California Parks and Recreation Areas

Until the 1800's, many northern California coastal valleys were covered with coast redwood trees similar to those now found in Muir Woods National Monument. The forest along Redwood Creek in today's Muir Woods was spared from logging because it was hard to get to. Noting that Redwood Creek contained one of the San Francisco Bay Area's last uncut stands of old-growth redwood, Congressman William Kent and his wife, Elizabeth Thacher Kent, bought 295 acres here for $45,000 in 1905. To protect the redwoods the Kents donated the land to the United States Federal Government and, in 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt declared it a national monument. Roosevelt suggested naming the area after Kent, but Kent wanted it named for conservationist John Muir.

Phone: (415) 388-2595   Price Range: $0 - $3   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: Mill Valley   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Monument   Activities: Birding, Hiking, Nature Walks, Interpretive Programs   Details Provided By: Muir Woods National Monument

For a first-time visitor the desert may appear bleak and drab. Viewed from the road, the desert only hints at its vitality. Closer examination reveals a fascinating variety of plants and animals. A rich cultural history and surreal geologic features add to the attraction of this place.

Phone: 760-367-5500   Price Range: $5 - $10   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: Twentynine Palms   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Park   Activities: Backpacking, Biking / Bicycling, Birding, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Rock Climbing, Auto Touring, Nature Walks, Interpretive Programs, Star Gazing   Details Provided By: Joshua Tree National Park

Cool temperatures are moderating the wildflower bloom. If you are going to be in the park this weekend, try looking along Kelbaker Road between Baker and Kelso. Below are wildflower lists from some recent visits. -Kelbaker Road, at the lava beds about 15 miles south of Baker, on March 19: wild-heliotrope, red-stemmed filaree, brittlebush, Wallace's wooly daisy, globe mallow, Fremont pincushion. -Kelbaker Road, 10.5 miles south of Baker, on March 19: desert chicory, chia, brittlebush, red-stemmed filaree, desert dandelion, dodder, bladderpod, beavertail cactus are just beginning to bloom. -West of the Black Canyon Road-Cedar Canyon Road intersection, on March 13: evening primrose, desert rock pea, red-stemmed filaree, rock gilia. -Foshay Pass and Vulcan Mine, on March 13: chia, desert canterbury bell, Arizona lupine, desert rue, desert dandelion, brittlebush, desert marigold, desert sage. -Cima Road and Ivanpah Road - Joshua trees are just beginning to bloom. The wildflower season is also when desert tortoises are most active. Please keep your vehicle speed down and watch for tortoises on the roadway, especially after rains. Road Conditions The Mojave Road across Soda Dry Lake is impassable due to mud. Rangers ask that you avoid crossing Soda Lake until it has dried completely, as vehicles frequently become stuck when crossing during muddy conditions; crossing in the mud also causes extensive road damage. Ivanpah Road - high clearence recommended. Wild Horse Canyon Road south of Mid-Hills - high clearance recommended. Macedonia Canyon Road - may be impassable even with 4-wheel drive. Coliseum Mine Road - may be impassable even with 4-wheel drive. Caruthers Canyon - Last section of road into the canyon may be impassable even with 4-wheel drive. Park rangers recommend avoiding all dirt roads during and immediately after rains. If you are not sure about a certain road, call the Baker Desert Information Center, 760-733-4040.

Phone: (760)252-6100   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: Barstow   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Park   Activities: Backpacking, Biking / Bicycling, Birding, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Hunting and Shooting, Rock Climbing, Wildlife Watching, Auto Touring, Nature Walks, Star Gazing   Details Provided By: Mojave National Preserve

The fort was designed to mount 126 massive cannon. Rushed to completion at the beginning of the Civil War, Fort Point was first garrisoned in February of 1861 by Company I, 3rd U.S. Artillery Regiment. The fort was occupied throughout the Civil War, but the advent of faster, more powerful rifled cannon made brick forts such as Fort Point obsolete. In 1886 the troops were withdrawn, and the last cannon were removed about 1900. The fort was then used for storage and training purposes for many years.

