Here is California's best state park, according to 300,000 reviews
From beautiful beaches to dense forests, here are the 10 most popular state parks, according to the data
Halfway along California’s 800-some-odd-mile coast, just south of Carmel-by-the-Sea, is where you’ll find the state park that visitors love most.
That’s Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, a protuberance of serrated bluffs and sandy pocket coves that juts into the Pacific like an otter’s outstretched paw.
It’s not the biggest state park or the most visited. There are no old-growth redwoods, waterfalls or Instagram-famous features. Dogs aren’t allowed. There isn’t even a place to camp.
Yet, a Chronicle analysis of tens of thousands of visitor reviews and ratings on Google and AllTrails.com showed that Point Lobos is the most universally beloved of all 280 park units operated by the state Department of Parks and Recreation. The department knows Point Lobos is unique, boasting on the reserve’s website that it “has often been called ‘the crown jewel’” of the entire system.
To rank the parks, we combined ratings from two sources: AllTrails, which aggregates reviews for individual trails within each park, and Google reviews, offering a broader visitor perspective. This approach balances feedback from hiking enthusiasts and casual park-goers. For tied scores, we used the number of Google reviews as a tiebreaker. This allowed us to create a data-driven ranking of California’s most popular state parks based on thousands of visitor experiences.
Read on for the Chronicle’s top 10 most beloved California state parks.
Mason Trinca/Special to The Chronicle
Monterey County || Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
First, it’s easily accessible. A short turnoff along Highway 1 gets you into the reserve, and a narrow ring road flows to small parking lots at most of the half-dozen scenic overlooks. If you prefer to explore by foot, a flat and delightful 6.5-mile walking path encircles the reserve’s headlands and can be hiked or jogged in a big one-way loop. Highly recommended!)
Second, the scenery is splendid: Think dramatic, wave-beaten outcroppings rising out of turquoise waters billowing with golden tendrils of leafy kelp. If you’re lucky, you might spot the misty puffs of migrating whales offshore or, closer in, sea otters floating in the picturesque coves and massive colonies of cormorants and sea lions.
And last, the interplay of marine fog, gnarled cypress trees and eroded cliffs has long been a favorite subject of photographers, painters and visual artists. The 20th century Australian landscape painter Francis McComas famously called Point Lobos “the greatest meeting of land and water in the world.”
Michael Macor/Special to The Chronicle
El Dorado County || Emerald Bay State Park
This iconic bay on the west side of Lake Tahoe has been immortalized in travel media a thousand times over for its idyllic visage: calm blue waters surrounding a pine-studded island against the backdrop of Tahoe’s granite basin.
Beyond the postcard beauty, there’s lots to do and a few unique features. A casual hiking trail traces a ridge skirting the bay. There’s a boat-in campground popular with kayakers, plus you can pitch a tent on the high ground at Eagle Point with stunning panoramic views.
And then the bay is home to the state’s first “underwater trail” where scuba divers can explore a series of wrecks and scuttled vessels, some of which date back a century.
Bonus: The Eagle Trail, while technically not part of Emerald Bay State Park, is one of Tahoe’s most popular day hikes with a trailhead directly across Highway 89. A moderately challenging 1.8-mile hike out and back leads to Eagle Lake and Upper Eagle Falls. Get there early because the parking lots fill up quickly!
Clara Mokri/Special to The Chronicle
San Diego County || Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
Bordered by homes and a highway, Torrey Pines is an urban oasis of wind-buffeted ocean bluffs, surf-sculpted sandstone, tide pools and marshland — within a few minutes’ drive of a cup of coffee or a cold beer and 20 minutes from downtown San Diego. A refuge for marine mammals, migratory birds and around 300 species of endangered or protected native plants, the reserve is also an extremely popular hiking spot. Trace the headlands to scenic lookouts past gnarled Torrey pines, a species so rare it lives only here and on one of the Channel Islands. Go low to explore tide pools bristling with anemones, or park beach chairs on the adjacent Torrey Pines State Beach, an expanse of sand that stretches for miles. Either way, the views are spectacular.
Note: The Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve Extension, northeast of the main park, is closed due to wildfire. Check the website for updates.
