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This is a list of parks, historic resources, reserves and recreation areas in the California State Parks system.
| Park name | Classification | County or counties |
Size[1] | Year established[1] | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| acres | ha | |||||
| Admiral William Standley State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Mendocino | 45 | 18 | 1944 | Boasts redwoods plus salmon and steelhead fishing on the Eel River.[2] |
| Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park | State park | Shasta | 5,930 | 2,400 | 1975 | Preserves a wilderness of freshwater springs and geologically recent lava flows.[3] |
| Albany State Marine Reserve | Park property | Alameda | 1985 | |||
| Anderson Marsh State Historic Park | State historic park | Lake | 1,298 | 525 | 1982 | Preserves a tule marsh and ancient archaeological sites of the Pomo people.[4] |
| Andrew Molera State Park | State park | Monterey | 4,766 | 1,929 | 1968 | Offers a primitive walk-in campground on the Big Sur coast.[5] |
| Angel Island State Park | State park | Marin and San Francisco | 756 | 306 | 1955 | Interprets an island in San Francisco Bay whose history encompasses Coast Miwok prehistory, ranching, the 1910–1940 Angel Island Immigration Station, and long military use.[6] |
| Año Nuevo State Park | State park | San Mateo | 4,209 | 1,703 | 1985 | Encompasses Año Nuevo Island and Año Nuevo Point, which boasts the world's largest mainland rookery of northern elephant seals.[7] |
| Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve | State natural reserve | Los Angeles | 1,781 | 721 | 1976 | Showcases the state's most-consistent blooms of California poppy, in the high Mojave Desert.[8] |
| Antelope Valley Indian Museum State Historic Park | State historic park | Los Angeles | 397 | 161 | 1979 | Interprets the Native American cultures of the Great Basin and surrounding regions in a 1928 folk art building on the NRHP.[9] |
| Anza-Borrego Desert State Park | State park | San Diego, Imperial, and Riverside | 585,930 | 237,120 | 1933 | Preserves a vast tract of the Colorado Desert in California's largest state park.[10] |
| Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve | State natural reserve | Sonoma | 752 | 304 | 1934 | Preserves a grove of coast redwoods.[11] |
| Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park | State park | Los Angeles | 566 | 229 | 1993 | Preserves a remnant stand of Joshua trees and junipers in the Antelope Valley.[12] |
| Asilomar State Beach | State beach | Monterey | 107 | 43 | 1951 | Balances protection of rocky coast and dune habitat with public access.[13] The 1913 Asilomar Conference Grounds are a National Historic Landmark.[14] |
| Auburn State Recreation Area | State recreation area | El Dorado and Placer | 42,377 | 17,149 | 1966 | Offers numerous recreational opportunities along the North and Middle Forks of the American River.[15] |
| Austin Creek State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Sonoma | 5,927 | 2,399 | 1964 | Features a rugged wilderness on Austin Creek, adjacent to Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve.[16] |
| Azalea State Natural Reserve | State natural reserve | Humboldt | 30 | 12 | 1943 | Harbors a profusion of spring-blooming western azaleas.[17] |
| Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park | State historic park | Napa | 0.75 | 0.30 | 1974 | Showcases a restored 1846 water-powered grist mill in Napa Valley.[18] The mill is on the NRHP.[19] |
| Bean Hollow State Beach | State beach | San Mateo | 44 | 18 | 1958 | Offers fishing and beachcombing among tide pools.[20] |
| Benbow State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Humboldt | 1,142 | 462 | 1958 | Centers on a reservoir on the South Fork Eel River.[21] |
| Benicia Capitol State Historic Park | State historic park | Solano | 0.86 | 0.35 | 1951 | Interprets the third and oldest-surviving California capitol, used 1853–54.[22] The building is on the NRHP.[19] |
| Benicia State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Solano | 447 | 181 | 1957 | Preserves a tidal wetland on the Carquinez Strait.[23] |
| Bethany Reservoir State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Alameda | 609 | 246 | 1974 | Offers windsurfing and other water recreation on the Bethany Reservoir.[24] |
| Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park | State historic park | Butte | 5.2 | 2.1 | 1964 | Offers tours of the 1868 Victorian mansion of influential settlers John and Annie Bidwell.[25] The mansion is on the NRHP. |
| Bidwell-Sacramento River State Park | State park | Butte and Glenn | 349 | 141 | 1979 | Preserves riparian habitat on the Sacramento River and its tributary Big Chico Creek.[26] |
| Big Basin Redwoods State Park | State park | Santa Cruz | 18,050 | 7,300 | 1902 | Established as California's first state park, to preserve coast redwoods on Waddell Creek.[27] |
| Bodie State Historic Park | State historic park | Mono | 1,016 | 411 | 1962 | Preserves the ghost town of Bodie, whose gold-mining heyday ran from 1877 to 1881, and is now a National Historic Landmark.[28] |
| Bolsa Chica State Beach | State beach | Orange | 169 | 68 | 1960 | Offers surf fishing and catching grunion by hand.[29] |
