Top state parks
State ParkHearst Castle
State ParkAnza-Borrego Desert State Park
State ParkPrairie Creek Redwoods State Park
State ParkJedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
State ParkHumboldt Redwoods State Park
State ParkDel Norte Coast Redwoods State Park
State ParkSanta Monica State Beach
State ParkSutter's Fort
State ParkJulia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
State ParkMalibu Creek State Park
State ParkDonner Memorial State Park
State ParkAhjumawi Lava Springs State Park
State Parks by county
- Alameda County3
- Del Norte County3
- El Dorado County4
- Humboldt County10
- Los Angeles County20
- Marin County5
- Mendocino County13
- Monterey County14
- Nevada County4
- Orange County6
- Riverside County4
- Sacramento County6
- San Diego County13
- San Luis Obispo County10
- San Mateo County13
- Santa Barbara County6
- Santa Clara County3
- Santa Cruz County12
- Sonoma County9
- Ventura County6
All state parks (198)
| Name | County | Elevation | Nearest town | Sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hearst Castle | San Luis Obispo County | — | Cambria | 3 |
| Anza-Borrego Desert State Park | San Diego County | — | Borrego Springs | 5 |
| Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park | Humboldt County | — | Bertsch-Oceanview | 1 |
| Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park | Del Norte County | — | Bertsch-Oceanview | 3 |
| Humboldt Redwoods State Park | Humboldt County | — | Rio Dell | 2 |
| Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park | Del Norte County | — | Bertsch-Oceanview | 2 |
| Santa Monica State BeachSanta Monica Mountains | Los Angeles County | — | Santa Monica | 8 |
| Sutter's Fort | Sacramento County | — | Sacramento | 7 |
| Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park | Monterey County | — | Big Sur | 3 |
| Malibu Creek State ParkSanta Monica Mountains | Los Angeles County | — | Agoura | 7 |
| Donner Memorial State Park | Nevada County | — | Truckee | 5 |
| Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park | Modoc County | — | Burney | 1 |
| Big Basin Redwoods State Park | Santa Cruz County | — | Boulder Creek | 5 |
| Cuyamaca Rancho State Park | San Diego County | — | Descanso | 4 |
| Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park | Monterey County | — | Big Sur | 3 |
| Corona del Mar State Beach | Orange County | — | San Joaquin Hills | 8 |
| Emerald Bay State Park | El Dorado County | — | South Lake Tahoe | 4 |
| Calaveras Big Trees State Park | Calaveras County | — | Arnold | 4 |
| Los Angeles State Historic Park | Los Angeles County | — | Los Angeles | 9 |
| Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve | Los Angeles County | — | Green Valley | 5 |
| Andrew Molera State Park | Monterey County | — | Big Sur | 3 |
| Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve | Sonoma County | — | Guerneville | 5 |
| Año Nuevo State Park | San Mateo County | — | Boulder Creek | 5 |
| Natural Bridges State Beach | Santa Cruz County | — | Santa Cruz | 7 |
| Samuel P. Taylor State Park | Marin County | — | Lagunitas-Forest Knolls | 5 |
| Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park | Santa Cruz County | — | Pasatiempo | 6 |
| Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park | Humboldt County | — | Rio Dell | 2 |
| Jack London State Historic Park | Sonoma County | — | Eldridge | 5 |
| China Camp State Park | Marin County | — | Santa Venetia | 7 |
| Mount Tamalpais State ParkMuir Woods | Marin County | — | Kentfield | 6 |
| Governor's Mansion State Historic Park | Sacramento County | — | Sacramento | 8 |
| Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park | Butte County | — | Chico | 7 |
| Crystal Cove State Park | Orange County | — | San Joaquin Hills | 7 |
| Border Field State Park | San Diego County | — | Imperial Beach | 6 |
| Weaverville Joss House State Historic Park | Trinity County | — | Weaverville | 4 |
| The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park | Santa Cruz County | — | Day Valley | 5 |
| Old Town San Diego State Historic Park | San Diego County | — | San Diego | 7 |
