The Sierra Nevada is a prominent mountain range in the western United States, stretching about 400 miles north to south, primarily across California with a small portion in Nevada.
Providence Mountains State Recreation Area is a remote Mojave Desert park in San Bernardino County that protects rugged limestone ridges, desert scrub and the unique Mitchell Caverns complex, offering a rare desert‑cave experience and scenic high‑desert views near Interstate 40.
Mount Diablo is a prominent 3,800‑foot peak in California’s East Bay that anchors a large state park and rises above surrounding valleys, offering dramatic panoramic views that can reach many Bay Area counties on clear days.
Calaveras Big Trees State Park, located four miles northeast of Arnold in California's Sierra Nevada foothills, covers about 6,400 acres and protects two groves of ancient giant sequoias—the accessible North Grove with around 100 mature trees including the historic Discovery Tree stump first noted in 1852, and the larger, more pristine South Grove with roughly 1,000 sequoias—amid mixed conifer forests, the North Fork Stanislaus River, Beaver Creek, meadows, and volcanic formations.
Castaic Lake State Recreation Area, located 41 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles in the Sierra Pelona Mountains of northwestern Los Angeles County, California, serves as the largest reservoir in the State Water Project's west branch, formed by the 425-foot Castaic Dam on Castaic Creek and holding up to 320,000 acre-feet across its upper and lower lakes with 29 miles of shoreline amid 11,200 acres of parkland.
Chumash Casino Resort is a Native American gaming and entertainment destination owned by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians, located at 3400 Highway 246 in Santa Ynez, California, on the Santa Ynez Reservation about 5 miles east of Solvang near Santa Barbara County Airport.
Sunset State Beach, located along Monterey Bay near Watsonville in Santa Cruz County, California, offers about three miles of sandy shoreline backed by towering dunes, pine groves, and coastal bluffs, with stunning views of the bay and frequent sightings of dolphins, whales, sea lions, and otters.
Monterey State Beach is a long, sandy stretch along southern Monterey Bay running from downtown Monterey north toward Seaside, made up of several adjacent beach sections that are popular for walking, surfing, kayak launches and tidepool exploration.
The USS Midway Museum in San Diego, California, is a historic aircraft carrier turned museum that served the U.S. Navy for 47 years, from 1945 to 1992, making it the longest-serving aircraft carrier of the 20th century.
Lake Valley State Recreation Area near South Lake Tahoe is a high‑Sierra park centered on a scenic reservoir and a championship 18‑hole golf course, sitting above 6,000 feet with pine‑covered hills that change from warm summer days to snowy winters.
San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest and one of the largest Chinese enclaves in North America, located primarily around Grant Avenue and Stockton Street.
Fort Tejon State Historic Park sits on a grassy plateau at the top of the Grapevine in the San Emigdio Mountains and preserves an 1850s U.S. Army outpost established to patrol the Tejon Pass, manage relations with nearby Indigenous groups, and protect pioneer travel routes; visitors can see restored and reconstructed adobe buildings, interpretive exhibits, and period displays that illustrate Army life in the 1850s.
Graton Resort & Casino is a Native American gaming and entertainment complex owned and operated by the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, located at 288 Golf Course Drive West in Rohnert Park, California, in Sonoma County's wine country about 60 miles north of San Francisco.
Picacho State Recreation Area is a remote desert park on the lower Colorado River in southeastern California that preserves a scenic stretch of river, desert washes and historic mining sites at the former town of Picacho while providing boating, fishing, camping and wildlife‑viewing opportunities.
Colusa-Sacramento River State Recreation Area lies along a scenic stretch of California's largest river near downtown Colusa in Colusa County, offering shaded campsites, picnic areas, and a boat launch amid riverbank cottonwoods and willows.
Chicken Ranch Casino Resort is a Native American gaming destination owned by the Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians, located on Chicken Ranch Road in Jamestown, California, in the Sierra Nevada foothills about an hour from Yosemite National Park.
Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve State Natural Reserve is a 1,800-acre protected area in the rural west side of northern Los Angeles County's Antelope Valley, California, about 15 miles west of Lancaster at 2,600 to 3,000 feet elevation in the Mojave Desert's grassland habitat.
La Posta Casino was a small Native American casino owned by the La Posta Band of Diegueño Mission Indians, located at 777 Crestwood Road in Boulevard, California, atop a hill on their remote reservation near the Cleveland National Forest and Interstate 8.