| Border Field State Park | State park | San Diego | 1,316 | 533 | 1972 | Occupies the southwesternmost point of the contiguous U.S., on the Mexico – United States border. Part of the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve.[30] |
| Bothe-Napa Valley State Park | State park | Napa and Sonoma | 1,991 | 806 | 1960 | Contains the farthest inland coast redwoods in a California state park.[31] |
| Brannan Island State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Sacramento | 329 | 133 | 1952 | Offers water recreation amid a maze of channels in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta.[32] |
| Burleigh H. Murray Ranch | Park property | San Mateo | 1,325 | 536 | 1979 | Encompasses a hidden valley with a historic ranch established in 1857.[33] |
| Burton Creek State Park | State park | Placer | 1,890 | 760 | 1976 | Offers 6 miles (9.7 km) of unpaved roadway for hiking and cross-country skiing.[34] |
| Butano State Park | State park | San Mateo | 4,728 | 1,913 | 1956 | Showcases a secluded redwood-filled valley.[35] |
| Butte City Project | Park property | Butte | 37 | 15 | 2007 | In development, not open to public |
| Calaveras Big Trees State Park | State park | Calaveras and Tuolumne | 6,498 | 2,630 | 1931 | Protects two large groves of giant sequoias.[36] |
| California Citrus State Historic Park | State historic park | Riverside | 248 | 100 | 1984 | Interprets the influence of the state's citrus industry.[37] |
| California Indian Heritage Center State Park | State park | Yolo | 7.91 | 3.20 | 2011 | Undeveloped property located in West Sacramento. Plan is for this unit to eventually replace the State Indian Museum (State Historic Park).[38] |
| California State Capitol Museum | Park property | Sacramento | {{cite web | title = California State Capitol Museum | url = http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=495 | publisher = California State Parks | access-date = 2011-10-29}}"]}">40 | 16[39] | 1982 | Offers exhibits and tours of the California State Capitol and its grounds.[39] |
| California State Mining and Mineral Museum | Park property | Mariposa | 1999 | Exhibits the official state mineral collection and displays on the region's influential mining heritage.[40] | ||
| Cambria State Marine Conservation Area | State marine park | San Luis Obispo | 2007 | California State Parks' first state marine park. | ||
| Candlestick Point State Recreation Area | State recreation area | San Francisco | 204 | 83 | 1972 | Constitutes California's first urban state recreation area, on the west shore of San Francisco Bay.[41] |
| Cardiff State Beach | State beach | San Diego | 507 | 205 | 1949 | Provides a sandy, warm-water beach outside San Diego.[42] |
| Carlsbad State Beach | State beach | San Diego | 44 | 18 | 1933 | Features a small beach at the foot of coastal bluffs.[43] |
| Carmel River State Beach | State beach | Monterey | 297 | 120 | 1953 | Protects a 1-mile-long (1.6 km) beach and a lagoon at the mouth of the Carmel River which attracts many migratory birds.[44] |
| Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area | State vehicular recreation area | Alameda and San Joaquin | 5,075 | 2,054 | 1979 | Provides off-roading opportunities in the Diablo Range around the former townsite of Carnegie.[45] |
| Carpinteria State Beach | State beach | Santa Barbara and Ventura | 62 | 25 | 1932 | Offers a mile-long beach in the city of Carpinteria.[46] |
| Caspar Headlands State Beach | State beach | Mendocino | 75 | 30 | 1972 | |
| Caspar Headlands State Natural Reserve | State natural reserve | Mendocino | 2.7 | 1.1 | 1972 | Preserves a small strip of rugged coastline.[47] |
| Castaic Lake State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Los Angeles | 4,224 | 1,709 | 1965 | Features 29 miles (47 km) of shoreline on Castaic Lake.[48] |
| Castle Crags State Park | State park | Shasta | 3,905 | 1,580 | 1934 | Provides access to the Castle Crags Wilderness, with its 6,000-foot-tall (1,800 m) rock crags.[49] |
| Castle Rock State Park | State park | Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and San Mateo | 5,242 | 2,121 | 1968 | Encompasses a wild forest with rock climbing opportunities along the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains.[50] |
| Caswell Memorial State Park | State park | San Joaquin | 258 | 104 | 1952 | Preserves a riparian forest along the Stanislaus River.[51] |
| Cayucos State Beach | State beach | San Luis Obispo | 16 | 6.5 | 1940 | Provides a swimming and surfing beach in the beach town of Cayucos.[52] |
| China Camp State Park | State park | Marin | 1,514 | 613 | 1976 | Surrounds an 1880s Chinese American shrimp-fishing village and salt marshes on San Pablo Bay.[53] |
| Chino Hills State Park | State park | Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino | 14,173 | 5,736 | 1981 | Preserves a large tract of the Chino Hills.[54] |
| Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park | State historic park | Santa Barbara | 7.5 | 3.0 | 1976 | Preserves a sandstone cave bearing rock art of the Chumash people.[55] |
