Volcanic craters, out-of-this-world rock formations, and wild twisting trees, all in one state.
California’s Unbelievable Landscapes: A Guide to Nature’s Masterpieces

Medicine Lake Volcano, also known as the Medicine Lake Highlands, is a large swath of land (about 850 square miles) where you’ll find volcanic lakes, glass-like obsidian mountains, dense pine forests, and huge deposits of pumice. The Medicine Lake Volcano was shaped about 500,000 years ago, and it’s a shield volcano, a comparatively wide, flat volcano whose shape is the result of thin lava flows building up over time. The lake was formed by a crater near the mouth of the volcano; nearby are sites like Glass Mountain, which is a striking obsidian formation that looks like a hill made of black glass; and Lava Beds National Monument.

This verdant canyon in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park looks like something out of a fairytale. The canyon walls stand just over 30 feet highand are covered in ferns—five types of ferns, in fact, some of whose ancestry can be traced back 325 million years. Among the ferns are other lush plants and mosses which contribute to the monochrome splendor of the walls, which glisten and glimmer when wet. And along the canyon bed is a stretch of trail that connects to other trails in the park.

California may be known for its Redwood forests, which are home to some of the country’s largest trees. But it’s also home to a miniature forest, nestled into Mendocino County’s Van Damme State Park. A raised boardwalk inside the park winds through a rare collection of trees that are over 100 years old but not much taller than the average human. The tallest tree along this trail is no more than nine feet high; the cypress and pine trees look more like house plants or shrubbery. Walking among them will make you feel as though you’re a giant stepping through a toy forest. These old, tiny trees are the result of the park’s unique ecology: the soil isn’t particularly fertile, and the climate is quite wet: not ideal conditions for trees, but these little guys have hung on nonetheless.

It makes sense that California’s largest single-cave chamber would be right in the middle of Gold Country, a part of the state made famous by what’s just below its surface. Inside Moaning Cavern, though, you won’t find precious metals but wonder and awe. This enormous cave got its name from the moaning sound that echoed out of the cave and lured early gold miners to its entrance, and it’s large enough that the Statue of Liberty could fit inside of it. Guided tours take visitors down a ten-story spiral staircase surrounded by ancient cave formations. Even the staircase itself is a marvel: it was built in 1922 using scrap metal from an old WWI battleship.

The Hot Creek Geological Site contains a brilliantly sky-blue, boiling mountainous creek, which begins upstream as a chilly, happy habitat for trout, but gets a jolt of heat from volcanic vents near the Long Valley Caldera in Central California. Underground, the water can reach temperatures of up to 430 degrees Fahrenheit. Visitors can enjoy the views of these bubbling blue pools, which are set against the backdrop of the towering Eastern Sierra mountains.

California seems to be the place for tree extremity: tall trees, tiny trees, and some of the world’s oldest trees, which swirl and stretch like abstract sculptures. These are the ancient bristlecone pines that you’ll find high in the White Mountains of Inyo County. These trees have a dramatic, gnarled and wind-swept look; the Methuselah Tree, which is the second-oldest tree in the world, looks like something out of a fairy tale, with its twisting limbs. There are a number of trails that will take you through these old trees, and a visitor’s center that’s open in summer where you can learn more about them.

While technically manmade, these underground gardens built 100 years ago by Baldassare Forestiere are one of the most fascinating landscaped wonders in California. The gardens represent the lifelong obsession of Baldassare Forestiere, a Sicilian immigrant and self-taught artist and builder who came to America in 1901. After arriving in Fresno, he bought 80 acres of land that he quickly realized was unsuitable for farming; instead, he began digging through the clay that lay below the topsoil, eventually designing a subterranean 3-level complex of patios, grottoes, and garden courts interconnected with passageways that encircle a four-room living quarters. He planted many fruit trees on levels: oranges, lemons, grapefruits, kumquats, and dates, many of which are still growing today.

There may be no water at Fossil Falls, but that doesn’t make the area any less exciting. This formation of smooth, oddly shaped black rocks at the feet of the Sierra Nevada mountain range is striking on its own, and tells the story of the area’s geologic history. Nearly 20,000 years ago, lava flows left fields of volcanic rock in what is now the Inyo desert. When glaciers from the Sierra Nevada Mountain range melted after the last ice age, they formed rivers and lakes of runoff. These streams eroded the black basaltic rock, and resulted in the twisting forms you can see today.

This undulating rocky landscape was once a roiling pit of magma, thanks to the now-dormant volcano at its heart. Located along the famed Route 66, the Amboy Crater provides a large and picturesque reminder of a more violent geological time. The black rock caldera of the crater was formed around 79,000 years ago when a lake of lava roiled about inside the crater. When Route 66 was built nearby, it brought legions of tourists eager to walk through a once-active volcano, which was the only dormant volcano on the route. And while you’re unlikely to see them in the crater, the area is also home to the famous roadrunner.

While Palm Springs might be best known for its desert flair and midcentury modern architecture, it’s also home to one of the state’s most scenic rides, up the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to the top of Mount San Jacinto. The second-largest peak in California, Mount San Jacinto offers views of both mountain and desert, one of the state’s great contrasts. And the tramway allows visitors to reach great heights without enduring any hiking trails or winding mountain roads. At the top, you can enjoy one of two restaurants, observation decks, a natural history museum, two documentary theaters, and over 50 miles of hiking trails, in case all those views make you want to stretch your legs after all.