The oldest of the California State Parks, Big Basin is well worth your time. The park stretches across the Santa Cruz Mountains and towards Los Gatos on the eastern ridge. With so many hikes it is hard to choose. Grab a trail map from the visitor center. There are a few favorite trails worth mentioning. Berry Creek Canyon is tough,...

When you hike in this 10,000-acre state park, you might believe you’ve entered a hobbit world. Tall redwoods and pristine creeks line many of the 30 miles of trails, which rise from close to sea level up to the mountain peaks at 2,600 feet. The park bears the name of tree-hugger, nature lover Nisene Marks, whose children donated the former...

New Brighton sits on a gorgeous stretch of Monterey Bay coastline between Capitola and Aptos. It’s a gem of a park—one of the most visited in the state of California. The campground sits on scenic bluffs amid tall stands of pine and oak trees—and if you’d like to nab a site, you need to do so well in advance —...