| Mount San Jacinto State Park | Riverside County | — | Idyllwild | 5 |
| Navarro River Redwoods State Park | Mendocino County | — | Fort Bragg | 2 |
| Fort Ord Dunes State Park | Monterey County | — | Marina | 6 |
| Red Rock Canyon State Park | Kern County | — | California City | 3 |
| D. L. Bliss State Park | El Dorado County | — | Tahoma | 4 |
| Doheny State Beach | Orange County | — | Dana Point | 7 |
| El Capitán State Beach | Santa Barbara County | — | Isla Vista | 4 |
| Empire Mine State Historic Park | Nevada County | — | Grass Valley | 5 |
| San Onofre State Beach | San Diego County | — | San Clemente | 6 |
| Seacliff State Beach | Santa Cruz County | — | Seacliff | 7 |
| McArthur–Burney Falls Memorial State Park | Shasta County | — | Burney | 2 |
| Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve | San Diego County | — | Del Mar | 6 |
| Benicia Capitol State Historic Park | Solano County | — | Benicia | 7 |
| Fort Tejon | Kern County | — | Lebec | 4 |
| Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park | El Dorado County | — | Placerville | 5 |
| Mendocino Headlands State Park | Mendocino County | — | Fort Bragg | 2 |
| Bothe–Napa Valley State Park | Napa County | — | Deer Park | 5 |
| Butano State Park | San Mateo County | — | Boulder Creek | 5 |
| California Citrus State Historic Park | Riverside County | — | Woodcrest | 7 |
| Candlestick Point State Recreation Area | City and County of San Francisco | — | Bayview-Hunters Point | 8 |
| Cardiff State Beach | San Diego County | — | Solana Beach | 7 |
| Carmel River State Beach | Monterey County | — | Carmel-by-the-Sea | 5 |
| Castle Rock State Park | Santa Clara County | — | Saratoga | 6 |
| Caswell Memorial State Park | San Joaquin County | — | Ripon | 5 |
| Cayucos State Beach | San Luis Obispo County | — | Cayucos | 4 |
| Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park | Sacramento County | — | Sacramento | 8 |
| Leo Carrillo State Park | Ventura County | — | Malibu | 5 |
| Lighthouse Field State Beach | Santa Cruz County | — | Santa Cruz | 7 |
| Will Rogers State Beach | Los Angeles County | — | Pacific Palisades | 7 |
| Sugarloaf Ridge State Park | Sonoma County | — | Kenwood | 5 |
| Tomales Bay State ParkPoint Reyes | Marin County | — | Inverness | 4 |
| Robert Louis Stevenson State Park | Sonoma County | — | Calistoga | 4 |
| Trione-Annadel State Park | Sonoma County | — | Kenwood | 6 |
| Antelope Valley Indian Museum State Historic Park | Los Angeles County | — | Lake Los Angeles | 5 |
| Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park | Los Angeles County | — | Green Valley | 5 |
| Auburn State Recreation Area | Placer County | — | Auburn | 6 |
| Austin Creek State Recreation Area | Sonoma County | — | Guerneville | 4 |
| Moonlight Beach | San Diego County | — | Encinitas | 7 |
| Chino Hills State Park | San Bernardino County | — | Los Serranos | 7 |
| Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park | Tulare County | — | Alpaugh | 4 |
| Placerita Canyon State Park | Los Angeles County | — | Canyon Country | 7 |
| Point Dume State Beach | Los Angeles County | — | Malibu | 6 |
| Portola Redwoods State Park | Santa Clara County | — | Loyola | 5 |
| Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park | Sacramento County | — | Folsom | 8 |
| Fort Humboldt State Historic Park | Humboldt County | — | Bayview | 6 |
| Fort Ross State Historic Park | Sonoma County | — | Monte Rio | 3 |
| Dockweiler State Beach | Los Angeles County | — | El Segundo | 8 |
| Emma Wood State Beach | Ventura County | — | Ventura | 7 |
| Salt Point State Park | Sonoma County | — | Sea Ranch | 3 |
| Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park | Los Angeles County | — | Chatsworth | 8 |
| Sonoma Coast State Park | Sonoma County | — | Bodega Bay | 4 |
| South Yuba River State Park | Nevada County | — | Lake Wildwood | 4 |
| Henry W. Coe State Park | Santa Clara County | — | Morgan Hill | 5 |
| Grover Hot Springs State Park | Alpine County | — | Gardnerville Ranchos | 3 |
| Montaña de Oro State Park | San Luis Obispo County | — | Los Osos | 4 |
| Hendy Woods State Park | Mendocino County | — | Boonville | 3 |
