 |
| McWay Falls, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park |
In the five years that I have been living in San Francisco I have visited 62 of those parks. That means, statistically speaking, that I visited 12 parks each year, one park a month. At this rate it would take me another 18.5 years to see the remaining 217 parks. (And then there are also many county and regional parks that are worth a visit!)
 |
| Mono Lake |
California's State Parks protect and preserve "underwater preserves, reserves, and parks; redwood, rhododendron, and wildlife reserves; state beaches, recreation areas, wilderness areas, and reservoirs; state historic parks, historic homes, Spanish era adobe buildings, including museums, visitor centers, cultural reserves, and preserves; as well as lighthouses, ghost towns, waterslides, conference centers, and off-highway vehicle parks." Almost one-third of California's scenic coastline (280 miles), 625 miles of lake and river frontage, and nearly 1.4 million acres are managed by the California's State Park System.
 |
| Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park |
Sadly, only about 13 of the state's 279 parks are financially self-sustaining and, therefore, most of them could be closed any time. This brings me to the key point of this post: If you enjoy visiting the state parks and support their mission to protect the beauty of our state,
please consider also supporting the parks financially by either donating your money
here, or by visiting the parks as often as you can. Please also encouraging others to do the same!
 |
| Elephant Seal, Ano Nuevo State Park |
A list of California's State Parks I have visited:
Año Nuevo State Park Angel Island State Park Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Asilomar State Beach ,
Big Basin Redwoods State Park,
Butano State Park,
California State Railroad Museum,
China Camp State Park,
Castle Crags State Park,
Castle Rock State Park,
Corona del Mar State Beach,
D. L. Bliss State Park, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park Emerald Bay State Park The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park Garrapata State Park Half Moon Bay State Beach Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park Humboldt Redwoods State Park Jack London State Historic Park Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park MacKerricher State Park Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve Montara State Beach Monterey State Historic Park Monterey State Beach Moss Landing State Beach Mount Diablo State Park Mount Tamalpais State Park Natural Bridges State Beach Old Sacramento State Historic Park Old Town San Diego State Historic Park Olompali State Historic Park Pacifica State Beach Patrick's Point State Park Pescadero State Beach Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park Point Cabrillo Light Station Point Lobos State Reserve Point Montara Light Station Point Mugu State Park Portola Redwoods State Park Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park Red Rock Canyon State Park (California) Robert Louis Stevenson State Park Salt Point State Park Salton Sea State Recreation Area Samuel P. Taylor State Park San Bruno Mountain State Park San Simeon State Park Santa Monica State Beach Sugarloaf Ridge State Park Tahoe State Recreation Area Torrey Pines State Beach Torrey Pines State Reserve Trinidad State Beach Tule Elk State Reserve Tomales Bay State Park
 |
| Hearst Castle |
A list of parks I should visit within next 20 years ;) :
Admiral William Standley State Recreation Area Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park Albany State Marine Reserve Park Property Anderson Marsh State Historic Park Andrew Molera State Park
Annadel State Park Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve State Natural Reserve Antelope Valley Indian Museum State Historic Park ParkArmstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park Auburn State Recreation Area Austin Creek State Recreation Area Azalea State Natural Reserve 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 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 Park Property, Burton Creek State Park, Butte City Project Park Property, 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,
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,
Castro Adobe,
Caswell Memorial State Park,
Cayucos State Beach,
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,
Cowell Ranch/John Marsh State Historic Park,
Crystal Cove State Park,
Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, Delta Meadows, Dockweiler State Beach, Doheny State Beach, Donner Memorial State Park Eastshore State Park El Capitán State Beach El Escorpion State Park Emeryville Crescent State Marine Reserve Emma Wood State Beach Empire Mine State Historic Park Estero Bluffs State Park Folsom Lake State Recreation Area Folsom Powerhouse State Historic 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 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 Harmony Headlands State Park Harry A. Merlo State Recreation Area Hatton Canyon Heber Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area Hendy Woods State Park Henry W. Coe State Park Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area Humboldt Lagoons State Park Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area Huntington State Beach Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park Indio Hills Palms John B. Dewitt State Reserve John Little State Reserve Jug Handle State Reserve Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area Kings Beach State Recreation Area Kruse Rhododendron State Reserve 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 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 McConnell State Recreation Area McGrath State Beach Mendocino Headlands State Park Mendocino Woodlands State Park Millerton Lake State Recreation Area Montaña de Oro State Park Montgomery Woods State Reserve Moonlight State Beach Morro Bay State Park Morro Strand State Beach Mount San Jacinto State Park Navarro River Redwoods State Park New Brighton State Beach Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area Pacheco State Park Palomar Mountain State Park Pelican State Beach Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park Picacho State Recreation Area Pío Pico State Historic Park Pismo State Beach Placerita Canyon State Park Plumas-Eureka State Park Point Dume State Beach Point Lobos Ranch Point Sal State Beach Point Sur State Historic Park Pomponio State Beach Prairie City State Vehicular Recreation Area Providence Mountains State Recreation Area Railtown 1897 State Historic Park Refugio State Beach Reynolds Wayside Campground Richardson Grove State Park Rio de Los Angeles State Park Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach Robert W. Crown Memorial State Beach Russian Gulch State Park Saddleback Butte State Park Salinas River State Beach 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 Timoteo Canyon Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park 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 Sunset State Beach Sutter Buttes State Park Sutter's Fort State Historic Park Thornton State Beach Tijuana Estuary Tolowa Dunes State Park Tomo-Kahni State Historic Park Topanga State Park Turlock Lake State Recreation Area Twin Lakes State Beach Van Damme State Park Verdugo Mountains 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 Zmudowski State Beach