| Clay Pit State Vehicular Recreation Area | State vehicular recreation area | Butte | 220 | 89 | 1981 | Provides off-roading opportunities in the shallow clay pit excavated for material to build the Oroville Dam.[56] |
| Clear Lake State Park | State park | Lake | 590 | 240 | 1949 | Provides recreation opportunities on the southwest shore of Clear Lake, the largest freshwater lake within California's borders.[57] |
| Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park | State historic park | Tulare | 3,715 | 1,503 | 1973 | Interprets the town of Allensworth, founded in 1908 as a haven for African Americans by Colonel Allen Allensworth and other community leaders.[58] The town is a district on the NRHP. |
| Columbia State Historic Park | State historic park | Tuolumne | 273 | 110 | 1946 | Interprets Columbia's preserved gold rush-era downtown,[59] a National Historic Landmark District. |
| Colusa-Sacramento River State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Colusa | 301 | 122 | 1955 | Adjoins a stretch of the Sacramento River known for its fishing.[60] |
| Corona del Mar State Beach | State beach | Orange | 30 | 12 | 1947 | Provides a half-mile-long swimming beach adjacent to the Newport Beach harbor jetty.[61] |
| Crystal Cove State Park | State park | Orange | 3,936 | 1,593 | 1979 | Encompasses cliffbound coastline, inland chaparral canyons, and the NRHP-listed Crystal Cove Historic District of 1920s and 30s beach cottages.[62] |
| Cuyamaca Rancho State Park | State park | San Diego | 24,693 | 9,993 | 1933 | Preserves an expansive tract of forests and meadows above 5,000 feet (1,500 m) in the Laguna Mountains, on the former Rancho Cuyamaca.[63] |
| D. L. Bliss State Park | State park | El Dorado | 2,149 | 870 | 1929 | Features a balancing rock and the Rubicon Point Light on the shore of Lake Tahoe.[64] |
| Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park | State park | Del Norte | 31,261 | 12,651 | 1925 | Preserves old-growth coast redwoods and is managed cooperatively with RNSP.[65] |
| Delta Meadows | Park property | Sacramento | 472 | 191 | 1985 | Preserves undeveloped wet meadows and sloughs in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta. Closed to the public.[66] |
| Dockweiler State Beach | State beach | Los Angeles | 91 | 37 | 1948 | Features 3 miles (4.8 km) of beach and a hang gliding training site, adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport. |
| Doheny State Beach | State beach | Orange | 254 | 103 | 1931 | Offers surfing and beach-front camping in Dana Point.[67] |
| Donner Memorial State Park | State park | Nevada and Placer | 3,293 | 1,333 | 1928 | Interprets the site where the Donner Party was trapped by weather in the Sierra Nevada during the winter of 1846–1847,[68] now a National Historic Landmark. |
| Dos Rios State Park | State park | Stanislaus | 1,600 | 650 | 2024 | Opened in June 2024, it became the newest park in the state park system. "Nestled between the Tuolumne and San Joaquin rivers, around eight miles from Modesto, [it] is the largest public-private floodplain restoration project in the state [and] the first state park to open in California since Onyx Ranch State Vehicular Recreation Area in 2014."[69] |
| Eastern Kern County Onyx Ranch State Vehicular Recreation Area | State vehicular recreation area | Kern | 26,000 | 11,000 | 2014 | As of April 2024, it is the newest and second largest state vehicular recreation area in the state park system. It is surrounded by Bureau of Land Management lands.[70] |
| Ed Z'berg Sugar Pine Point State Park | State park | El Dorado | 2,324 | 940 | 1965 | Comprises the Lake Tahoe estate and 1903 summer home of banker Isaias W. Hellman.[71] |
| El Capitán State Beach | State beach | Santa Barbara | 2,634 | 1,066 | 1953 | Features a narrow beach at the foot of coastal bluffs where monarch butterflies congregate in autumn.[72] |
| El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park | State historic park | Santa Barbara | 5.8 | 2.3 | 1966 | Preserves components of a Spanish presidio dating back to 1782,[73] now on the NRHP. |
| Emerald Bay State Park | State park | El Dorado | 1,533 | 620 | 1953 | Contains Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay and Fannette Island plus the 1929 Vikingsholm mansion,[74] which is on the NRHP. |
| Emeryville Crescent State Marine Reserve | Park property | Alameda and Contra Costa | 103.5 | 41.9 | 1985 | Preserves a marsh on San Francisco Bay, managed as part of McLaughlin Eastshore State Park. Closed to the public. Unit will not become officially classified until action is also taken by the California Fish and Game Commission (ongoing since 2004). |
| Emma Wood State Beach | State beach | Ventura | 112 | 45 | 1957 | Contains a surfing beach and an estuary at the mouth of the Ventura River. |
| Empire Mine State Historic Park | State historic park | Nevada | 853 | 345 | 1975 | Offers tours of an underground gold mine which operated from 1850 to 1956, plus its surface surroundings.[75] The mine is on the NRHP. |
| Estero Bluffs State Park | State park | San Luis Obispo | 353 | 143 | 2000 | Preserves diverse coastal habitats on Estero Bay. |
| Folsom Lake State Recreation Area | State recreation area | El Dorado, Placer, and Sacramento | 19,564 | 7,917 | 1956 | Surrounds Folsom and Natoma Lakes, reservoirs on the American River.[76] |
| Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park | State historic park | Sacramento | 35 | 14 | 1956 | Interprets an 1895 hydroelectricity plant, now a National Historic and Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.[77] |
| The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park | State park | Santa Cruz | 10,223 | 4,137 | 1963 | Preserves a tract of secondary forest donated by the family of former owner Nisene Marks.[78] |
| Fort Humboldt State Historic Park | State historic park | Humboldt | 18 | 7.3 | 1955 | Situated on its commanding bluff adjacent to Humboldt Bay, park interprets relations between U.S. army (present at fort 1853–1870), Native American groups, and settlers. Site includes a logging museum and logging equipment displays.[79] |
| Fort Ord Dunes State Park | State park | Monterey | 980 | 400 | 2009 | Reclaims coastline overlooking Monterey Bay on former property of the decommissioned Fort Ord.[80] |
| Fort Ross State Historic Park | State historic park | Sonoma | 3,393 | 1,373 | 1909 | Interprets the partially reconstructed Fort Ross, an 1812–1841 Russian-American Company outpost that was the southernmost settlement in the Russian colonization of the Americas.[81] The fort is a National Historic Landmark. |
| Fort Tejon State Historic Park | State historic park | Kern | 647 | 262 | 1940 | Interprets the U.S. Army fort staffed 1854–1864 to monitor the Sebastian Indian Reservation.[82] The fort is on the NRHP. |
| Franks Tract State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Contra Costa | 3,523 | 1,426 | 1959 | Encompasses a flooded area in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta accessible only by water.[83] |
| Fremont Peak State Park | State park | Monterey and San Benito | 162 | 66 | 1934 | Provides views of the surrounding landscape from atop Fremont Peak and of the night sky from the Fremont Peak Observatory.[84] |
| Garrapata State Park | State park | Monterey | 2,939 | 1,189 | 1979 | Preserves a largely hidden stretch of wild coast.[85] |
| Gaviota State Park | State park | Santa Barbara | 2,787 | 1,128 | 1953 | Flanks the narrow gorge of Gaviota Creek, which funnels Sundowner winds onto the popular beach area.[86] |
| George J. Hatfield State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Merced | 46.5 | 18.8 | 1953 | Adjoins the Merced River.[87] |
| Governor's Mansion State Historic Park | State historic park | Sacramento | 0.78 | 0.32 | 1903 | Interprets the 1877 mansion that housed 13 of California's governors and their families from 1903 to 1967.[88] |
| Gray Whale Cove State Beach | State beach | San Mateo | 3.1 | 1.3 | 1966 | Embraces a steep-walled cove, near the Devil's Slide, where gray whales are often seen close to shore.[89] |
| Great Valley Grasslands State Park | State park | Merced | 2,826 | 1,144 | 1982 | Preserves a remnant of the native grasslands once extensive in the Central Valley.[90] |
| Greenwood State Beach | State beach | Mendocino | 47 | 19 | 1978 | Features a picturesque beach in Elk and a visitor center interpreting the town's lumbering history.[91] |
| Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park | State park | Humboldt | 430 | 170 | 1943 | Harbors groves of coast redwoods in three separate units along the Van Duzen River.[92] |
| Grover Hot Springs State Park | State park | Alpine | 553 | 224 | 1959 | Boasts hot springs that feed a swimming pool complex in an alpine meadow.[93] |
| Half Moon Bay State Beach | State beach | San Mateo | 181 | 73 | 1956 | Encompasses four popular sandy beaches on Half Moon Bay.[94] |
| Harmony Headlands State Park | State park | San Luis Obispo | 748 | 303 | 2003 | Preserves an undeveloped parcel of Pacific coast. |
| Harry A. Merlo State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Humboldt | 955 | 386 | 1982 | Offers fishing on Big Lagoon adjacent to Humboldt Lagoons State Park |
| Hatton Canyon | Park property | Monterey | 130 | 53 | 2002 | Preserves a canyon in Carmel saved from a planned freeway route. In development, not open to public. |
| Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument | State historical monument | San Luis Obispo | 209 | 85 | 1958 | Offers tours of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst's opulent 115-room "Hearst Castle," designed by architect Julia Morgan between 1919 and 1947.[95] |
| Hearst San Simeon State Park | State park | San Luis Obispo | 2,309 | 934 | 1932 | Preserves rocky coast and rare habitats like mima mounds and Monterey pine forest, as well as a 5,850-year-old Native American archaeological site.[96] |
| Heber Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area | State vehicular recreation area | Imperial | 342 | 138 | 1998 | Attracts ATV riders to sandy, tamarisk-dotted dunes along a former course of the Alamo River.[97] |
| Hendy Woods State Park | State park | Mendocino | 816 | 330 | 1958 | Preserves two groves of old-growth coast redwoods in the Anderson Valley.[98] |
| Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park | State park | Santa Cruz | 4,623 | 1,871 | 1953 | Boasts its Redwood Grove and other old-growth forest.[99] |
