Channel Islands National Park protects five beautiful coastal islands, and is home to an astonishing variety of plant and animal life. The park consists of some quarter of a million acres, half of which are under the ocean, encompassing a wide variety of terrain from beaches and sea caves to forests and mountains. Over 2,000 species of plants and animals can be found within the park, more than a hundred of which are found nowhere else in the world.

Hottest, driest, lowest: Death Valley is a land of extremes. But this valley is also a land of subtle beauties: morning light creeping across eroded badlands, lengthening shadows on sand dunes, and the colors of myriad wildflowers. Travelers who come during the cool season will find an enormous stretch of land to explore.

The Eldorado National Forest is located in the central Sierra Nevada. The forest is bordered on the north by the Tahoe National Forest, on the east by the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, on the southeast by the Humboldt-Toiyabe, and to the south by the Stanislaus National Forest.

Joshua Tree National Park protects two unique desert climates in south central California, as well as palm oases, exotic rock formations, and the rare Joshua Tree.

Beneath Lassen Volcanic National Park's peaceful forests and gem-like lakes lies evidence of a turbulent and fiery past. The collision of continental plates here led to violent volcanic eruptions and the creation of twisted, hauntingly beautiful scenery.

Redwood National and State Parks are home to some of the world's tallest trees. The parks' mosaic of habitats include prairie/oak woodlands, mighty rivers and streams, and 37 miles of pristine Pacific coastline.

The San Jacinto Mountains have long been a paradise for plants and animals unable to stand the intense heat of the desert below. These are not desert peaks - they're filled with forests and ferns and all sorts of sheltering greenery.

Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park are home to giants: immense mountains, deep canyons, and huge trees. Together with Giant Sequoia National Monument and vast stretches of federal wilderness, a significant portion of the Sierra Nevada range is encompassed in this beautiful area.

Yosemite National Park encompasses a spectacular tract of mountain-and-valley scenery in the Sierra Nevada. The park harbors a grand collection of waterfalls, meadows, and forests that include groves of giant sequoias, the world's largest living things. Most famous is the awe-inspiring Half Dome, a massive granite rock face that juts dramatically out of the glacially-carved valley.