10 of the Best State Parks in Southern California
California is home to 280 state parks run by the California Department of Parks and Recreation whose mission is:
“To provide for the health, inspiration and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation.”
In addition to the state parks, the Department runs over 340 miles of coastline, 970 miles of lake and river frontage, 15,000 campsites and 4,500 miles of trails making it responsible for more holdings than any state agency in the nation! Its protection and preservation efforts are unparalleled.
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California is a huge state, larger than all of the US states except Alaska and Texas. Even if it was a country, it would still rank as one of the largest. It’s also incredibly diverse and can be divided into Northern California, Central California and Southern California.
This article focuses on some of the best state parks located in southern California.
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
With over 585,000 acres, Anza Borrego Desert State Park is the largest state park in California and includes 1/5 of San Diego County reaching into both Imperial and Riverside counties.
The park is located in the Colorado Desert of southern California. It’s famous for its extraordinary spring wildflower blooms and the nearby impressive Galleta Meadows, home to over 130 metal art sculptures by artist Ricardo Breceda including a colossal serpent reaching over 350 feet long. For a map of sculptures, click here.
If you visit in fall, you won’t want to miss the annual Borrego Days Desert Festival, a family-friendly parade and street fair.
Anza Borrego is also home to incredibly diverse flora and fauna specially adapted for desert life including the endangered desert bighorn sheep. Thanks to their split hooves and amazing balance, bighorns can stand on ledges only 2 inches wide, jump 20 feet and scale mountains at 15 mph.
Chino Hills State Park
Chino Hills State Park is located in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains in the heart of an important wildlife migration corridor. It’s a major botanical habitat reserve. There are 3 entrances with plenty of hiking and mountain bike riding trails.
In the Spring, the park’s hills come alive with poppies and wild mustard especially during years with generous rain.
Corona del Mar State Beach
Corona Del Mar State Beach, also known as “Big Corona,” is a half mile stretch of white sand beach surrounded by cliffs and a rock jetty that serves as the entrance to Newport Harbor.
The beach used to be a great surf spot in the 1930s but when the jetty was extended it created "The Wedge, an area with huge surf breaks, and sheltered Corona from most of the southerly swells making it a great spot for kids to play in the calm ocean.
Near the bay entry area, there are unique rock formations you can climb to get a beautiful view of the area’s incredible sunsets while watching the boats come home from their day at sea.
Crystal Cove State Park
Crystal Cove State Beach is one of the most pristine beaches in Southern California. An area of white sand and turquoise water surrounded by rugged, jagged cliffs.
The area was built as a seaside colony back between the 1920s and 1940s. Many of its original charming seaside beach cottages have been restored and can be rented overnight, year round. This historic district also includes the Beachcomber Café right on the sand that serves great food.
Crystal Cove is a great place to explore the tidepools and take a leisurely stroll along the shore. It’s also a great spot for hiking. You can hike the 5 mile El Moro Canyon Loop or the Park Perimeter Loop.
Be sure to stop by the Crystal Cove Shake Shack on PCH before heading home. This burger joint sits atop the cliffs overlooking the beach and has a great view with great shakes.
Doheny State Beach
Doheny State Beach is located in Dana Point near the Dana Point Harbor.
Doheny is known as a great surf spot for longboarding especially for beginners. It’s also a great spot for kids to play in the water because of its shallow shores.
There’s a snack shop that serves food, ice cream and alcohol right on the sand. They even have gluten free beer! You can rent bicycles, tandems, surreys and coupes to cruise around the park from Wheel Fun Rentals.
The beach has volleyball courts, fire pits and BBQ grills. There is a campground as well as day use picnic areas you can reserve for parties.
There’s also a visitor center with a few aquarium tanks and gifts. Although this visitor center may not be as impressive as some, it’s still a lot of fun for a quick stop with kids.
Malibu Creek State Park
Malibu Creek State Park preserves the Malibu Creek Canyon in Santa Monica. It was established in the 70s and is part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. It’s a great spot for hiking, fishing, horse riding, bird watching, mountain biking and rock climbing.
Photo: Wikipedia
A great hike here is the Lower Malibu Creek Hike, an 8 mile in-and-out trail that takes you along streams and man-made lakes with spectacular views of the Santa Monica Mountains. The trail has many off shoots for you to explore and is great for a day hike or overnight camping. You can access the trail from the southernmost lot.
It was also the filming location for the long running TV series M*A*S*H and you can still find a few remnants of the old set here.
Moonlight State Beach
Moonlight State Beach is located in Encinitas, California just 25 miles north of San Diego, where Encinitas Boulevard turns into B Street. It got its name back in the early 1900s when locals used to come to the area for midnight picnics under the light of the moon as it reflected off the water.
Moonlight Beach is great for swimming, surfing and fishing. There are sand volleyball and tennis courts as well as a snack bar and beach rentals. There are also fire pits on the sand for evening bon fires and a grass park for kids to play in. The beach is extremely popular and can get quite crowded in the summer.
San Onofre State Beach
Photo: Wikipedia
San Onofre State Beach is located next to Camp Pendelton in North San Diego just south of San Clemente. It’s best known for surfing due to its usually warm weather and consistent waves and is often referred to as “San Onofre Surfing Beach”.
However, San-O is also a great beach for sunbathing, hiking and camping, and is broken up into 3 areas.
Surfing Beach - A beach with 3 great surf spots, The Point, Old Man’s and Dogpatch.
The Bluffs - An area that sits above the beach on the bluffs with a campground and day use area.
Photo: Wikipedia
Trestles - A mile long walk down a gentle grade to the sand with 5 incredible surf spots - Cottons (major left break), Upper, Lower, Middle and Church. Howerver, Trestles is not just a beloved surf spot. It’s also a bird watchers’ paradise because of the Trestles Wetland Natural Preserve directly behind the beach.
Torrey Pines State Beach
Torrey Pines State Beach is located just south of Del Mar near La Jolla in San Diego, California. It lies adjacent to the Torrey Pines State Reserve and is a really beautiful section of the coast.
You can stroll the white sand beaches as the waves crash along its shores and watch the hang gliders launching from the cliffs above, soaring through the skies.
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve lies directly above Torrey Pines State Beach. It’s a beautiful stretch of coastal wilderness on the bluffs overlooking the sea.
There are numerous hiking trails that wind around the cliffs full of impressive sweeping views of sandstone canyons and the Pacific Ocean down below.
You will also find the nation’s rarest pine tree here, the Torrey Pine. Once covering a larger area, Torrey Pines only grow here and on Santa Rosa Island off the coast near Santa Barbara now.
Be sure to check out the Visitor Center and Museum Shop or head over to the luxurious Lodge at Torrey Pines with its signature spa and world-renowned golf course. It’s a beautiful place to stay, but also a great spot to grab a drink and admire the beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean.
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Read My Guest Blogs on California:
Top 5 National Parks in the Western US featured on We Are Travel Girls
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