San Francisco State Parks |
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San Francisco State Parks Overview
The state park system is responsible for almost a third of California's scenic coastline. State parks include underwater preserves, parks, redwood forests, plant and wildlife reserves, state beaches, recreation areas, wilderness areas, reservoirs, historic parks & homes, Spanish buildings, lighthouses, ghost towns, waterslides, conference centers, and off-highway vehicle parks. Below you'll find a list of the more popular San Francisco region's state parks and ones we personally recommmend from the panoramic vistas of Mt. Tamalpais to the giant coastal redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains. |
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San Francisco State ParksSamuel P. Taylor State Park is located 15 miles west of San Rafael off Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. Situated within coastal redwoods, Samuel P. Taylor has a rich history in the logging industry. Activities include camping, picnicking, biking, hiking and horseback riding. Mt. Tamalpais is located north of San Francisco off PCH (highway 1 - Pacific Coast Highway). Thick forest meets the ocean. Vistas of the Farallon Islands 25 miles out to sea, the Marin County hills, the San Francisco Bay and on rare occasions, the Sierra Nevada mountains can be seen 150 miles away. Activities include camping, hiking, fishing, biking and horseback riding. Bothe-Napa Valley State Park is located in Santa Rosa off Highways 128 & 29 between Calistoga and St. Helena. Activities at Bothe include camping, picnicking, swimming, hiking and horseback riding. Hiking trails head through a coastal redwood forest. A Visitor Center, early pioneer cemetery and picturesque creek are popular destinations for visitors. A swimming pool is available during the summer months. Triple Creek Horse Outfit offers the opportunity for horseback riding. Sugarloaf Ridge State Park is located in Kenwood off Highway 12. Activities at Sugarloaf include camping, picnicking, hiking, astronomy and horseback riding. Hiking trails follow Sonoma Creek through lush forest and meadow. Hiking destinations include Bald Mountain for panoramic views and a 25-foot waterfall. The Robert Ferguson Observatory offers powerful telescopes for public use. Triple Creek Horse Outfit offers the opportunity for horseback riding. Jack London State Historic Park is located in Glen Ellen off Highway 12, north of Sonoma. This is the place where Jack London lived out the final years of his life. Situated in a coastal redwood forest, this park contains London's cottage where he did his writing, his grave site, stables, silos, historic ruins, hiking trails and more.Triple Creek Horse Outfit offers the opportunity for horseback riding. China Camp State Park is located 4 miles east of San Rafael off North San Pedro Road. Situated along the shores of San Pablo Bay, China Camp has remnants of an old Chinese shrimp-fishing village dating back to the late 1800s. Activities include biking, hiking, swimming, boating, fishing and windsurfing. Lake Del Valle S.R.A. is located southeast of Livermore and Interstate 580, off Mines Road. Del Valle offers a 5-mile long lake and over 4,000 acres of oak-covered hills. Activities include camping, boating, fishing, swimming, horseback riding and windsurfing. Visitor center, amphitheatre and marina with boat rentals onsite. Half Moon Bay State Beach is located in Half Moon Bay off Kelly Avenue. Bluffs overlook a wide sandy beach to the ocean. Activities include camping, horseback riding, picnicking, surfing, and surf fishing. This is the site of the world renowned 'Mavericks', with some of the largest waves on the globe. Mt. Diablo State Park is located five miles east of Danville and Interstate 680, off Diablo Road. Known for the astounding views of the Farallon Islands to Mount Lassen and Yosemite, from the top of Mount Diablo. Telescopes are mounted on the observation deck for visitor use. Activities include camping, picnicking, hiking, biking, horseback riding, and stargazing. Henry W. Coe State Park is located 13 miles east of Morgan Hill and Highway 101, off East Dunne Avenue. Road is very narrow and windy. Coe is Norhtern California's largest State Park and offers of variety of terrain including high ridges, steep canyons, and many streams, ponds and lakes. Activities include camping, picnicking, fishing, hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. Butano State Park is located 5 miles southeast of Pescadero and Highway 101, off Cloverdale Road. Butano is situated in a redwood-filled canyon in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The main activities are camping and hiking along the many ocean view trails. Nearby Pescadero State Beach offers beach access. Visitor Center on-site. Portola Redwoods State Park is located west of Saratoga and Highway 85, off Highway 35 (Skyline Boulevard). Portola Redwoods has two creeks and some of the tallest redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The main activities are camping and hiking on nearly 20-miles of trails that wind through a dense forest of coastal redwoods. Visitor center onsite. 
Big Basin Redwoods State Park is located northwest of Santa Cruz and Highway 9, off Highway 236 (Big Basin Way). Big Basin features a dense redwood forest in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Activities include hiking and backpacking along the many ocean view and waterfall abundant trails. General Store and visitor center on-site. Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is located north of Santa Cruz and Graham Hill Road. Activities include camping, hiking, horesback riding, mountain biking and fishing. The San Lorenzo River passes through the park and offers salmon and steelhead fishing in the winter. Roaring Camp Railroad is situated next to the park and offers historic train rides through the redwoods and down to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. Visitor center onsite. |
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State Parks by Region
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