Mr Global Rankss

California holds a hot desert, a giant lake, wine country and the tallest known tree on Earth, so the best places in California to visit depend on what you want to see once in your life. This countdown covers ten of them, from a valley that changed the wine world to a national park that Congress protected in 1890. Whether you are planning a California vacation or just want the facts behind the postcards, each stop below comes with details you can check yourself.

10. Napa Valley

In 1976, a blind tasting in Paris changed the wine world. A panel of nine French experts rated a Napa Valley white, the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, and a Napa red, the 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, above famous French wines. The event became known as the Judgment of Paris.

Today, Napa Valley is a place to walk through vineyards, taste in the cellars and see where that story began.

9. Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree became a national park in 1994, and it covers about 795,000 acres. It is where two deserts meet: the higher Mojave Desert in the west and the lower Colorado Desert in the east, divided roughly by an elevation line at 3,000 feet (about 900 meters).

That means you can see two different desert worlds in a single park, among piles of giant boulders and the spiky trees that give the park its name.

8. San Diego

San Diego is one of the best places in California for families, and a big reason is Balboa Park. The park covers about 1,200 acres, was set aside in 1868, and holds the San Diego Zoo and more than a dozen museums.

Many of its landmark buildings were left behind by the Panama-California Exposition of the mid-1910s, so a single afternoon here gives you animals, museums and history, with the beaches of the city a short drive away.

7. Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is 1,645 feet (501 meters) deep, which makes it the second deepest lake in the United States. It sits at 6,225 feet (1,897 meters) above sea level and measures about 22 miles long and 12 miles wide.

It is a mountain lake you can ski beside in winter and swim in during summer, which is why it is one of the best places in California for snow as well as for a summer vacation.

6. Death Valley National Park

Death Valley is where the world record for air temperature was set. On July 10, 1913, at Greenland Ranch, now called Furnace Creek, the thermometer reached 134 degrees Fahrenheit (56.7 degrees Celsius), the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth.

The park also holds the lowest point in North America. Badwater Basin lies 282 feet (86 meters) below sea level. It is the place on this list where you plan your trip around the weather.

5. Big Sur

Along Highway 1 in Big Sur, the Bixby Creek Bridge opened in 1932. It stands about 280 feet (85 meters) high. With cliffs on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other, the bridge is one of the most photographed spots on the California coast.

4. San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937. It is about 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers) long, and its two towers rise 746 feet (about 227 meters). Its famous color is called International Orange.

You can walk across it, see it from the hills on the north side of the bay, or watch the fog roll through the strait beneath it.

3. Sequoia National Park

Sequoia National Park is home to the General Sherman Tree. It is about 275 feet (84 meters) tall, and it is the largest known living single-stem tree on Earth by volume.

Standing at its base, you feel how small a person is next to a living thing that has been growing for thousands of years.

2. Redwood National and State Parks

The tallest known living tree in the world is a coast redwood named Hyperion, at about 380 feet (116 meters). It stands deep inside Redwood National Park with no trail leading to it, and the area around it is closed to the public. Entering it can bring a fine of up to $5,000 and up to six months in jail.

You can still walk among other giant redwoods along the park’s trails.

1. Yosemite National Park

Yosemite became a national park on October 1, 1890, when Congress created it, but the valley was protected even earlier. In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant, which set aside Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias for public use and recreation.

That long record of protection is part of why Yosemite tops this list of the best places in California to see once.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best places in California for a vacation?

This countdown covers ten: Napa Valley, Joshua Tree National Park, San Diego, Lake Tahoe, Death Valley, Big Sur, San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge, Sequoia National Park, Redwood National and State Parks, and Yosemite National Park. Together they give you wine country, deserts, a city park, a mountain lake, a famous coast road and the biggest and tallest trees on Earth.

What is the hottest temperature ever recorded in California?

134 degrees Fahrenheit (56.7 degrees Celsius), recorded on July 10, 1913, at Furnace Creek in Death Valley. It is also recorded as the highest air temperature on Earth.

Can you visit the tallest tree in the world?

No. Hyperion stands in a part of Redwood National Park that is closed to the public, and entering the area can bring a fine of up to $5,000 and up to six months in jail. Fees, hours and access rules change, so check the official park and tourism sites before you go.

If you enjoy lists like this, see our ranking of the top places to visit in Florida and our guide to the best cities to visit in Italy in winter, browse more in our Travel section, and subscribe to Mr Global Rankss on YouTube for more of the world’s stories.