California has been such a treat as far as travel goes. From camping in the Redwoods, to exploring the the state’s most iconic parks. My time spent here has been nothing short of amazing, and you haven’t even got to the part about California’s Southern National Parks!
Visiting the California’s South end does require a significant amount of time spent driving, as you will notice it takes some zig-zagging to reach all of these destinations. But in my opinion, this adds to the experience. Driving from mountain peaks to coastlines to deserts and back gives your eyes an experience similar to flipping through a National Geographic Magazine.
My first zig in the zaggs brought me to a place I had never heard of until I started the quest of visiting the National Parks.
Pinnacles National Park
A true tale of underdogs, this Southern California National Park was super impressive.
Until recently (2013, thanks to Mr. Obama turning it to a National Park), Pinnacles National Park was just a National Monument, and quite overlooked in terms of adventure. But I could not be more thrilled that I got to explore this hidden gem.
With just a little over 30 miles of trails throughout the park, a few days of exploring left me well-versed with what this place has to offer.
My favorite part: The caves!
Pinnacles National Park is home to two cave systems (Bear Gulch Caves and Balconies Caves) that are pretty easily accessible if you are willing to take the time… and a set of dry clothes.
What was once a place full of narrow slot canyons, after the collapse of canyon walls and some toppled boulders, now features some of the most unique geological formations in the country.
Knee-deep waters, mossy walls, and hidden waterfalls fill this natural obstacle course, and create not only one of the coolest places that you are free to roam, but one of my favorite hikes I have ever done.
Although the caves were the highlight of my trip here, the rest of the park was also worth the visit. The original protection of this area was in-part due to the inhabitation of the now endangered California Condor. All across the park, ginormous spires of rock look down on you, and create an exceptional spot for birds of prey to perch while they search for their next meal.
Needless to say, California Condors are not the only wildlife found throughout the park. Falcons, Eagles, snakes, lizards, and over 40 different mammals call Pinnacles National Park their home.
That’s a whole lot to take in for you wildlife lovers.
PS: Visiting this park in January turned out to be fantastic. Not only were the temps reasonable (especially for hiking as intensely as I did), but Pinnacles National Park is also home to over 400 species of bees! Making it the largest number of bee species per unit area of anywhere on the planet! And thankfully, the majority of these bees remain dormant during cooler times of the year.
Explains what all the buzz is about..
“Really…”
Yeah, I know. I’ll punish myself for that joke.
Anyhow! Moving on with the Southern California National Parks, and a couple zigs and zaggs later, I found myself at one of the most talked about National Parks.
Joshua Tree National Park
You might be thinking “Noone I know of talks about this park”, and I get it. But once I started traveling however long ago, people always seemed to mention their want to visit Joshua Tree National Park.
While I personally believe this park doesn’t deserve the new-found hype around it, it still holds some outstanding features within its boundaries. For starters, if you are anything like me and have always wanted to visit a true desert, this place is actually composed of TWO deserts. Two of the nation’s largest deserts meet in Joshua Tree National Park, and leave a good explanation as to what you experience while here.
The West side of the park being made up of the Mojave Desert, and the Colorado Desert in the East, has created one of the more striking environments I have come across.
Although the name of this park boasts the Joshua Tree, this park is actually decorated with a large variety of vegetation. For example, in Spring this park is home to one of the larger annual blooms of wildflowers known in the US.
With an enormous amount of hiking and biking trails throughout the park, it is pretty easy to traverse through the cactus gardens, and vast landscapes of the two deserts here.
I am still going to go ahead and say that peoples’ infatuation with this has got to revolve around Coachella, one of the largest music festivals worldwide. Since it takes place right outside the National Park boundaries (Indio, California), I am sure it has had a pretty big helping hand in the popularization of this National Park.
And now things start to become a little more desolate.
The landscape doesn’t change to much when traveling out of Joshua Tree National Park. Especially when roving on to the next, and final of the Southern California National Parks (keep in mind, these are the parks within the contiguous 48 states. Channel Islands National Park also finds itself at home off the coast of Southern California, but since it is not accessible by driving, I decided to exclude it from this road trip this time around).
Death Valley National Park
Desolation. Remote. Bleak. Death. Barren.
Death Valley National Park probably has some of the darkest words associated with it. But, this may come as a surprise to most, it is NOT as lifeless as everyone thinks!
“Whaaat!”
I know, mind blown. Not like a quick Google search couldn’t tell you this truth, or even a simple glance at a photo of the park, but hey, not all of us have the computer skills of Mr. Gates.
Alright, now that I am sure half of you readers have successfully completed a quick Google search of the park since I mentioned it.. it may not come as surprise that this park is the hottest, driest, and lowest National Park. But please don’t mistake this place as presumably the most boring park in the list of California’s National Parks.
This misconceived wonderland is actually thriving, and a blast and half to visit! Death Valley National Park is actually the LARGEST National Park outside Alaska (coming in at more than 3.4 million acres). With that much property, there’s no wonder as to why this park is home to an astounding amount of geological landscapes.
Sure, the majority of this park is an expanse of a dry valley floor, but there is so much more to it. Here you have the opportunity to wander through colorful canyons, trek across the famous salt flats, and even climb the giant sand dunes located within the park!
Fun Fact: The sand dunes here are actually the filming Location for Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.
When you are standing at 282 feet below sea level on the salt flats of Death Valley, looking all around you, it is another one of those humbling moments in life. It is hard to describe the feeling, but yet it is one of those feelings you never forget.
And let me tell you…
Since this park is located very near the western coast of the country, and surrounded by a mountain range that towers over you like bordering walls to contain this treasure of cultural and natural resources, the sunset is unlike any I have seen before.
The sky lights up with a myriad of colors, and gets even more enhanced with the salt flats reflecting the image twice over. I know I like to say this a lot, but that moment – The moment when the world in front of me looked as if artist’s easel was set in front of me – That moment, is what cannot be expressed by words. Photos don’t do justice. Neither words. Nor video.
Congratulations to the West Coast. You dirty dog. You have changed my world completely and left me wanting more. From the PNW to the Pacific Coast, the Sierra Mountains and down into the Southern California National Parks, it is no doubt that you are home to some of the most beautiful places on our planet.
And for that, we thank you.
Cheers!
Want some more info? Feel free to Contact Me, and I’d be happy to share more.
A memorable adventure. Please continue as your tales leave us wanting more.