California's best state parks
The state parks worth planning a trip around, ranked by our curation.
Updated 2026-08-03.
- Emerald Bay — State Park · 3 campgrounds · 8 trails
- Anza-Borrego Desert — State Park · 15 campgrounds · 53 trails
- Humboldt Redwoods — State Park · 16 campgrounds · 9 trails
- Pfeiffer Big Sur — State Park · 3 campgrounds · 5 trails
- Sinkyone Wilderness — State Park · 10 campgrounds · 2 trails
- Sonoma Coast — State Park · 2 campgrounds · 4 trails
- Prairie Creek Redwoods — State Park · 2 campgrounds · 3 trails
- Calaveras Big Trees — State Park · 8 campgrounds · 11 trails
- Mendocino Headlands — State Park · 4 trails
- Año Nuevo — State Park · 13 trails
- Julia Pfeiffer Burns — State Park · 1 campground · 3 trails
- Jedediah Smith Redwoods — State Park · 3 campgrounds · 10 trails
- Montaña de Oro — State Park · 3 campgrounds · 8 trails
- Big Basin — State Park · 10 campgrounds · 6 trails
- Mono Lake Tufa Towers — State Natural Reserve · 7 trails
- Salton Sea — State Recreation Area · 5 campgrounds · 2 trails
- Mount Diablo — State Park · 4 campgrounds · 56 trails
- Angel Island — State Park · 5 campgrounds · 2 trails
- Crystal Cove — State Park · 5 campgrounds · 1 trails
- Mount Tamalpais — State Park · 6 campgrounds · 12 trails
- Del Norte Coast Redwoods — State Park · 3 trails
- Castle Crags — State Park · 2 campgrounds · 5 trails
- McArthur-Burney Falls — State Park · 5 campgrounds · 7 trails
- Torrey Pines — State Natural Reserve · 10 trails
- Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve — State Park · 9 trails
- Andrew Molera — State Park · 1 campground · 3 trails
- Folsom Lake State Recreation Area — State Recreation Area · 6 campgrounds · 28 trails
- Garrapata State Park — State Park · 2 trails
- Richardson Grove State Park — State Park · 4 campgrounds · 7 trails
- Hearst Castle — State Historic Park
- Leo Carrillo State Park — State Park · 2 campgrounds · 12 trails
- Point Mugu State Park — State Park · 6 campgrounds · 11 trails
- Point Lobos — State Natural Reserve · 8 trails
- Van Damme — State Park · 5 campgrounds · 5 trails
- Gaviota — State Park · 2 campgrounds · 9 trails
- Tomales Bay — State Park · 8 trails
- Hendy Woods — State Park · 3 campgrounds · 5 trails
- Grover Hot Springs — State Park · 2 campgrounds · 6 trails
- Henry W. Coe — State Park · 3 campgrounds · 62 trails
- Henry Cowell Redwoods — State Park · 2 campgrounds · 4 trails
Campground status on Explore is checked against official booking calendars, not reviews — 78 campgrounds carry a checked date. Sources.
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