Badwater Basin is an endorheic basin in Death Valley National Park, Death Valley, Inyo County, California. It is the lowest point in North America at 282 ft (86 m) below sea level. The salt flats here cover nearly 200 square miles (518 square km), and are composed mostly of sodium chloride (table salt), along with calcite, gypsum, and borax.
Mount Lassen, located in northern California, is a prominent volcanic peak in the Cascade Range. Officially known as Lassen Peak, it is the southernmost active volcano in the Cascades and part of Lassen Volcanic National Park. Lassen Peak stands at 10,457 feet (3,187 meters).
Winding through California’s northwest corner, the Smith River is the crown jewel of the Wild and Scenic River system. Rising in three major forks from the Klamath Mountains and Coast Range, the Smith runs wild and free through towering redwood and Douglas fir forests to the Pacific Ocean—all without a single dam.
The Salton Sea is a shallow, landlocked, highly saline endorheic lake in Riverside and Imperial counties at the southern end of the U.S. state of California. It lies on the San Andreas Fault within the Salton Trough, which stretches to the Gulf of California in Mexico. The lake is about 15 by 35 miles (24 by 56 km) at its widest and longest. A 2023 report put the surface area at 318 square miles (823.6 km2).
The Mojave Desert is a desert in the rain shadow of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains and Transverse Ranges in the Southwestern United States. It occupies a significant portion of Southern California and parts of Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. Named after the Mojave Native Americans it occupies roughly 54,000 square miles in a typical Basin and Range topography.
New Melones Lake is a reservoir in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, located in central California. It is part of the Stanislaus River system, spanning portions of Calaveras and Tuolumne counties. The lake was created by the construction of the New Melones Dam, completed in 1979 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood control, water supply, hydroelectric power, and recreation.
Tahoe National Forest includes the 8,587-foot (2,617 m) peak of Sierra Buttes, near Sierra City, which has views of Mount Lassen and Mount Shasta. It includes more than 850,000 acres of public land intermixed with 350,000 acres of private land in a checker board pattern. The Tahoe National Forest is renowned for its rugged beauty, historic sites and exceptional year-round recreation opportunities.
Keys View is a popular scenic overlook in Joshua Tree National Park. Perched on the crest of the Little San Bernardino Mountains, it provides panoramic views of the Coachella Valley. Look for the shining surface of the Salton Sea, which is 230 feet below sea level, on the far left. Looking to the right, the Santa Rosa Mountains are behind Indio and, along with 10,800-foot San Jacinto Peak behind Palm Springs,
Monterey Bay, located on the central coast of California, is a rich and diverse region known for its stunning natural beauty, marine biodiversity, and vibrant communities. Monterey Bay spans approximately 25 miles along California's central coast, bordered by the cities of Santa Cruz to the north and Monterey to the south.
One of the largest natural tracts in California, the Sierra National Forest flanks the southern and western edges of Yosemite National Park and Mariposa County, featuring five designated wilderness areas within its expansive boundary. Abundant recreational opportunities earn the Sierra National Forest’s rep as an outdoor lover’s paradise.
The Mendocino National Forest straddles the eastern spur of the Coastal Mountain Range in northwestern California. Some 65 miles long and 35 miles across, Forest’s federally-owned acres of mountains and canyons offer a variety of recreational opportunities – camping, hiking, backpacking, boating, fishing, hunting, nature study, photography, and off-highway vehicle travel.
Death Valley National Park is a vast desert wilderness located in eastern California, United States. It is one of the largest national parks in the country, covering over 3.4 million acres of rugged mountains, expansive sand dunes, and vast salt flats.
Joshua Tree National Park is an American national park in southeastern California. Dark night skies, a rich cultural history, and surreal geologic features add to the attraction of this place. Closer examination reveals a fascinating variety of plants and animals that make their home in this land shaped by strong winds, unpredictable torrents of rain, and climatic extremes.
Sequoia National Park is a national park located in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains in California, United States. It is home to towering sequoia trees, including the General Sherman Tree, which is the largest tree in the world by volume.
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly referred to as the Bay Area, is a populous and culturally diverse region in Northern California surrounding the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Area encompasses nine counties: San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma.
Lake Tahoe is located on the border of California and Nevada. About two-thirds of the lake is in California, with about one-third extending into Nevada at the north and south ends of the lake, and the entire eastern shore. Since part of South Lake Tahoe extends into Nevada, gaming is legal in South Lake Tahoe.
Mount San Antonio, commonly known as Mount Baldy, is the highest peak in the San Gabriel Mountains and in Los Angeles County, California. It stands at an elevation of 10,064 feet (3,068 meters). Mount San Antonio is located in the Angeles National Forest, straddling the boundary between Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is the most populous state in the U.S. and is known for its diverse geography, vibrant cities, cultural diversity, and economic significance. Its population was 38,940,231 in 2023.