| Manresa State Beach | Santa Cruz County | — | La Selva Beach | 6 |
| Garrapata State Park | Monterey County | — | Carmel-by-the-Sea | 4 |
| Ed Z'berg Sugar Pine Point State Park | El Dorado County | — | Tahoma | 3 |
| Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park | Napa County | — | Deer Park | 5 |
| Bean Hollow State Beach | San Mateo County | — | Portola Valley | 5 |
| Benicia State Recreation Area | Solano County | — | Crockett | 7 |
| MacKerricher State Park | Mendocino County | — | Fort Bragg | 4 |
| Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park | Nevada County | — | Nevada City | 3 |
| Malibu Lagoon State Beach | Los Angeles County | — | Las Flores | 6 |
| Manchester State Park | Mendocino County | — | Boonville | 2 |
| Marina State Beach | Monterey County | — | Marina | 6 |
| Bolsa Chica State Beach | Orange County | — | Huntington Beach | 8 |
| Carlsbad State Beach | San Diego County | — | Carlsbad | 8 |
| Carpinteria State Beach | Santa Barbara County | — | Carpinteria | 6 |
| Caspar Headlands State Beach | Mendocino County | — | Fort Bragg | 3 |
| Castaic Lake State Recreation Area | Los Angeles County | — | Castaic | 6 |
| Leucadia State Beach | San Diego County | — | Encinitas | 7 |
| Little River State Beach | Humboldt County | — | Westhaven-Moonstone | 4 |
| Los Encinos State Historic Park | Los Angeles County | — | Encino | 8 |
| Van Damme State Park | Mendocino County | — | Fort Bragg | 2 |
| Wassama Round House State Historic Park | Madera County | — | Ahwahnee | 3 |
| Westport–Union Landing State Beach | Mendocino County | — | Fort Bragg | 2 |
| Will Rogers State Historic Park | Los Angeles County | — | Pacific Palisades | 8 |
| William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park | Tehama County | — | Red Bluff | 5 |
| William Randolph Hearst Memorial Beach | San Luis Obispo County | — | Cambria | 3 |
| Thornton State Beach | San Mateo County | — | Broadmoor | 8 |
| Tolowa Dunes State Park | Del Norte County | — | Fort Dick | 2 |
| Trinidad State Beach | Humboldt County | — | Westhaven-Moonstone | 3 |
| Anderson Marsh State Historic Park | Lake County | — | Lower Lake | 5 |
| Asilomar State Beach | Monterey County | — | Pacific Grove | 6 |
| Azalea State Natural Reserve | Humboldt County | — | McKinleyville | 5 |
| Montara State Beach | San Mateo County | — | Montara | 6 |
| Monterey State Beach | Monterey County | — | Monterey | 7 |
| Morro Strand State Beach | San Luis Obispo County | — | Morro Bay | 5 |
| Moss Landing State Beach | Monterey County | — | Elkhorn | 5 |
| Olompali State Historic Park | Marin County | — | Novato | 6 |
| Pacheco State Park | Merced County | — | Hollister | 4 |
| Sue-meg State Park | Humboldt County | — | Redway | 1 |
| Columbia State Historic Park | Tuolumne County | — | Columbia | 4 |
| Pescadero State Beach | San Mateo County | — | Portola Valley | 5 |
| Picacho State Recreation Area | Imperial County | — | Yuma | 3 |
| Pismo State Beach | San Luis Obispo County | — | Grover Beach | 7 |
| Plumas–Eureka State Park | Plumas County | — | Portola | 3 |
| Point Mugu State Park | Ventura County | — | Casa Conejo | 5 |
| Point Sur State Historic Park | Monterey County | — | Big Sur | 3 |
| Pomponio State Beach | San Mateo County | — | Portola Valley | 5 |
| Fremont Peak State Park | San Benito County | — | San Juan Bautista | 5 |
| Railtown 1897 State Historic Park | Tuolumne County | — | Jamestown | 5 |
| Refugio State Beach | Santa Barbara County | — | Solvang | 4 |
| Richardson Grove State Park | Humboldt County | — | Redway | 1 |
| Rio de Los Angeles State Park | Los Angeles County | — | Atwater Village | 9 |
| Russian Gulch State Park | Mendocino County | — | Fort Bragg | 3 |
| Saddleback Butte State Park | Los Angeles County | — | Lake Los Angeles | 5 |
| McLaughlin Eastshore State Park | Alameda County | — | Albany | 8 |
| Estero Bluffs State Park | San Luis Obispo County | — | Cayucos | 4 |
| Salinas River State Beach | Monterey County | — | Castroville | 5 |
| Salton Sea State Recreation Area | Riverside County | — | Desert Shores | 4 |
| San Buenaventura State Beach | Ventura County | — | Ventura | 7 |
