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California State Parks Map: The California Explorer Pass

California State Parks Map: The California Explorer Pass

We recently relocated back to southern California, about an hour south of where we used to live in Los Angeles. Even though it’s a relatively short drive away from our old home, it feels like a whole new place to explore. Just within these past few months we’ve discovered some of our new favorite beaches and hiking spots, and realized we can do a much better job of being a hometown tourist.

The Golden State is home to 9 national parks and 118 state parks. We’ve already visited most of the national parks, like Yosemite, Joshua Tree and Sequoia. Now we’re trying to visit as many state parks as we can. We’re lucky to be within a fifteen-minute drive of a few of the most beautiful state parks, like Crystal Cove and Huntington Beach. We decided to purchase a California State Park pass (the California Explorer Annual Pass) to make it a bit more convenient and cost-effective; most of the state parks cost about $15/day, so the annual pass has already paid for itself as we typically use it several times a week.

We created a California State Parks Map to make it easy to plot our adventures over this next year. On the map below, you can see which California state parks are included in the California Explorer Annual Pass. We also included all of the parks, preserves and monuments in The America the Beautiful-The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass (what a mouthful!). This map makes it easy to find a few parks close together to visit on the same trip. Have fun exploring!

The Slot in Anza Borrego Desert State Park

The Slot in Anza Borrego State Park

California State Parks

Cost: Typically $15/vehicle (one day)

California Explorer Annual Pass: $195

National Parks

Cost: Typically $30/vehicle (includes 7 days)

America the Beautiful-The National Parks Annual Pass: $80/year (not discounted)

California State Parks Map Legend

Green: National Parks, Preserves and Monuments (included in the national park annual pass)

Blue: California State Parks (included in California Explorer annual pass)

Red: California State Parks (not included in California Explorer pass)

Each pin within the map includes a link to the official park website with more information to plan your trip.

California State Parks Map | A Map to State Parks included in the California Explorer Annual Pass

Crystal Cove State Park


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California State Parks Map | A Map to State Parks included in the California Explorer Annual Pass
California State Parks Map | A Map to State Parks included in the California Explorer Annual Pass

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Miguel A.Rosario Sr. to see the

Tuesday 22nd of February 2022

I am planning a trip to California to visit the state park where the giant trees are. Suggestions? Miguel

nomanbefore

Tuesday 22nd of February 2022

Hi Miguel, giant sequoias are found in both Sequoia National Park and Yosemite National Park. The General Sherman Tree, the largest tree by volume, is found in Sequoia NP. Redwood trees are also beautiful, not quite as large, but incredibly tall. Redwoods can be found all along the coast, from central California and up through Oregon. There are tons of state parks in the SF Bay Area with Redwoods, and the Redwoods National and State Parks further north are a great place to enjoy them too! Hope that helps.

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Thursday 16th of July 2020

[…] Day weekend. The rate is reduced to $5 the rest of the year.  The parking is covered by the California State Park pass. You can also find free parking at the Cemetery parking lot and along Pleasant Valley Road (just […]

40 Best Family Vacations on a Budget—and Yep, They Include Europe and the Caribbean – agoodpricesclub.com

Wednesday 5th of February 2020

[…] are traveling with your whole crew, is to road trip through and camp along the way. A few of our favorite places to camp, starting from the south and going north are San Onofre State Beach, Crystal Cove State Park, Leo […]

40 Best Family Vacations on a Budget—and Yep, They Include Europe and the Caribbean – thesavesyclub.com

Wednesday 5th of February 2020

[…] are traveling with your whole crew, is to road trip through and camp along the way. A few of our favorite places to camp, starting from the south and going north are San Onofre State Beach, Crystal Cove State Park, Leo […]

40 Best Family Vacations on a Budget—and Yep, They Include Europe and the Caribbean – thetrendytopics.com

Wednesday 5th of February 2020

[…] are traveling with your whole crew, is to road trip through and camp along the way. A few of our favorite places to camp, starting from the south and going north are San Onofre State Beach, Crystal Cove State Park, Leo […]

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.