- Fine Dining
- Hike/Backpack
- Museums
- National Park
- Scenic Drive
- Snow Skiing
- Theme Parks
- Wellness/Spa
- Wine Tasting
- Channel Islands National Park
- Joshua Tree National Park
- Lassen Volcanic National Park (Summer)
- Lassen Volcanic National Park (Winter)
- Redwood National Park
- Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (Summer)
- Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (Winter)
- Anaheim & Disneyland
- Angel Island State Park
- Ano Nuevo State Park
- Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
- Arcata
- Auburn
- Bass Lake
- Berkeley
- Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Big Sur
- Bodega Bay
- Bodie State Historic Park
- Boonville
- Bothe-Napa Valley State Park
- Burbank
- Butano State Park
- Calaveras Big Trees State Park
- Calaveras County (Summer)
- Calaveras County (Winter)
- California's Lake County
- California's Lost Coast
- Calistoga
- Cambria & Central Coast
- Channel Islands National Park
- Joshua Tree National Park
- Lassen Volcanic National Park (Summer)
- Lassen Volcanic National Park (Winter)
- Redwood National Park
- Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (Summer)
- Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (Winter)
- Anaheim & Disneyland
- Angel Island State Park
- Ano Nuevo State Park
- Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
- Arcata
- Auburn
- Bass Lake
- Berkeley
- Big Basin Redwoods State Park
- Big Sur
- Bodega Bay
- Bodie State Historic Park
- Boonville
- Bothe-Napa Valley State Park
- Burbank
- Butano State Park
- Calaveras Big Trees State Park
- Calaveras County (Summer)
- Calaveras County (Winter)
- California's Lake County
- California's Lost Coast
- Calistoga
- Cambria & Central Coast
- Carmel
- Castle Crags State Park
- Chatsworth
- Chico
- China Camp State Park
- Clear Lake State Park
- Columbia State Historic Park
- Crescent City
- Death Valley
- Del Mar
- Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park
- Downieville
- Dunsmuir
- El Dorado County (Summer)
- El Dorado County (Winter)
- Emerald Bay State Park
- Eureka
- Ferndale
- Fort Bragg
- Fort Ross State Historic Park
- Gold Country
- Grass Valley
- Groveland
- Gualala
- Guerneville
- Half Moon Bay
- Healdsburg
- Hearst San Simeon State Park
- Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
- Hollywood, California
- Humboldt County
- Humboldt Redwoods State Park
- Klamath National Forest
- La Jolla
- La Purísima Mission State Historic Park
- Lake Oroville State Recreation Area
- Lake Tahoe (Summer)
- Lake Tahoe (Winter)
- Long Beach, California
- Los Angeles
- Malibu Creek State Park
- Mammoth Lakes (Summer)
- Mammoth Lakes (Winter)
- Marin County
- Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park
- McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park
- Mendocino
- Mendocino Headlands State Park
- Mono Lake
- Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve
- Monterey
- Monterey State Historic Park
- Morro Bay State Park
- Mount Diablo State Park
- Mount Shasta (Summer)
- Mount Shasta (Winter)
- Mount Tamalpais State Park
- Napa
- Navarro River Redwoods State Park
- Nevada City
- Oakland & East Bay
- Ojai
- Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
- Orange County Beaches
- Oroville
- Pacific Grove
- Palm Springs
- Pasadena
- Paso Robles
- Petaluma
- Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
- Pinnacles National Park
- Placerville
- Plumas-Eureka State Park
- Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
- Pt. Reyes National Seashore
- Railtown 1897 State Historic Park
- Red Bluff
- Redding
- Riverside
- Russian River
- Sacramento
- Salinas
- Samuel P. Taylor State Park
- San Bernardino
- San Clemente
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Jose
- San Juan Bautista
- San Juan Capistrano
- San Luis Obispo
- San Luis Obispo Wine Region
- Santa Barbara
- Santa Catalina
- Santa Clara
- Santa Cruz
- Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park
- Santa Cruz Mountains
- Santa Monica
- Santa Rosa
- Santa Ynez & Santa Barbara Wine Country
- Sebastopol
- Shasta State Historic Park
- Sierra Foothills Wine Region
- Silicon Valley
- Sinkyone Wilderness State Park
- Sonoma
- Sonoma Coast
- Sonoma Coast State Park
- Sonoma State Historic Park
- St. Helena
- Sutter Creek
- Temecula Valley Wine Region
- Tomales Bay State Park
- Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
- Trinity Alps
- Truckee (Summer)
- Truckee (Winter)
- Tuolumne County (Summer)
- Tuolumne County (Winter)
- Ukiah
- Van Damme State Park
- Weed
- Willits
- Yosemite National Park (Summer)
- Yosemite National Park (Winter)
- See Full List
photo: topseller/Shutterstock.com
Overview
Undoubtedly the most diverse state in the union, trend-setting California is all things to all people. Spanning almost 800 miles north-south, and 250 miles east-west, it is astoundingly diverse in climate and terrain. The state is stupendously scenic from tip to toe, ranging from the southern beaches and rugged northern shoreline of the Pacific coast - negotiable along the scenic Pacific Coast Highway - to the snow-capped Sierra Nevada, rising to 14,505 feet. Yosemite Valley, in the Sierras, is one of the great natural wonders of the world. Hikers, skiers, rock-climbers and whitewater enthusiasts are in their element amid these mountains. ...
Undoubtedly the most diverse state in the union, trend-setting California is all things to all people. Spanning almost 800 miles north-south, and 250 miles east-west, it is astoundingly diverse in climate and terrain. The state is stupendously scenic from tip to toe, ranging from the southern beaches and rugged northern shoreline of the Pacific coast - negotiable along the scenic Pacific Coast Highway - to the snow-capped Sierra Nevada, rising to 14,505 feet. Yosemite Valley, in the Sierras, is one of the great natural wonders of the world. Hikers, skiers, rock-climbers and whitewater enthusiasts are in their element amid these mountains. Ancient redwood forests, rocky shorelines, wine-growing districts, and even deserts such as Death Valley (the hottest place in the Western Hemisphere) are among the kaleidoscope of physical draws. San Francisco, in northern California, is a vibrant financial and cultural center, and a gourmand's delight, with a world-famous Chinatown and the Golden Gate Bridge. Nearby, Silicon Valley is the center of the world's computer industry. Sprawling Los Angeles, to the south, is the hip center of entertainment (centered on Hollywood), as well as Disneyland, with the golf courses of Palm Springs close by.
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About the Expert
Christopher P. Baker has authored guidebooks to Costa Rica, California, and various Caribbean islands for Frommer's, Lonely Planet, and National Geographic, among others.
Christopher Baker for Triporati
If time is short, save these attractions for a second visit.
Must See, Do Save It for Next Time
Facts at a Glance
- Location: a state located on the West Coast of the U.S. The diverse geography ranges from the Pacific Coast in the west, to the Sierra Nevada mountains in the east – from the Redwood–Douglas-fir forests of the northwest, to the Mojave Desert area in the southeast.
- Research: Wikitravel | Wikipedia
- Weather: Rainfall | Daylight








