Recreation

California has so many beautiful landscapes, no wonder it's the most crowded state in the nation. From the High Sierra granite mountain peaks to the impressive rugged coastline, there is always somewhere new to visit & enjoy. Pack a picnic, grab your hiking boots & make an overnight trip of it. Several areas are designated National Monuments, some of which have become National Parks.

The photo below is taken from the massive granite dome called 'Dome Rock', near the Needles, on the Western Divide Highway (inside the new Giant Sequoia NM. Both granite locations are popular rock climbers destinations for the Southern Sierra Nevada mountains.

California National Monuments	Maps	nearby town	county
Cabrillo National Monument Devils Postpile National Monument Giant Sequoia National Monument Lava Beds National Monument Muir Woods National Monument Pinnacles National Monument	. map map . map map	San Diego Mammoth Lakes Ponderosa Alturas Stinson Beach Hollister	San Diego Mono Tulare Modoc Marin San Benito

In the year 2000, Giant Sequoia National Monument was honored w/ added protection, which covers sections of the Sequoia National Forest - in between the Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon, and also covers groves along Western Divide Hwy, further south in the Sierra Nevada range.

In 1994, Joshua Tree National Monument was declared Joshua Tree National Park

In 1994, Death Valley National Monument was declared Death Valley National Park

Campgrounds near National Monuments Cabrillo NM: Silver Strand State Beach Campground Devils Postpile NM: Agnew Horse Camp Pumice Flat Group Campground Giant Sequoia NM: Quaking Aspen Campground Redwood Meadow Campground Long Meadow Campground Belknap Campground Coy Flat Campground Coy Flat Campground Wishon Campground Muir Woods NM: Samuel P Taylor Redwoods Campground Mount Tamalpais Campground

This spectacular geologic feature is hidden behind Mammoth Mountain. You've seen the signs on Hwy 395 for the Devil's Postpile National Monument.