Page 73 - 2017 Travel Guide to California

the beaches and cliff trails of the Golden
Gate National Recreation Area are the gate-
ways to urban adventures and historic
sights such as Alcatraz Island.
Continuing down the coast to Santa Cruz
and Monterey, surfing spots alternate with
quiet coves that are home to sea otters and
seals. Behold the thousands of Monarch
butterflies that winter at Natural Bridges
State Beach. In Carmel, whose beauty has
been long favored by plein air artists, Point
Lobos State Natural Reserve is a must-visit
for everyone. Big Sur’s Julia Pfeiffer Burns
State Park offers stunning views of the
rugged coast from its cliff-side trails. Access
to Pfeiffer Beach, a day beach, is just south
of the Big Sur Ranger Station.
At mid coast, rocky cliffs finally give way
to warm water and California’s famous end-
less flat beaches. Movie buffs can camp at
Malibu Creek State Park where M*A*S*H
and Planet of the Apes were filmed. And
then there’s Huntington Beach, a.k.a. Surf
City USA. Huntington State Beach’s soft
sand, safe swimming and good surfing
make it the California classic.
Rocks to Castles
California is more than its geography. Living
history programs bring the past to life in
many parks. At Railtown 1897 Historic State
Park, ride the vintage trains that often appear
in films, television productions and com-
mercials. At Indian Grinding Rock State
Historic Park, visit a reconstructed village
with a ceremonial roundhouse and presen-
tations by descendants of the Miwoks. The
21 missions founded by the Spanish along El
Camino Real, or the King’s Highway, pre-
serve the arrival of non-natives to California.
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, with
its restored plaza and adobes, captures the
period when San Diego grew from a Mexican
pueblo into an American town. And then
there’s gold fever. Pan for gold at Marshall
Gold Discovery State Historic Park where the
mineral was first discovered. Visualize a
miner’s life at Bodie State Historic Park, an
intact ghost town from the era.
No place reflects California’s big
dreamers better than the Hearst San Simeon
State Historical Monument, a testament to
publisher William Randolph Hearst and
architect Julia Morgan. Tour the 115-room
castle and imagine the presidents, pub-
lishing luminaries and Hollywood stars who
gathered there. Also at mid state, climbers
and birders will not be disappointed at Pin-
nacles, California’s newest national park.
Whatever kind of experience you seek,
from a city adventure to a high country
trek, California’s parks have a surprise in
store for you.
POINT REYES LIGHTHOUSE at Point
Reyes National Seashore, opposite top;
desert flowers in Anza-Borrego State Park,
opposite bottom; taking a day hike in
Yosemite National Park, above; El Capitan
and the Merced River, Yosemite National
Park, above left.
» FIND
YOUR PARK
Individual State Parks
www.parks.ca.gov
National Parks
nps.gov/state/CA
Campsites & Lodging Reservations
reserveamerica.com
recreation.gov
Lighthouses
(many open to the public, some
offering accommodations)
nps.gov/maritime/inventories/
lights/ca.htm
Wildflower Updates at
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Wildflower Hotline
760-767-4684
Or check the park’s website
at www.parks.ca.gov.
2017 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A 71