Page 37 - 2024-2025 Travel Guide to California

a dozen beaches, with drive-up Drakes
Beach and hike-in Limantour as favorites.
Make your way to park headlands in early
spring to view the gray whale migration.
Edging the entrance to San Francisco Bay,
the beaches and cliff trails of the Golden
Gate National Recreation Area are the gate-
ways to urban adventures and historic sites
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 cliffside 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 The Sand
Pebbles, Planet of the Apes and outdoor
scenes from the TV show M*A*S*H 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 State Historic
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, preserve
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
M01229/CREATIVE COMMONS/FLICKR; NOANYFRAMES/SHUTTERSTOCK. OPPOSITE: VISIT CARMEL; LARRY HABEGGER
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
Pinnacles, 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. And whatever your destination, always
check current conditions and access infor-
mation before heading out.
FIND
YOUR PARK
Individual State Parks
www.parks.ca.gov
National Parks
nps.gov/state/CA
Campsites & Lodging Reservations
State Parks: reservecalifornia.com
National Parks: 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.
Virtual Visits
California State Parks in partnership
with Google Maps offers virtual visits
to 110 state parks
www.parks.ca.gov/googletrekker
2024-25 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA 35