| Henry W. Coe State Park | State park | Santa Clara and Stanislaus | 89,164 | 36,083 | 1959 | Encompasses a sprawling wilderness of ridges and steep canyons in the Diablo Range.[100] |
| Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area | State vehicular recreation area | San Benito | 6,624 | 2,681 | 1975 | Offers a variety of off-roading tracks and events in the hills outside Hollister.[101] |
| Humboldt Lagoons State Park | State park | Humboldt | 2,256 | 913 | 1931 | Protects part of the largest lagoon system in the United States, including Big Lagoon, Stone Lagoon, and Freshwater Lagoon.[102] |
| Humboldt Redwoods State Park | State park | Humboldt | 51,651 | 20,902 | 1921 | Preserves the world's largest remaining old-growth coast redwood forest,[103] including Stratosphere Giant, the fourth-tallest known tree. |
| Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area | State vehicular recreation area | Los Angeles and Ventura | 18,533 | 7,500 | 1978 | Offers 130 miles (210 km) of off-highway tracks, connecting to more routes in Los Padres National Forest.[104] |
| Huntington State Beach | State beach | Orange | 121 | 49 | 1942 | Contains 2 miles (3.2 km) of wide, flat beach in the city of Huntington Beach.[105] |
| Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park | State historic park | Amador | 135 | 55 | 1962 | Interprets an outcrop with 1,185 mortar holes where Native Americans ground acorns into flour.[106] |
| Indio Hills Palms | Park property | Riverside | 5,630 | 2,280 | 1983 | Harbors a profusion of California fan palms growing along the San Andreas Fault in the Indio Hills. Part of the multi-agency Coachella Valley Preserve.[107] |
| Ishxenta State Park | Park property | Monterey | 1,329 | 538 | 1998 | Closed to the public except for tours on a limited basis |
| Jack London State Historic Park | State historic park | Sonoma | 1,611 | 652 | 1959 | Contains several structures from the ranch of author Jack London and his wife Charmian London, as well as their grave. The ranch is a National Historic Landmark.[108] Currently managed by the Jack London Park Partners, a non-profit that takes no state funding to maintain the park. |
| Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park | State park | Del Norte | 10,430 | 4,220 | 1939 | Honors explorer Jedediah Smith with a tract of coast redwoods along the Smith River. Part of Redwood National and State Parks.[109] |
| John B. Dewitt Redwoods State Natural Reserve | State natural reserve | Humboldt | 1,164 | 471 | 1929 | Contains three undeveloped coast redwood groves split off from Humboldt Redwoods State Park in 2001.[110] In development, not open to the public. |
| John Little State Natural Reserve | State natural reserve | Monterey | 21 | 8.5 | 1953 | Protects rugged cliffs on the Big Sur coast flanking the mouth of a creek.[111] |
| Jug Handle State Natural Reserve | State natural reserve | Mendocino | 776 | 314 | 1976 | Interprets a series of marine terraces each exhibiting a different stage of ecological succession.[112] |
| Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park | State park | Monterey | 3,762 | 1,522 | 1962 | Stretches from the Big Sur coast up to 3,000-foot (910 m) ridges.[113] Includes the iconic seaside McWay Falls. |
| Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Los Angeles | 401 | 162 | 1984 | Offers urban open space in the Baldwin Hills of Los Angeles.[114] |
| Kings Beach State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Placer | 7.7 | 3.1 | 1974 | Encompasses 700 feet (210 m) of lakefront on the north shore of Lake Tahoe.[115] |
| Kruse Rhododendron State Natural Reserve | State natural reserve | Sonoma | 317 | 128 | 1934 | Harbors a secondary forest with spring-blooming rhododendrons adjacent to Salt Point State Park.[116] |
| La Purísima Mission State Historic Park | State historic park | Santa Barbara | 1,934 | 783 | 1935 | Contains the 1813 La Purisima Mission, the most completely restored Spanish mission in California.[117] |
| Lake Del Valle State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Alameda | 3,732 | 1,510 | 1967 | Surrounds Lake Del Valle, a reservoir on the Arroyo Valle managed by the East Bay Regional Park District |
| Lake Oroville State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Butte | 29,447 | 11,917 | 1967 | Surrounds Lake Oroville, a reservoir on the Feather River.[118] |
| Lake Perris State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Riverside | 6,675 | 2,701 | 1974 | Contains the southernmost reservoir in the 701-mile (1,128 km) California State Water Project and the Ya'i Heki' Regional Indian Museum.[119] |
| Lake Valley State Recreation Area | State recreation area | El Dorado | 155 | 63 | 1985 | Offers an 18-hole golf course in the High Sierras.[120] |
| Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park | State historic park | Sacramento | 0.88 | 0.36 | 1978 | Offers tours of governor and tycoon Leland Stanford's restored 1856 mansion, now a National Historic Landmark.[121] |
| Leo Carrillo State Park | State park | Los Angeles and Ventura | 2,513 | 1,017 | 1953 | Honors actor and conservationist Leo Carrillo with a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) beach. Part of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.[122] |