Rating: 9.5 || Reviews: 14,502 || AllTrails || Activities: Historical/Cultural Site, Visitor Center, Exhibits and Programs, Guided Tours, Interpretive Exhibits, Vista Point, Nature & Wildlife Viewing, Museums, Family Programs and Geocaching || Website
Kirsten Gilliam/Houston Chronicle
Del Norte County || Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
Here is one of the only places on Earth where you can camp at the foot of an old-growth redwood. Jedediah Smith is part of a special chain of contiguous state and national parks near Northern California’s coast that, together, contain around half of the state’s old-growth titans, some of which rise nearly 400 feet. If you’re seeking that sense of serenity that comes with tall trees, electric greenery and soft ground, look no further than Jedediah’s mighty groves.
See Monterey
Monterey County || Carmel River State Beach
Not to be confused with the more popular Carmel Beach (or City Beach, as it’s known) just north, Carmel River State Beach is a mile-long crescent of wide sand that wraps down to the craggy edge of Point Lobos. It’s as lagoonal a setting as you’re likely to find along the West Coast, which is to say the waters there can whip up into a choppy mess pretty quick. Even so, it’s a less crowded alternative to Carmel Beach that attracts scuba divers and kayakers, as well as bird-watchers, dog walkers and general visitors.
California State Parks
Riverside County || Mount San Jacinto State Park
Two words: rotating tram. That’s the quickest way to this SoCal park, a 2.5 -mile journey aboard the Palms Springs Aerial Tramway that goes almost straight up from the blistering desert to the forested high country. (Driving is also an option, with a second entrance and ranger station in the town of Idyllwild.) Once there, you’ll find mountain meadows, shaded campsites and granite scrambles, along with awe-inducing views of the desert floor and surrounding peaks. Ambitious hikers can bag one of the latter. From the top of the tram, it’s a 12-mile, leg-searing ascent to San Jacinto Peak (10,834 feet), best chased by a bite at one of the tram station’s two restaurants and a relaxing — rotating — ride back down.
See Monterey
Monterey County || Garrapata State Park
Yet another of Monterey County’s craggy coastal alcoves that Californians love is Garrapata, a must-visit stopover between Carmel and Big Sur. It’s nothing fancy, just a sweet slice of sand below crumbling cliffs on a remote stretch of Highway 1. Parking is in a long dirt pullout along the highway, and the beach is a quick walk down a nearby staircase. On the northern end of the beach is the entrance to Calla Lily Valley, a verdant corridor abloom with white flowers. Another nice thing that sets Garrapata apart: It’s free!
Rachel Bujalski/Special to The Chronicle
Mendocino County || Russian Gulch State Park
Marked by an arched bridge about 2 miles north of the town of Mendocino is Russian Gulch, a longtime favorite destination among Bay Area travelers and Highway 1 road-trippers. A lot is packed into this modestly sized park: windswept headlands, forested tent campsites, a small beach, tidepools, creek frontage and 15 miles of trails extending deep into a redwood canyon where you’ll find a cascading waterfall. (Note: Part of the park’s Fern Canyon Trail is closed during certain periods in the fall. Check the park’s website for details.)
Clara Mokri/Special to The Chronicle
Humboldt County || Humboldt Redwoods State Park
This sprawling redwood park between Mendocino and Eureka is impossible to drive through without stopping at least once. It’s home to the famous Avenue of the Giants, a paved roadway that weaves for around 32 miles around the trunks of sturdy coast redwoods in the shade of their canopy high above. There are several trailheads and picnic areas along the avenue, with more to be found deeper into the vast park.
Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Los Angeles County || Will Rogers State Beach
This nearly 2-mile stretch of beach from Santa Monica to the Pacific Palisades is Los Angeles at its finest. With palm trees, a wide sandy beach and spectacular views of the Santa Monica Mountains, Will Rogers State Beach is one of the more beautiful urban coastlines in the United States. In addition to being a great surfing spot, the beach is dotted with volleyball courts, outdoor gyms and playgrounds. Think of it as Venice Beach without all the hullabaloo. It’s also a great place to pretend you are on TV. The beach is featured on classic shows like “Baywatch” and “Parenthood.”