More than 15 million tourists from around the globe travel to California each year to visit its world-famous theme parks, bustling coastal cities, and scenic national parks.
The Golden State boasts nine official national parks, more than any other state, from the scorching deserts of Death Valley to the towering trees of Sequoia and Redwood, to Southern California’s Channel Islands.
Each park offers its own unique topography, wildlife, and visitor experience.
Death Valley, one of the lowest points on Earth, is known for extreme temperatures that often exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer.
Joshua Tree, whose namesake yucca plants reach to the sky, also offers a stunning desert landscape – but the trees are the main event.
Yosemite National Park, famous for its towering granite cliffs and waterfalls, is a haven for outdoor enthusiasts and is generally regarded as one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
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DEATH VALLEY, NV & CA – SEPTEMBER 26: Death Valley Park Ranger Spencer Solomon performs his daily duties around Zabriskie Point on September 26, 2024 in Death Valley National Park. (Mikayla Whitmore for The Washington Post via Getty Images) -
Inspiration Point on Anacapa Island, Channel Islands National Park, California (Photo by: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) -
JOSHUA TREE, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 20: Joshua Trees stand after sunrise in Joshua Tree National Park on February 20, 2025 near Joshua Tree, California. Roughly 1,000 probationary National Park Service employees have been laid off amid a wave of federal work force cuts by the Trump administration prompting fears of harm to visitor experiences and safety at the nation’s national parks. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) -
SOLEDAD, CA – APRIL 12: Unusual rock formations and oak and pine trees dot the western edge of Pinnacles National Park as viewed on April 12, 2018, near Soledad, California. Pinnacles National Park is a designated wilderness protecting a mountainous area located east of the Salinas Valley in Central California, about 5 miles east of Soledad. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images) -
KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 01: Visitors walk as snow falls in the Grant Grove of giant sequoia trees during an atmospheric river storm on February 01, 2024 in Kings Canyon National Park, California. The first of two atmospheric river storms is impacting California with heavy rain and snow with 20 million people in the state under flood alerts today. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) -
A kayaker navigates around Arch Rock on the east end of Anacapa Island, May 5, 2008. The forty foot tall rock formation is the symbol of the Channel Islands National Park. Channel Islands National Park, off the Southern California coast includes five islands Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, Santa Barbara, and Anacapa. (Photo by Spencer Weiner/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) -
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CA – MARCH 27: Yosemite Valley, including Half Dome, Clouds Rest, and El Capitan, is revealed from Tunnel View after a brief rainstorm clears on March 27, 2025, in Yosemite National Park, California. Federal cuts to the National Parks budget have left many areas of Yosemite Valley vulnerable this spring and summer to short staffing issues, including layoffs by the concessionaire, Aramark. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images) -
SOLEDAD, CA – APRIL 12: Unusual rock formations and oak and pine trees dot the western edge of Pinnacles National Park as viewed on April 12, 2018, near Soledad, California. Pinnacles National Park is a designated wilderness protecting a mountainous area located east of the Salinas Valley in Central California, about 5 miles east of Soledad. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
“Most visitors head directly to Yosemite Valley, a 4,000-foot-deep trough lined by sheer cliffs of glacially sculpted rock. It’s amazing, but don’t you dare stop there,” officials with Visit California recommend. “You have to drive through the Wawona Tunnel, explore the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, wander through Tuolumne Meadows, and so much more.”
With the incredible geographic diversity of the parks comes a wide range in size. Some of California’s national parks cover just 40 square miles, while the largest spans more than 5,300 square miles.
Here’s a look at California’s national parks ranked by geographic size (courtesy of national-parks.com):
- Death Valley National Park: Approximately 3,408,406 acres (5,325 square miles)
- Joshua Tree National Park: 795,156 acres (1,242 square miles)
- Yosemite National Park: 761,266 acres (1,189 square miles)
- Kings Canyon National Park: 461,901 acres (721 square miles)
- Sequoia National Park: 404,064 acres (631 square miles)
- Channel Islands National Park: 249,561 acres (389 square miles)
- Redwood National and State Parks: 138,999 acres (217 square miles)
- Lassen Volcanic National Park: 106,452 acres (166 square miles)
- Pinnacles National Park: 26,606 acres (41 square miles)
Of these, Yosemite is the most visited national park in California, with an average of 4.4 million visitors annually over the past three years, according to the National Park Service. Joshua Tree National Park follows closely, attracting around 3 million visitors per year.
Death Valley National Park sees approximately 1.7 million visitors annually. Pinnacles sees the fewest visitors, roughly 200,000 each year.