranges from 1300' to 14,494' (see Climate below). |
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Lassen Volcanic National Park - Mineral, CA | |
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To visit Lassen Volcanic National Park is to witness a brief moment in the ancient battle between the earth shaping forces of creation and destruction in Northern California. Nestled within Lassen's peaceful forests and untouched wilderness, hissing fumaroles and boiling mud pots still shape and change the land, evidence of Lassen’s long fiery and active past. |
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Lava Beds National Monument - Tulelake, CA | |
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Lava Beds National Monument is a land of turmoil, both geological and historical. Over the last half-million years, volcanic eruptions on the Medicine Lake shield volcano have created a rugged landscape dotted with diverse volcanic features. More than 700 caves, Native American rock art sites, historic battlefields and campsites, and a high desert wilderness experience await you! |
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Manzanar National Historic Site - Independence, CA | |
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In 1942, the United States government ordered more than 110,000 men, women, and children to leave their homes and detained them in remote, military-style camps. Manzanar War Relocation Center was one of ten camps where Japanese American citizens and resident Japanese aliens were interned during World War II. |
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Mojave National Preserve - Southern California between I-15 and I-40; headquarters in Barstow, CA | |
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Singing sand dunes, volcanic cinder cones, Joshua tree forests, and carpets of wildflowers are all found at this 1.6 million acre park. A visit to its canyons, mountains and mesas will reveal long-abandoned mines, homesteads, and rock-walled military outposts. Located between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Mojave provides serenity and solitude from the crowds of major metropolitan areas. |
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Muir Woods National Monument - Mill Valley, CA | |
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"This is the best tree-lovers monument that could possibly be found in all the forests of the world," declared conservationist John Muir when describing the majestic coast redwoods of Muir Woods. |
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Old Spanish National Historic Trail - AZ,CA,CO,NV,NM,UT | |
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Take a journey across the Southwest on the Old Spanish National Historic Trail between Santa Fe and Los Angeles for history, culture, and scenic beauty. |
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Pinnacles National Monument - Paicines, CA | |
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Rising out of the chaparral-covered Gabilan Mountains, east of central California's Salinas Valley, are the spectacular remains of an ancient volcano. Massive monoliths, spires, sheer-walled canyons and talus passages define millions of years of erosion, faulting and tectonic plate movement. |
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Point Reyes National Seashore - Point Reyes, CA | |
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From its thunderous ocean breakers crashing against rocky headlands and expansive sand beaches through its open grasslands to its brushy hillsides and forested ridges, visitors can discover over 1000 species of plants and animals. Home to several cultures over thousands of years, Point Reyes preserves a tapestry of stories and interactions of people. Point Reyes awaits your exploration. |
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Pony Express National Historic Trail - Various States, CA,CO,KS,MO,NE,NV,UT,WY | |
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The Pony Express NHT was used by young men on fast horses to carry the nation's mail from Missouri to California in the unprecedented time of only ten days. The relay system became the nation's most direct and practical means of east-west communications before the telegraph, and it played a vital role in aligning California with the Union in the years just before the Civil War. |
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Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial - Concord Naval Weapons Station, CA | |
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On the evening of July 17, 1944, residents in the San Francisco east bay area were jolted awake by a massive explosion that cracked windows and lit up the night sky. At Port Chicago Naval Magazine, 320 men were instantly killed when the munitions ships they were loading with ammunition for the Pacific theatre troops mysteriously blew up. Reservations are required to visit this site. |
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Presidio of San Francisco - San Francisco, CA | |
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For 218 years, the Presidio served as an army post for three nations. World and local events, from military campaigns to the rise of aviation, from World Fairs to earthquakes, left their mark. Come enjoy the history and beauty of the Presidio. Explore centuries of architecture. Reflect in a national cemetery. Walk through an historic airfield, forests, or to beaches, and admire spectacular vistas. |
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Redwood National and State Parks - Del Norte & Humboldt counties , CA | |
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Stand at the base of a coast redwood and the huckleberry bushes tower over you. Watch statuette Roosevelt elk grazing in the prairies. Observe the tail of a female Chinook salmon heave skyward as she makes a nest for her eggs. Whether a morning or night person, you can hear the endangered marbled murrelets' keer across the treetops as they fly from sea to mossy nest. |
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Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park - Richmond , CA | |
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Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park, located in the wartime boomtown of Richmond, California, preserves and interprets the stories and places of our nation's home front response to World War II. |
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San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park - San Francisco, CA | |
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Stand on the stern of Balclutha, face west to feel the fresh wind blowing in from the Pacific Ocean. Located in the Fisherman's Wharf neighborhood, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park offers the sights, sounds, smells and stories of Pacific Coast maritime history. |
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Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area - Thousand Oaks, CA | |
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Portraying Africa, the Amazon, and the old west? That's talent! Combining the scenic and the imagination play a big role in the movies and at this national park! Close to Hollywood, with beaches, grasslands, canyons, and oak woodlands, this coastal mountain range has star quality! Explore a rare, diverse landscape inspiring preservation and creativity. Meet the Santa Monica Mountains in person. |
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Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks - In the southern Sierra Nevada in Tulare and Fresno counties, CA | |
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These two parks testify to nature's size, beauty, and diversity: Immense mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns, and the world's largest trees! The parks lie in the southern Sierra Nevada, east of the San Joaquin Valley. Activities vary greatly by season and elevation - which ranges from 1300' to 14,494' (see Climate below). |
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Whiskeytown National Recreation Area - Whiskeytown, CA | |
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Located 8 miles west of Redding, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area is located at the juncture of the Klamath Mountain range and the northern edge of the Sacramento Valley, making it home to a special collection of animal and plant life. Some of the park's features are Whiskeytown Lake, Shasta Bally (6,209 ft.) and numerous waterfalls, providing outdoor enthusiasts opportunities for water recreation, ... |
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Yosemite National Park - the Sierra Nevada, CA | |
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but a shrine to human foresight, strength of granite, power of glaciers, the persistence of life, and the tranquility of the High Sierra. Yosemite National Park, one of the first wilderness parks in the United States, is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more. |