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California Photography Guide

West · 1,588 locations

1,588 photo locations in California — 216 waterfalls, 198 state parks, 164 mountain peaks, 109 canyons and more — plus 34 National Park Service sites and golden hour times for 355 cities. Milky Way core season runs March–September (best in June). Aurora needs about Kp 9.0+ in central California. Wildflowers peak around April.

Photo locations
1,588
NPS sites
34
Milky Way season
Mar–Sep
Peak bloom
April
Aurora
Kp 9.0+

Top photo locations in California

Yosemite FallsWaterfall
Yosemite FallsMariposa County · 1,368 m
Alamere FallsWaterfall
Alamere FallsMarin County · 18 m
BodieGhost Town
BodieMono County
Borrego SpringsDark Sky Place
Borrego SpringsSan Diego County
Joshua Tree National ParkDark Sky Place
Joshua Tree National ParkRiverside County
Death Valley National ParkDark Sky Place
Death Valley National ParkInyo County
Lassen PeakMountain Peak
Lassen PeakShasta County · 3,150 m
Half DomeMountain Peak
Half DomeMariposa County · 2,694 m
Mount WhitneyMountain Peak
Mount WhitneyTulare County · 4,412 m
Mount ShastaMountain Peak
Mount ShastaSiskiyou County · 4,303 m
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical GardensBotanical Garden
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical GardensLos Angeles County
Baker BeachBeach
Baker BeachCity and County of San Francisco

Browse by type

Waterfalls216State Parks198Mountain Peaks164Canyons109Lakes93Scenic Viewpoints87Natural Arches86Lighthouses80Mountain Passes74Hot Springs65Botanical Gardens64Wilderness Areas63Ghost Towns62Beaches48National Wildlife Refuges37Volcanoes32Fire Lookouts22Caves21Rock Formations18National Forests18Covered Bridges14Sand Dunes10Dark Sky Places4Glaciers3

National Park Service sites in California

CA
Channel Islands National ParkNational Park
Death Valley National ParkCA/NV
Death Valley National ParkNational Park
Joshua Tree National ParkCA
Joshua Tree National ParkNational Park
Lassen Volcanic National ParkCA
Lassen Volcanic National ParkNational Park
Pinnacles National ParkCA
Pinnacles National ParkNational Park
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National ParksCA
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National ParksNational Parks
Yosemite National ParkCA
Yosemite National ParkNational Park
Cabrillo National MonumentCA
Cabrillo National MonumentNational Monument
Castle Mountains National MonumentCA
Castle Mountains National MonumentNational Monument
César E. Chávez National MonumentCA
César E. Chávez National MonumentNational Monument
Devils Postpile National MonumentCA
Devils Postpile National MonumentNational Monument
Lava Beds National MonumentCA
Lava Beds National MonumentNational Monument

Golden hour in California cities

Los Angeles, CAPop. 3,820,914
San Diego, CAPop. 1,404,452
San Jose, CAPop. 997,368
San Francisco, CAPop. 827,526
Fresno, CAPop. 542,107
Sacramento, CAPop. 524,943
Long Beach, CAPop. 474,140
Oakland, CAPop. 419,267
Bakersfield, CAPop. 373,640
Anaheim, CAPop. 350,742
Riverside, CAPop. 317,261
Santa Ana, CAPop. 310,227

Night sky

Darkest skies in California

Death Valley National ParkDark Sky Place
Death Valley National ParkInyo County
Prairie Creek Redwoods State ParkState Park
Prairie Creek Redwoods State ParkHumboldt County
Humboldt Redwoods State ParkState Park
Humboldt Redwoods State ParkHumboldt County
Ahjumawi Lava Springs State ParkState Park
Ahjumawi Lava Springs State ParkModoc County
McArthur–Burney Falls Memorial State ParkState Park
McArthur–Burney Falls Memorial State ParkShasta County
Sue-meg State ParkState Park
Sue-meg State ParkHumboldt County

Nature calendars

Scenic byways in California

Map