| San Clemente State Beach | Orange County | — | San Clemente | 7 |
| San Gregorio State Beach | San Mateo County | — | Half Moon Bay | 5 |
| San Juan Bautista State Historic Park | San Benito County | — | San Juan Bautista | 5 |
| San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park | San Diego County | — | San Pasqual | 6 |
| Schooner Gulch State Beach | Mendocino County | — | Sea Ranch | 3 |
| Sinkyone Wilderness State Park | Mendocino County | — | Redway | 1 |
| Harmony Headlands State Park | San Luis Obispo County | — | Cayucos | 3 |
| Hearst San Simeon State Park | San Luis Obispo County | — | Cambria | 4 |
| Gaviota State Park | Santa Barbara County | — | Buellton | 3 |
| Greenwood State Beach | Mendocino County | — | Boonville | 2 |
| Humboldt Lagoons State Park | Humboldt County | — | Westhaven-Moonstone | 2 |
| Huntington State Beach | Orange County | — | Huntington Beach | 8 |
| Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park | Amador County | — | Sutter Creek | 4 |
| Buckskin Mountain State Park | San Bernardino County | — | Cienega Springs | 3 |
| New Brighton State Beach | Santa Cruz County | — | Capitola | 7 |
| Topanga State Park | Los Angeles County | — | Topanga | 7 |
| Wilder Ranch State Park | Santa Cruz County | — | Santa Cruz | 6 |
| Coast Dairies | Santa Cruz County | — | Bonny Doon | 5 |
| Half Moon Bay State Beach | San Mateo County | — | Half Moon Bay | 6 |
| Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area | Los Angeles County | — | Ladera Heights | 9 |
| Mandalay State Beach | Ventura County | — | Channel Islands Beach | 7 |
| McGrath State Beach | Ventura County | — | Ventura | 6 |
| Limekiln State Park | Monterey County | — | Big Sur | 3 |
| Turlock Lake State Recreation Area | Stanislaus County | — | Waterford | 4 |
| Twin Lakes State Beach | Santa Cruz County | — | Twin Lakes | 8 |
| Sunset State Beach | Santa Cruz County | — | La Selva Beach | 5 |
| Torrey Pines State Beach | San Diego County | — | Del Mar | 6 |
| Monterey State Historic Park | Monterey County | — | Monterey | 7 |
| Old Sacramento State Historic Park | Yolo County | — | Sacramento | 8 |
| Pacifica State Beach | San Mateo County | — | Pacifica | 7 |
| Clear Lake State Park | Lake County | — | Soda Bay | 4 |
| Point Sal State Beach | Santa Barbara County | — | Guadalupe | 4 |
| Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach | Los Angeles County | — | Malibu | 5 |
| Crown Memorial State Beach | Alameda County | — | Alameda | 8 |
| San Bruno Mountain State Park | San Mateo County | — | Colma | 8 |
| San Elijo State Beach | San Diego County | — | Encinitas | 7 |
| Gray Whale Cove State Beach | San Mateo County | — | Montara | 6 |
| Indio Hills Palms Park Property | Riverside County | — | Sky Valley | 5 |
| McNee Ranch State Park | San Mateo County | — | Montara | 6 |
| Marsh Creek State Park | Contra Costa County | — | Brentwood | 6 |
| Mendocino Woodlands State Park | Mendocino County | — | Fort Bragg | 2 |
| Morro Bay State Park | San Luis Obispo County | — | Morro Bay | 6 |
| Delta Meadows Park Property | Sacramento County | — | Walnut Grove | 5 |
| Emeryville Crescent State Marine Reserve | Alameda County | — | Emeryville | 8 |
| La Purísima Mission State Historic Park | Santa Barbara County | — | Mission Hills | 5 |
| Bidwell–Sacramento River State Park | Glenn County | — | Hamilton City | 4 |
| Brannan Island State Recreation Area | Sacramento County | — | Rio Vista | 5 |
Sky = estimated Bortle class (1 darkest – 9 brightest).
Map
How to photograph state parks
State parks often protect a signature feature — a gorge, lake or overlook — that is best in early morning before visitors and harsh light arrive.
- Check park hours: many state parks close at dusk, which affects sunset and night shooting.
- Ask rangers about photography permits for commercial work, models or drones.
- Weekday mornings are the least crowded at popular viewpoints.
- Trail maps often mark overlooks — combine them with the sun azimuth to plan.
- Day-use fees or passes are common; buy them online before arriving.
Season: Spring wildflowers and autumn color are peak seasons in most parks.