| Leucadia State Beach | State beach | San Diego | 10.6 | 4.3 | 1949 | Comprises a small, rocky beach in Encinitas.[123] |
| Lighthouse Field State Beach | State beach | Santa Cruz | 38 | 15 | 1978 | Features the Steamer Lane surf break and a lighthouse containing the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum.[124] |
| Limekiln State Park | State park | Monterey | 711 | 288 | 1994 | Contains four lime kilns from an 1887 lime-smelting operation on the Big Sur coast.[125] |
| Little River State Beach | State beach | Humboldt | 152 | 62 | 1931 | Comprises a broad open beach with dunes.[126] |
| Los Angeles State Historic Park | State historic park | Los Angeles | 32 | 13 | 2001 | Provides urban open space on the site of an 1875 train station where many travelers first arrived in Los Angeles.[127] |
| Los Encinos State Historic Park | State historic park | Los Angeles | 4.7 | 1.9 | 1949 | |
| Los Osos Oaks State Natural Reserve | State natural reserve | San Luis Obispo | 85 | 34 | 1972 | |
| MacKerricher State Park | State park | Mendocino | 2,519 | 1,019 | 1949 | |
| Mailliard Redwoods State Natural Reserve | State natural reserve | Mendocino | 242 | 98 | 1945 | |
| Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park | State historic park | Nevada | 3,143 | 1,272 | 1965 | Preserves the largest hydraulic mining site in California. |
| Malibu Creek State Park | State park | Los Angeles | 8,215 | 3,324 | 1974 | |
| Malibu Lagoon State Beach | State beach | Los Angeles | 110 | 45 | 1951 | |
| Manchester State Park | State park | Mendocino | 5,272 | 2,134 | 1955 | |
| Mandalay State Beach | State beach | Ventura | 92 | 37 | 1985 | |
| Manresa State Beach | State beach | Santa Cruz | 138 | 56 | 1948 | |
| Marconi Conference Center State Historic Park | State historic park | Marin | 62 | 25 | 1976 | |
| Marina State Beach | State Beach | Monterey | 171 | 69 | 1977 | |
| Marsh Creek State Historic Park | State historic park | Contra Costa County | 3,659 | 1,481 | 2012 | Features Stone House of John Marsh;Park is under construction and closed to public as of 2023. |
| Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park | State historic park | El Dorado | 575 | 233 | 1942[128] | Marks the discovery of gold by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in 1848, sparking the California gold rush. |
| Martial Cottle Park State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Santa Clara | 137 | 55 | 2003 | |
| McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park | State park | Shasta | 910 | 370 | 1920 | |
| McConnell State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Merced | 74 | 30 | 1949 | |
| McGrath State Beach | State beach | Ventura | 314 | 127 | 1948 | |
| McLaughlin Eastshore State Park State Seashore | State seashore | Alameda and Contra Costa | 442 | 179 | 1985 | Encompasses several remnant and restored parcels along the East Bay waterfront. |
| Mendocino Headlands State Park | State park | Mendocino | 7,709 | 3,120 | 1972 | |
| Mendocino Woodlands State Park | State park | Mendocino | 720 | 290 | 1977 | |
| Millerton Lake State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Fresno and Madera | 6,857 | 2,775 | 1957 | Includes 40 miles (64 km) of shoreline on Millerton Lake and the 1867 Millerton County Courthouse.[129] |
| Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve | State natural reserve | Mono | 55,300 | 22,400 | 1982 | |
| Montaña de Oro State Park | State park | San Luis Obispo | 10,366 | 4,195 | 1934 | |
| Montara State Beach | State beach | San Mateo | 780 | 320 | 1959 | |
| Monterey State Historic Park | State historic park | Monterey | 9.6 | 3.9 | 1916 | |
| Monterey State Beach | State beach | Monterey | 114 | 46 | 1960 | |
| Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve | State natural reserve | Mendocino | 2,743 | 1,110 | 1947 | |
| Moonlight State Beach | State beach | San Diego | 15 | 6.1 | 1949 | |
| Morro Bay State Park | State park | San Luis Obispo | 2,783 | 1,126 | 1934 | |
| Morro Strand State Beach | State beach | San Luis Obispo | 183 | 74 | 1932 | |
| Moss Landing State Beach | State beach | Monterey | 60 | 24 | 1972 | |
| Mount Diablo State Park | State park | Contra Costa | 20,124 | 8,144 | 1931 | |
| Mount San Jacinto State Park | State park | Riverside | 13,718 | 5,551 | 1933 | |
| Mount Tamalpais State Park | State park | Marin | 6,243 | 2,526 | 1928 | |
| Natural Bridges State Beach | State beach | Santa Cruz | 62 | 25 | 1933 | |
| Navarro River Redwoods State Park | State park | Mendocino | 727 | 294 | 1928 | |
| New Brighton State Beach | State beach | Santa Cruz | 157 | 64 | 1933 | |
| Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area | State vehicular recreation area | San Luis Obispo | 2,675 | 1,083 | 1974 | |
| Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area | State vehicular recreation area | Imperial and San Diego | 50,553 | 20,458 | 1976 | Offers off-roading opportunities adjacent to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.[130] |
| Old Sacramento State Historic Park | State historic park | Sacramento | 293 | 119 | 1967 | Includes the California State Railroad Museum which celebrates the history of rail transportation in California with museum displays, 21 restored locomotives, and a heritage railway along the Sacramento River.[131] |