Phone: (415) 556-1693   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: San Francisco   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Historic Site   Activities: Biking / Bicycling, Boating and Watercraft, Fishing, Hiking, Kayaking, Nature Walks, Interpretive Programs   Details Provided By: Fort Point

Redwood National and State Parks are home to some of the world's tallest trees: old-growth coast redwoods. They can live to be 2000 years old and grow to over 300 feet tall. Spruce, hemlock, Douglas-fir, berry bushes, and sword ferns create a multiple canopied understory that towers over all visitors. The parks' mosaic of habitats include prairie/oak woodlands, mighty rivers and streams, and 37 miles of pristine Pacific coastline. Cultural landscapes reflect American Indian history. The more recent logging history has led to much restoration of these parks.

Phone: 707-464-6101   Price Range: $0 - $5   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: Crescent City   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Park, State Park   Activities: Backpacking, Biking / Bicycling, Birding, Boating and Watercraft, Fishing, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Kayaking, Swimming, Whitewater Rafting, Wildlife Watching, Auto Touring, Nature Walks, Interpretive Programs   Details Provided By: Redwood National and State Parks

The national trail commemorates the route followed by a Spanish commander, Juan Bautista de Anza, in 1775-76 when he led a contingent of 30 soldiers and their families to found a presidio and mission near the San Francisco Bay. Along the trail route, the visitor can experience the varied landscapes similar to those the expedition saw; learn the stories of the expedition, its members, and descendants; better understand the American Indian role in the expedition and the diversity of their cultures; and appreciate the extent of the effects of Spanish colonial settlement of Arizona and California.

Phone: 510-817-1438   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: Oakland   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Historic Trail   Activities: Biking / Bicycling, Birding, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Auto Touring, Nature Walks   Details Provided By: Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail

The Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) is one of the largest urban national parks in the world. Established in 1972, as part of a trend to make national park resources more accessible to urban populations and bring parks to the people, GGNRAs 75,398 acres of land and water extend north of the Golden Gate Bridge to Tomales Bay in Marin County and south to San Mateo County, encompassing 59 miles of bay and ocean shoreline. These lands represent one of the nations largest coastal preserves and attract 16 million visitors each year, making GGNRA one of the National Park Service most highly visited units.

Phone: (415) 561-4700   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: San Francisco   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Park   Activities: Biking / Bicycling, Birding, Boating and Watercraft, Fishing, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Kayaking, Swimming, Wildlife Watching, Auto Touring, Nature Walks, Interpretive Programs, Star Gazing   Details Provided By: Golden Gate National Recreation Area

The Site preserves the 14 room mansion where the naturalist John Muir lived from 1890 to his death in 1914. While living in Martinez, Muir accomplished many things: he battled to prevent Yosemite National Park's Hetch Hetchy Valley from being dammed, served as the first president and one of the founders of the Sierra Club, played a prominent role in the creation of several national parks, and hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles and several books expounding on the virtues of conservation and the natural world. Muir's work laid the foundations for the creation of the National Park Service in 1916. The Muir house and historic Martinez adobe became part of the National Park Service in 1964. In 1992, Mt. Wanda was added to the Site. The 325 acre tract of oak woodland and grassland was historically owned by the Muir family.

Phone: (925)228-8860   Price Range: $0 - $3   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: Martinez   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Historic Site   Activities: Birding, Hiking, Wildlife Watching, Nature Walks, Star Gazing   Details Provided By: John Muir National Historic Site

Phone: 1-559-565-3341   Price Range: $0 - $5   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: Three Rivers   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Park   Activities: Backpacking, Birding, Cross Country Skiing, Fishing, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Rock Climbing, Wildlife Watching, Auto Touring, Nature Walks, Interpretive Programs, Snowshoeing, Star Gazing, Tours   Details Provided By: Kings Canyon National Park

Out in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, the island of Alcatraz is a world unto itself. Isolation, one of the constants of island life for any inhabitant - soldier, guard, prisoner, bird or plant - is a recurrent theme in the unfolding history of Alcatraz. Alcatraz Island is one of Golden Gate National Recreation Area's most popular destinations, offering a close-up look at a historic and infamous federal prison long off-limits to the public.

Phone: (415) 561-4900   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: San Francisco   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: Recreation Area   Activities: Birding, Hiking, Wildlife Watching, Nature Walks   Details Provided By: Alcatraz Island