All of California’s National Parks, Ranked

When it comes to national parks, it’s no surprise that California has the most to offer with nine awe-inspiring and also completely different parks. Having grown up there, yes, I am biased, but I believe California is the most varied and beautiful state in the US. Where else do you have the tallest trees, the lowest, hottest point in the US, and the tallest waterfall? They’re all found in our national parks.

I’ve been to all of them, and these are my rankings to help you narrow it down in case your time in the Golden State is limited:

1. Yosemite National Park – Best Waterfalls

Yosemite is my number one pick thanks to the magnitude of incredible hikes, the drama of the glacier-carved Valley, and of course the waterfalls. Yosemite Falls is the tallest waterfall in North America at 2,425 feet (739 m).

Yosemite is also the most popular national park on this list, but if you visit, you’ll understand why. My favorite hikes are Nevada Falls from Glacier Point, the quick and easy Yosemite Falls, the Mist Trail to Vernal Falls, and if you can get a permit, Half Dome.

Lately Yosemite requires reservations to visit in the summer to help curb visitor numbers. If you can, I recommend going during a shoulder season like the fall, or even the winter when the park often receives snowfall, turning it into a winter wonderland. Be forewarned that during this time of year, many of the roads in, like the Tioga pass off of the 395, are closed.

2. Death Valley National Park – Most Impressive Land Formations

Although I love Yosemite, Death Valley is a very close second. Though you might not think of the desert as a beautiful destination, Death Valley continuously blows me away with its palette of colors, diversity, and that beautiful night sky.

That said, it regularly clocks in the hottest temperatures on Earth, and I do not recommend it in the summer months when daytime temperatures can top 120°F (48.9°C). In the winter months, however, it’s great for camping, marveling at the views from Dante’s View, wandering the Badwater Basin, the lowest point in the US, the colors of the Artist’s Palette, the dunes of the Mequite, and the sunrise at Zabrisky’s Point. The Golden Canyon from there is one of my favorite hikes in the state.

3. Lassen Volcanic National Park – Best Use of Limited Time

Second to Pinnacles, Lassen National Park is one of the…