| Old Town San Diego State Historic Park | State historic park | San Diego | 29 | 12 | 1967 | |
| Olompali State Historic Park | State historic park | Marin | 700 | 280 | 1977 | |
| Pacheco State Park | State park | Merced and Santa Clara | 6,894 | 2,790 | 1995 | |
| Pacifica State Beach | State beach | San Mateo | 21 | 8.5 | 1979 | |
| Palomar Mountain State Park | State park | San Diego | 1,909 | 773 | 1932 | |
| Pelican State Beach | State beach | Del Norte | 5.2 | 2.1 | 1947 | |
| Pescadero State Beach | State beach | San Mateo | 700 | 280 | 1958 | |
| Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park | State historic park | Sonoma | 41 | 17 | 1951 | |
| Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park | State park | Monterey | 1,391 | 563 | 1933 | |
| Picacho State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Imperial | 6,759 | 2,735 | 1960 | |
| Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park | State historic park | San Mateo | 76 | 31 | 1981 | |
| Pío Pico State Historic Park | State historic park | Los Angeles | 5.5 | 2.2 | 1917 | |
| Pismo State Beach | State beach | San Luis Obispo | 1,412 | 571 | 1935 | |
| Placerita Canyon State Park | State park | Los Angeles | 342 | 138 | 1949 | |
| Plumas-Eureka State Park | State park | Plumas | 4,424 | 1,790 | 1959 | |
| Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park | State historic park | Mendocino | 383 | 155 | 2002 | |
| Point Dume State Beach | State beach | Los Angeles | 37 | 15 | 1958 | |
| Point Lobos State Natural Reserve | State natural reserve | Monterey | 1,325 | 536 | 1933 | |
| Point Mugu State Park | State park | Ventura | 13,947 | 5,644 | 1966 | |
| Point Sal State Beach | State beach | Santa Barbara | 84 | 34 | 1948 | |
| Point Sur State Historic Park | State historic park | Monterey | 92 | 37 | 1986 | Contains the still-operational 1889 Point Sur Lighthouse and a former U.S. Navy SOSUS base. The lighthouse is on the NRHP.[132] |
| Pomponio State Beach | State beach | San Mateo | 421 | 170 | 1960 | |
| Portola Redwoods State Park | State park | San Mateo | 2,608 | 1,055 | 1945 | |
| Prairie City State Vehicular Recreation Area | State vehicular recreation area | Sacramento | 2,786 | 1,127 | 1990 | Offers open off-roading at the foot of the Sierra Nevada as well as a go-kart track and 4WD obstacle course. This unit has never been officially named and 'Prairie City' is used until official action.[133] |
| Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park | State park | Humboldt | 14,187 | 5,741 | 1923 | |
| Providence Mountains State Recreation Area | State recreation area | San Bernardino | 5,890 | 2,380 | 1956 | Closed to the public |
| Railtown 1897 State Historic Park | State historic park | Tuolumne | 24 | 9.7 | 1982 | |
| Rancho San Andrés Castro Adobe | Park property | Santa Cruz | 1 | 0.40 | 2002 | Comprises the grand 1849 hacienda of the prominent Castro family on their Rancho San Andrés.[134] In development, not open to public. The hacienda is on the NRHP. |
| Red Rock Canyon State Park | State park | Kern | 25,325 | 10,249 | 1970 | |
| Refugio State Beach | State beach | Santa Barbara | 905 | 366 | 1950 | |
| Reynolds Wayside Campground | Wayside campground | Mendocino | 66 | 27 | 1966 | Preserves a parcel of old-growth redwoods and Douglas fir beside U.S. Route 101. The campground was removed in 1976.[135] |
| Richardson Grove State Park | State park | Humboldt | 1,772 | 717 | 1922 | |
| Rio de Los Angeles State Park State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Los Angeles | 58 | 23 | 2001 | |
| Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach | State beach | Los Angeles | 37 | 15 | 1978 | |
| Robert Louis Stevenson State Park | State park | Napa, Sonoma, and Lake | 5,990 | 2,420 | 1949 | |
| Robert W. Crown Memorial State Beach | State beach | Alameda | 132 | 53 | 1961 | |
| Russian Gulch State Park | State park | Mendocino | 1,305 | 528 | 1933 | |
| Saddleback Butte State Park | State park | Los Angeles | 2,954 | 1,195 | 1957 | |
| Salinas River State Beach | State beach | Monterey and Santa Cruz | 281.84 | 114.06 | 1960 | |
| Salt Point State Park | State park | Sonoma | 5,684 | 2,300 | 1968 | |
| Salton Sea State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Imperial and Riverside | 16,901 | 6,840 | 1951 | |
| Samuel P. Taylor State Park | State park | Marin | 2,707 | 1,095 | 1946 | |
| San Bruno Mountain State Park | State park | San Mateo | 298 | 121 | 1980 | |
| San Buenaventura State Beach | State beach | Ventura | 110 | 45 | 1961 | |
| San Clemente State Beach | State beach | Orange | 117 | 47 | 1931 | |
| San Elijo State Beach | State beach | San Diego | 588 | 238 | 1952 | |
| San Gregorio State Beach | State beach | San Mateo | 414 | 168 | 1958 | |
| San Juan Bautista State Historic Park | State historic park | San Benito | 6.1 | 2.5 | 1933 | |
| San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Merced | 26,036 | 10,536 | 1969 | |
| San Onofre State Beach | State beach | San Diego | 2,107 | 853 | 1971 | |
| San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park | State historic park | San Diego | 69 | 28 | 1918 | |
