The most beautiful natural sites to discover California

A 4 hectare hike in an incredible cactus "garden" in the middle of the Joshua Tree desert. Here grows the Teddy bear cholla, a cactus with a fluffy teddy bear look, hence its name - be careful, in reality, its spines are very sharp! From January to May, many species of cactus in this area flower, giving the desert an unreal and colourful face. Beware of children on these cactus-lined trails!

This rock in the shape of a human skull is one of the favourite landmarks of Joshua Tree hikers. Also accessible by car by asphalt road, on Park Blvd.

Pretty approximately one hour excursion in the heart of the wild flowers. But beware, you do not have the right to gather wanting.

In addition to the gardens, the main attraction is Louis Stevenson House. It is in this Victorian house that Robert Louis Stevenson dropped anchor time to find the inspiration for its L'Ile masterpiece with the Treasury. He spent there a few months during 1879, still unknown. A stroll in the peninsula of Monterey inspired the design of its imaginary island.

Caution: take care to call before your visit to check the opening of Louis Stevenson's House. The house has been closed to the public due to budgetary restrictions, and does not open longer in summer, thanks to the help of volunteers of the region.

The largest dunes in California are the favourite quad game. You can also take horse rides.

A wooden pontoon from which you can fish, a clean beach where you can play volleyball and tan in peace. Stop in one of the small restaurants near the seafront to try the very Californian clam clam, the soup of clams served in soft bread. Unfortunately, due to the gradual disappearance of local hulls, conservators are forced to import from the East Coast, but they are equally good. In October the annual festival of hulls is held.

To make beautiful walks, watching whales or picnic. In spring, the mountain is fully covered with wild flowers.

This magnificent ranch of over 10,000 ha is a transition between the coast and the Anza-Borrego desert. First a Kumeya 'ay land (the land where it rains) of Indians, it is then that of the James Lassitor ranch in 1857. She also knew the era of the Gold Rush from 1869 to 1892, when he found the most important filon in California. It was only in 1923 that businessman Ralph Dyar dismantled the Stonewall Mine and the small town that grew around. Ranch became the property of the state in 1933 and serves the park.

Famous for its observatory, it also offers campsites. In the main building you will find information on walking, on both campsites and on horse trips. Next to the hotel is the little Indian Museum (open daily from to, free entrance). He teaches us a lot about the Indians and the past of the mine, where you can visit the ruins in the park.

Ocean Beach has a wooden pontoon (pier) from where to watch surfers and fishermen. A hippie atmosphere and a family, a good place to bathe, walk (1 mile long) and walk his pet (part of the beach is reserved for them).

The beaches of Coronado are famous for their fine and brilliant sand. At the foot of the prestigious Hotel del Coronado is the main beach of the island. You will find more south of other less known beaches: Glorietta bay beach but Silver Strand State Beach on the thin earth net linking the island to the mainland.

Local surfers are located west of Point Loma Peninsula, south of Ocean Beach, to tease the waves.

These granite blocks extend over 1 800 m in magnificent chaos. Ancient glaciers, rocks are steep and powerful. Several trails are available, we recommend the Crags Trail climbing up to Castle Dome through the forest and then into the granite blocks. Landscapes out of time at the top. Don't miss it.

Beware, it's a land trail leading to mccloud's three waterfalls. You can bathe at Middle Falls level.

It starts with a small minutes cruise on the majestic Shasta Lake to reach the other side of the bank. The blue waters of the lake framed from the mountains to the snow-covered summits form a striking spectacle. Then go on board a bus that takes you to the caves entrance.

The caves were discovered in 1878 by J.-A. Richardson, hence the inscription "discovered by J.-A. Richardson, November 3, 1878" which always appears on one of the walls. They are the result of thousands of years of geological phenomena. A guide will take you for almost an hour of cave cave to make you admire the stalagmites and stalactites while explaining their training process. The cave of the cathedral is breathtaking.

The star of this park is, once not usual in California, the giant Redwood. So we'll be measured at the Parson Jones Tree, the largest of the park, or see this old branch of Colonel Armstrong Tree, the oldest tree in the park. This magnificent forest of giant redwoods was preserved thanks to Colonel James Armstrong who discovered the beauty of these trees in the 1870 s. Easy access paths will take you through wood.

A huge redwood 6 m in diameter and 93 feet high in Prairie Creek.

The English elks are elk, of the family of deer, with long wood. It is a very rare species in the world, it left out mainly in Canada. You will see them here in freedom, a few metres from you. Remember that it is a wild species; although not very wild, do not get too.

Panum Crater is the youngest volcano in the Mono Lake site. He would be between 600 and 700 years according to the specialists. A trail allows you to walk through the crater or climb at its peak, from which the views on Mono Lake Basin and Sierra Nevada are sublime (approximately 90 minutes). An essential activity for geology lovers.

At 3.3 km high, the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument suddenly rise above the desert. Hiking trails meander through palm groves set against evergreen snow-capped peaks. Wild and spectacular.

A very beautiful wooden with a nice, well reconstructed chapel. It was a former fur trading post established by a Russian company in 1812, whose activity lasted until 1842. It was the southernmost point of the Russian colony in America, before the 1848 Gold Rush precipitate Western conquest by American pioneers. Traces of this Russian colony are found in California, and especially in Alaska. The park also protects the coastline over 10 kilometres and the surrounding Redwood forest. If you are in the region, note that the park organizes every year, at the end of July, its Fort Ross Festival, a day out of time for small (carriage, theatrical and musical performances) and large (tasting of local beers, etc.)! Find out directly on the website for details of attractions and various stands.

A 7 km long trail leads hikers, cyclists and riders through underwater. The purpose of this promenade is the highest waterfall of the Santa Monica Mountains, which is observed on two levels. Some sections of the hike will use your climbing skills. Have two good hours for this journey. The best time of the year to start the conquest of Escondido Falls is from November to April. The rest of the year, the waterfall is less impressive because of drought.

In 1950, a dam on the Colorado River exploded and hundreds of tons of water poured into a nearby valley. This inland sea, above sea level, is nothing but the result of human error. At the time, local farmers rushed around the so-called giant lake to develop their crops, while tourists, bailed by this unhoped-for freshness in the wilderness, only a few kilometers away from the very fashionable Palm Springs, practiced water skiing and faring on the banks of the Salton Sea. Hotels, restaurants and cafes grow like mushrooms. The water of the inland sea is twice as salty as that of the Pacific. Fish are introduced, fishing competitions organized. The seaside resort is expanding, more heavily frequented than Yosemite National Park, until the 1970 s, which saw Salton Sea water evaporating suddenly. The idyllic landscape is transformed into a true ecological nightmare, streaked with dead fish and trees that are spotted by salt. Tourists flee, buildings are abandoned. Today, Salton Sea is a dystopic curiosity worthy of a science fiction film. Some too poor people to escape from this salty hell still live on the shores of Salton Sea, in rusty caravans and ghosts.

Dedicated to President Abraham Lincoln in 1909, Lincoln Park's site was the San Francisco cemetery until the late 1860 s. In 1902, golf fans dug three holes on part of the land. The golf course was expanded in 14 holes in 1914 and 18 holes in 1917. It was during this period that several road projects were transferred to the federal government. Lincoln Highway, along with its terminus west of Lincoln Park, was designed and mapped in 1913 as the first coastal route crossing fourteen states.