#120 Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument
Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument preserves 280,000 acres in the peninsular mountain ranges. The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians own and manage a large portion of the monument of which house many sacred sites. It is a land of extremes rising from the heat of the desert floor to the snow dusted peaks 10,000 feet high.
Palms to Pines National Scenic Byway winds through the encompassing mountains and is a great driving overview of the monument. The National Landscape Conservation System maintains the monument as a 'healthy, wild and open' space. Unlike many other parks and monuments, not many mapped trails or sites exist. It is a place for deep reflection and solitude. The beauty of nature awaits!
#115 Hidden Valley
Hidden Valley is in the heart of Joshua Tree National Park. It has beautiful Joshua Trees as well as the jumbo boulders which make the park famous. An easy 1 mile interpretive stroll takes you around the valley and makes a great first stop in the park.
#113 Father Crowley Vista Point
Father Crowley Vista Point provides sweeping views of Rainbow Canyon in Death Valley National Park. Located right off Highway 190 on the west side of the park, beautiful cinder cones and lava flows tumble into the canyon. The Point honors Father Crowley, the Padre of the Desert. He was an advocate for desert tourism and the rebirth of the Owens Valley after Los Angeles stole its water supply leaving nothing for the people to live off.
#97 Olmsted Point
Olmsted Point in Yosemite National Park is an essential beautiful vista point high in the Sierra Nevada. At more than 8,000 feet high, the point offers a unique view of Yosemite and its iconic Half Dome and can be accessed by the scenic Tioga Road. It was named after Frederick Law Olmsted, the Father of American Landscape Architecture and Conservationist.
#89 Furnace Creek Inn
“Would You Enjoy a Trip to Hell?...You Might Enjoy a Trip to Death Valley, Now! It has all the advantages of hell without the inconveniences.” -1907 April Fools Day Newspaper Ad
The Furnace Creek Inn and Ranch Resort is an Historic Hotel in the heart of Death Valley National Park. In 1907, it may have been hard to imagine a luxury resort in the hottest, driest and lowest spot on Earth but it happened two decades later. The hotel was built by the Pacific Coast Borax Company in order promote tourism after mining operations slowed. Tourism boomed and the resort was here to stay.
Today, the Inn is not just a hotel but holds the Four Diamond Award for its opulent luxury. Beautiful suites surrounded by Palm Groves with sweeping views of Death Valley can be seen in every direction. The nearby Ranch property is a more casual experience and contains the Borax Museum.
#87 Old Point Loma Lighthouse
Old Point Loma Lighthouse in San Diego is one of the original six lighthouses approved by Congress in 1850 after California was admitted to the union. Opening in 1855, the lighthouse was the highest in the country at 400 feet. Fog and cloud coverage made the lighthouse hard to see so was retired in 1891. The lighthouse also served as the home for the light keeper and family who would entertain visitors with its grandiose bluff-top views. Part of Cabrillo National Monument, the lighthouse can be visited in San Diego's National Park.
#86 Solstice Canyon
Solstice Canyon is a beautiful spot in the Santa Monica Mountains. A 2 mile round trip hike takes you into the canyon to the ruins of the Roberts Ranch House which was designed by Paul R. Williams, famous African American Architect in 1952. The house blended in with its natural surroundings and can be discovered by its blueprint foundation today. A nearby waterfall is also a highlight that can be seen flowing all year long.
#85 Generals Highway
The Generals Highway is the scenic drive that connects Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks. It is named after the two largest trees in the world, General Sherman & General Grant Sequoias. The road winds through giant sequoia groves and meadows in the Sierra Nevada and provides sweepings mountain vistas. Generals Highway was dedicated on June 23, 1935 and welcomed 669 cars with 2,488 people. Drive careful on this winding, narrow and steep scenic drive.
#82 Barker Dam
Barker Dam in Joshua Tree National Park is a man-made reservoir created in 1900 by early cattlemen. It has become a watering hole for Desert Bighorn Sheep. The giant boulders as well as nearby petroglyphs make for a great 1.3 mile loop hike. The dam is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
#80 Painted Rock
Painted Rock in the Carrizo Plain National Monument is an amazing pictograph rock art site. Thousands of years old, these pictographs were created by the Chumash, Salinan and Yokut Natives. The pigments were created from a yucca shrub while they were painted using brushes made of rodent hair. Although the meanings are now lost, the art remains sacred. Access to the site is via a rough dirt road and limited to guided tours from March to May and is a 1.4 mile hike. The rest of the year you need to register online to gain access to this federally protected site.
Pictograph/Petroglpyh Etiquette: Take many photos but DO NOT TOUCH. Oils from our hands can destroy forever. Do not alter the rock art in any way or form and please stay on the trail to protect the fragile desert ecosystem.
