#152 Yosemite Falls
At 2,425 feet, Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in Yosemite National Park. Water passes through three gorgeous tiers before making its final plunge to the ground. It is one of the most iconic sights of the National Park Service and the 6th tallest in the world.
#144 Point Dume Nature Preserve
Point Dume Nature Preserve is a beautiful headland hill on the cliffs of the Santa Monica Mountains in Malibu. A hike to the top provides a 360 degree view of the surrounding ocean and mountains. Secret coves and white sandy beaches line the ocean below.
#142 Lost Grove
Lost Grove in Sequoia National Park contains over 400 magnificent giant sequoia trees. Along generals highway, the grove can easily be accessed and explored by all. The grove sits on the edge of the park and provides seclusion from the popular Giant Forest. Get lost and enjoy solitude in this peaceful grove.
#140 Badwater Basin
Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park is the hottest, driest place on Earth and the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level. The basin is a great salt pan of 'bad' un-drinkable water that pools only during a rare rain. Average annual rainfall is only 1.9 inches per year while the evaporation rate is 150 inches!
#132 Manzanar National Historic Site
Manzanar National Historic Site protects and preserves one of America's darkest moments in history. Japanese Americans were sent away to live in 'War Relocation Centers' aka concentration camps during World War II. This Owens Valley camp had very primitive conditions and was extremely hot and dusty in the summer while cold in the winter. It is not a place many choose to live by their free will. These American Citizens worked to keep the camp running with pitiful salaries about $8-19 a month or $115-275 in 2016 dollars.
Even though treated unfairly, these Japanese Americans were extremely strong and bonded together. They made the camp more beautiful by creating gardens with stunning landscapes while growing closer as families. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan gave a formal apology for the treatment of these law abiding citizens and created a reparations act. Although it is hard to remember, it is important to never forget about our past so we do not make the same terrible mistakes today.
#131 Crystal Cave
Crystal Cave is a beautiful cave in Sequoia National Park and one of 240 known caves in the park. Amazing polished marble chambers and formations decorate the walls and ceilings. At a constant 48 degrees, Pleistocene era fossils and minerals are protected among stalactites and stalagmites. Crystal Cave is a must see and a great way to discover the subterranean of Sequoia.
#129 Cathedral Cove
Cathedral Cove is one of the jewels of Anacapa Island in Channel Islands National Park. Its crystal clear waters and rocky shore provide a dramatic ocean vista while seclusion and lack of visitors make it an extremely peaceful treat.
#126 Peter Strauss Ranch
Peter Strauss Ranch is an enchanting park in the Santa Monica Mountains. Beautiful oak woodlands surround the ranch house as well as the cactus garden, original swimming pool and bird cage ruins. Trails wind through the National Park Service property which was once the ranch for actor Peter Strauss. It is also sacred land for the Chumash Native Americans who resided in these mountains for thousands of years.
#124 Granite Mountains
The wild rock formations of the Granite Mountains in the Mojave National Preserve are out of this world. Exotic eroded shapes are a wonderland for the imagination. The highest peak at 6,796 ft make it an area rich in biodiversity and lies within a transition zone for the Mojave Desert, Sonoran Desert, Great Basin Desert and Colorado Plateau.
#121 Chicago Stump
In the late 1800's, nobody in America believed that such a giant tree existed on Earth. To challenge believers, the life of the thousand year old General Noble Sequoia Tree ended. The stump then traveled by train to its new home at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. At the cost of $15,000, nearly half a million in today's dollars, this tree was cut 50 feet from the ground then hollowed into a 14 foot reassembled section at the fair.
Today in Sequoia National Forest on the border of Kings Canyon National Park lies the remaining stump. Several surrounding stumps can be explored as a reminder of the unfortunate Sequoia logging past. *4 wheel drive recommended to get to the stump
