The state of California is world famous for its large and beautiful national parks. The 8 national parks of California are: Sequoia National Park, Death Valley National Park, Yosemite National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, Channel Islands National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Redwood National Park and Joshua Tree.
Of these, the two largest are Yosemite National Park and Death Valley National Park. Often on a trip or vacation to California, one also visits the parks of Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and Monument Valley, even if they are not part of the state.
National parks are visited by a large number of tourists throughout the year. Before planning your visit, we recommend that you book accommodation in advance, especially for high season periods. For plan route we recommend looking at our proposed itineraries. The time required is about 10-15 days, even if there are itineraries even shorter than a week.
In summary, the national parks of California
Sequoia national park
Famous for its giant red sequoias, towering mountains, rivers and deep canyons, Sequoia National Park offers a lot to see. Although less famous than Yosemite, located about 100km further north.
On the border between Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon is the highest peak in the United States, Mount Whitney (4.417 meters) and Kings River Canyon, one of the deepest canyons in North America. Here lives the largest living being in the world, the General Sherman Tree, a giant sequoia that will blow your mind.
Death Valley National Park
Death Valley or Death Valley is the largest national park outside of Alaska. Due to its favorable position it is found in almost all tours of the western United States.
The park has an area of ​​1 million hectares and includes mountains, sand dunes, salty stretches below sea level and colorful sandstone canyons. The peculiarity of the park is not only to be below sea level, but to be one of the most extreme places on earth.
Summer temperatures are very high, above 50 ° and rainfall is practically non-existent during the year. The lowest point in the park is the Badwater Basin at 86 meters below sea level, while the highest altitude is at 3.368 meters above sea level.
Yosemite National Park
Famous for its steep waterfalls and large granite slopes, this park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. It is visited by 4 million visitors every year. Its area is nearly 300 hectares, about the size of Rhode Island. Its steep slopes and the alpine beauty of Tuolumne Meadows make the natural beauty of Yosemite Valley unforgettable.
Redwood National Park
The peculiarity of the Redwood National Park are the tallest sequoias in the world, characterized by their red bark. It's very easy to feel tiny here, everything has an impressive size.
Lassen Volcanic National Park
In the fascinating Lassen Volcanic National Park you can get a closer look at how the earth is constantly moving within it. The main attraction of the park is Lassen Peak's largest volcano, from which the park is named. Also worth seeing are “mouths” from where sulfuric vapors, geysers and thermal springs come out.
