California

Cabrillo National Monument


Cabrillo National Monument
1800 Cabrillo Memorial Drive
San Diego, CA 92106-3601

Phone: 619-557-5450

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, Iberian explorer who claimed this coast for Spain in 1542, is memorialized here. Gray whales migrate offshore during the winter. Old Point Loma Lighthouse is restored to its most active period--the 1880s. Remnants of World War II coastal defense batteries dot the landscape. Intertidal habitats are among the most sensitive in the world.

Channel Islands National Park


Channel Islands National Park
1901 Spinnaker Drive
Ventura, CA 93001-4354

Phone: 805-658-5730

The park consists of five islands off southern California: San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, and Santa Barbara. Nesting sea birds, sea lion rookeries, and unique plants inhabit the area. Anacapa, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz Islands are administered by the National Park Service; San Miguel, by the U.S. Navy and the National Park Service.

Death Valley National Park


Death Valley National Park
P.O. Box 579
Death Valley, CA 92328-0579

Phone: 760-786-3200

(Also in Nevada)

This large desert, nearly surrounded by high mountains, contains the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere. The area includes Scotty's Castle, the grandiose home of a famous prospector, and other remnants of gold and borax mining.

Devils Postpile National Monument


Devils Postpile National Monument
P.O. Box 3999
Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546

Phone: 760-934-2289

Hot lava cooled and cracked some 100,000 years ago to form basalt columns 40 to 60 feet high resembling a giant pipe organ. The John Muir Trail and Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail traverse the monument.

Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site


Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site
P.O. Box 280
Danville, CA 94526-0280

Phone: 925-838-0249

Tao House, near Danville, Calif., was built for Eugene O'Neill, who lived here from 1937 to 1944. Several of his best known plays, including "The Iceman Cometh" and "Long Day's Journey Into Night," were written here.

Fort Point National Historic Site


Fort Point National Historic Site
P.O. Box 29333
Presidio of San Francisco, CA 94129-0333

Phone: 415-556-1693

This classic brick and granite mid-19th-century coastal fort is the only one of its style on the west coast of the United States.

Golden Gate National Recreation Area


Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Fort Mason, Building 201
San Francisco, CA 94123-1308

Phone: 415-556-0560

The park encompasses shoreline areas of San Francisco, Marin, and San Mateo Counties, including ocean beaches, redwood forest, lagoons, marshes, military properties, a cultural center at Fort Mason, and Alcatraz Island.

John Muir National Historic Site


John Muir National Historic Site
4202 Alhambra Avenue
Martinez, CA 94553-3883

Phone: 925-228-8860

The home of conservationist John Muir, adjacent Martinez Adobe, Mt. Wanda, and his gravesite commemorate Muir's contributions.

Joshua Tree National Park


Joshua Tree National Park
74485 National Park Drive
Twentynine Palms, CA 92277-3597

Phone: 760-367-5500

A representative stand of Joshua trees and a great variety of plants and animals exist in this desert region.

Kings Canyon National Park


Kings Canyon National Park
47050 Generals Hwy
Three Rivers, CA 93271-9651

Phone: 559-565-3341

Two enormous canyons of the Kings River and the summit peaks of the High Sierra dominate this mountain wilderness.

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