Zabriskie Point is a must-see stop in Death Valley National Park. Its colorful badlands and erosional cliffs started forming 5 million years ago from an ancient lakebed. The vista was named after Christian Brevoort Zabriskie, manager of the famous Pacific Coast Borax Company. A short walk will bring you to the top of the lookout: the best in the wild west.
#319 Anacapa Island
Anacapa Island is the smallest of Channel Islands National Park and is a series of 3 islets totaling 5 miles long. Though tiny, its beauty is unmatched with its dramatic sea cliffs, coves and ocean vistas. California sea lions & harbor seals are heard and seen nesting along its coastline while western gulls call this place home in the Spring and make up the largest breeding colony in the world. Native Americans used the island for thousands of years and called it 'Anypakh' or 'Mirage'.
#317 General Grant Grove
A walk around the General Grant Grove of Kings Canyon National Park is the perfect way to experience gentle giants up close. Several Giant Sequoia's surround winding trails of lush forest leading to the second largest tree in the world, General Grant, which measures 268 feet tall and 34 feet in diameter. President Coolidge named this Sequoia the Nation's Christmas tree in 1926 and has been famous ever since.
#308 Carrizo Plain National Monument
Carrizo Plain National Monument is a true wilderness experience in California's Great Central Valley. More than 200,000 acres of untouched beauty reveal what the entire valley looked like long before development. Beautiful grassland plains hug rolling hills blanketed by a rainbow of wildflowers in the Spring. The San Andreas Fault cuts right through the plain giving it a rich geological history. Native Chumash considered the plain sacred and inhabited the area for at least 4,000 years.
Today, this is the only original California grassland strand remaining. The highest concentration of endangered species in the state reside here including the tule elk, pronghorn, San Joaquin kit fox & antelope squirrel, blunt-nosed leopard lizard, giant kangaroo rat as well as the California condor. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management as opposed to the National Park Service, the plain is continuously in a controversial debate over grazing, solar power and oil drilling rights. One visit will have you one the side for preservation.
*Access is dirt road only, 4 wheel drive strongly recommended
#306 Congress Trail
Congress Trail in Sequoia National Park is a great place to get close to Giant Sequoia's. Starting at the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree on Earth, the trail winds through impressive groves of some of the largest sequoia's in the park. Names like 'The House', 'The Senate' and 'The President' strand give the trail its name. Crowds get smaller the further you hike on the easy 3 mile loop which can be done in varying lengths.
#305 Keys View
Keys View offers a stunning panoramic vista of the desert from Joshua Tree National Park. Located on the edge of the Little San Bernardino Mountains, endless views of Palm Springs, the Coachella Valley, San Jacinto Peak, San Andreas Fault, Salton Sea and Mexico on a clear day can all be enjoyed from this must-see point.
#301 Scotty's Castle
Scotty's Castle is a Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival architectural wonder in Death Valley National Park. It was created with the vision of Walter E. Scott, famous gold mine con man. Walter convinced Chicago investor Albert Mussey Johnson to invest in his fake mine. The investment turned out to be a fraud but Albert enjoyed Scott's enthusiasm and constructed the property anyway. The National Park Service purchased the property in 1970 and has led tours of the interior ever since which contains all original furnishings.
*Due to a 2015 flood, the castle is currently closed and estimated to reopen in 2019
#297 Yosemite Valley
Tunnel View overlooking Yosemite Valley is one of the most iconic scenes in Yosemite National Park. Its vantage point includes breathtaking views of El Capitan, Bridalveil Fall and the Half Dome. Late afternoon light through sunset is the best time to photograph this lovely vista. If arriving to the park from Wawona Road, this stop is also the first view of the valley making it a famous spot.
#295 Cima Ghost Town
Cima is a ghost town located in the Mojave National Preserve. Founded in 1900 with the opening of a store and later post office in 1905, H.C. Gibson's made the town famous because he did not pump gas for his customers making this the original self-service station. The Union Pacific Railroad passes the lazy town each day on its historic route. Cima is also the heart of the largest and densest Joshua Tree grove on Earth.
#291 San Gabriel Mountains National Monument
San Gabriel Mountains National Monument was created on October 10th, 2014 to protect 346,177 acres of pristine wilderness above Los Angeles. More than 15 million people are within a 90 mile radius of the monument, but a visit will feel uncrowded with 4 designated wilderness areas. 300 species of plants and animals are found here and nowhere else on Earth making it a rich biodiversity zone. The San Gabriel Mountains provide Los Angeles with 70% of its wild space and 30% of its drinking water. Native American history here dates 8,000 years.