| San Timoteo Canyon | Park property | Riverside | 1,148 | 465 | 2002 | |
| Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park | State historic park | Santa Cruz | 1.9 | 0.77 | 1959 | |
| Santa Monica State Beach | State beach | Los Angeles | 48 | 19 | 1948 | |
| Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park | State historic park | Los Angeles | 671 | 272 | 1979 | |
| Schooner Gulch State Beach | State beach | Mendocino | 54 | 22 | 1983 | |
| Seacliff State Beach | State beach | Santa Cruz | 89 | 36 | 1931 | |
| Shasta State Historic Park | State historic park | Shasta | 25 | 10 | 1937 | |
| Silver Strand State Beach | State beach | San Diego | 3,749 | 1,517 | 1932 | |
| Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area | State recreation area | San Bernardino | 2,201 | 891 | 1978 | |
| Sinkyone Wilderness State Park | State park | Mendocino and Humboldt | 7,937 | 3,212 | 1975 | |
| Smithe Redwoods State Natural Reserve | State natural reserve | Mendocino | 689 | 279 | 1963 | |
| Sonoma State Historic Park | State historic park | Sonoma | 64 | 26 | 1909 | |
| Sonoma Coast State Park | State park | Sonoma | 10,018 | 4,054 | 1934 | |
| South Carlsbad State Beach | State beach | San Diego | 118 | 48 | 1949 | |
| South Yuba River State Park | State park | Nevada | 8,720 | 3,530 | 1979 | |
| Standish-Hickey State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Mendocino | 1,021 | 413 | 1921 | |
| State Indian Museum | State historic park | Sacramento | 1914 | Interprets the diverse cultures of the indigenous peoples of California.[136] | ||
| Stone Lake | Park property | Sacramento | 1,090 | 440 | 1978 | |
| Sue-meg State Park | State park | Humboldt | 652 | 264 | 1930 | Formerly Patrick's Point State Park |
| Sugarloaf Ridge State Park | State park | Sonoma and Napa | 4,416 | 1,787 | 1920 | Managed by a group of Sonoma County non-profits as Team Sugarloaf with no state funding. |
| Sunset State Beach | State beach | Santa Cruz | 302 | 122 | 1931 | |
| Sutter Buttes State Park | State park | Sutter | 1,785 | 722 | 2003 | In development on the north side of the Sutter Buttes. This park has not officially been named but has been classified as a state park. The use of Sutter Buttes in the name was allowed temporarily by the California State Parks Commission in 2004. Currently no public access.[137] |
| Sutter's Fort State Historic Park | State historic park | Sacramento | 5.8 | 2.3 | 1914 | |
| Tahoe State Recreation Area | State Recreation Area | Placer | 62 | 25 | Campground on Lake Tahoe[138] | |
| Thornton State Beach | State beach | San Mateo | 58 | 23 | 1955 | |
| Tolowa Dunes State Park | State park | Del Norte | 4,399 | 1,780 | 1983 | |
| Tomales Bay State Park | State park | Marin | 2,443 | 989 | 1952 | Open under National Park Service management |
| Tomo-Kahni State Historic Park | State historic park | Kern | 560 | 230 | 1993 | |
| Topanga State Park | State park | Los Angeles | 12,666 | 5,126 | 1967 | |
| Torrey Pines State Beach | State beach | San Diego | 61 | 25 | 1952 | |
| Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve | State natural reserve | San Diego | 1,461 | 591 | 1952 | |
| Trinidad State Beach | State beach | Humboldt | 159 | 64 | 1937 | |
| Trione-Annadel State Park | State park | Sonoma | 5,092 | 2,061 | 1971 | Supports a variety of day-use activities at the northern end of Sonoma Valley.[139] |
| Tule Elk State Natural Reserve | State natural reserve | Kern | 984 | 398 | 1932 | |
| Turlock Lake State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Stanislaus | 3,559 | 1,440 | 1950 | |
| Twin Lakes State Beach | State beach | Santa Cruz | 95 | 38 | 1955 | |
| Van Damme State Park | State park | Mendocino | 2,336 | 945 | 1932 | Preserves beach, bog, and a pygmy forest on the site of a former redwood lumbering settlement.[140] The pygmy forest is a National Natural Landmark.[141] |
| Verdugo Mountains | Park property | Los Angeles | 251 | 102 | 1984 | |
| Ward Creek Project | Park property | Placer | 173 | 70 | 1978 | |
| Washoe Meadows State Park | State park | El Dorado | 628 | 254 | 1985 | |
| Wassama Round House State Historic Park | State historic park | Madera | 27 | 11 | 1978 | |
| Watts Towers of Simon Rodia State Historic Park | State historic park | Los Angeles | 0.11 | 0.045 | 1978 | |
| Weaverville Joss House State Historic Park | State historic park | Trinity | 2.8 | 1.1 | 1956 | |
| Westport-Union Landing State Beach | State beach | Mendocino | 58 | 23 | 1952 | |
| Wilder Ranch State Park | State park | Santa Cruz | 8,342 | 3,376 | 1974 | |
| Wildwood Canyon | Park property | San Bernardino | 856 | 346 | 2002 | In development |
| Will Rogers State Beach | State beach | Los Angeles | 82 | 33 | 1931 | |
| Will Rogers State Historic Park | State historic park | Los Angeles | 189 | 76 | 1944 | |
| William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park | State historic park | Tehama | 3.9 | 1.6 | 1951 | |
| Woodland Opera House State Historic Park | State historic park | Yolo | 0.26 | 0.11 | 1980 | |
| Woodson Bridge State Recreation Area | State recreation area | Tehama | 323 | 131 | 1959 | |
| Zmudowski State Beach | State beach | Monterey and Santa Cruz | 194 | 79 | 1950 | |
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