📷 Nature Photography on public land in California

356 public places in California are listed for nature photography (273 state & public land, 46 state parks, 32 national parks, 5 national forests). 1 have no entry fee. Open any place for its map, directions, fees and the land around it.

Rules, seasons and closures vary by unit. Confirm with the managing agency before you go.

The places

🌳 Coast Dairies State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Darwin Falls WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space PreserveUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Headwaters Forest ReserveUnknown — check official site
🏞️ Joshua Tree National Park$30/vehicle (7 days)
🏞️ Redwood National & State Parksfree
🏞️ Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks$35/vehicle (7 days)
🏞️ Yosemite National Park$35/vehicle (7 days)
🗺️ Agua Tibia WildernessUnknown — check official site
🌳 Andrew Molera State ParkUnknown — check official site
🌲 Angeles National ForestUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Ansel Adams WildernessUnknown — check official site
🌳 Anza-Borrego Desert State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Anza-Borrego Desert State WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Argus Range WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Asilomar State BeachUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Avawatz Mountains WildernessUnknown — check official site
🌳 Año Nuevo State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Bair Island Ecological ReserveUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Baldwin Hills Scenic OverlookUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Bear Canyon Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Bear Mountain Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Beauty Mountain WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Beauty Mountain Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Berryessa Snow Mountain National MonumentUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Big Maria Mountains WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Bigelow Cholla Garden WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Bighorn Mountain WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Bitterbrush Instant Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Black Mountain WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Black Mountain Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Bodie Mountain Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Bodie State Historic ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Bodie Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Bolinas Lagoon PreserveUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Bright Star WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Bristol Mountains WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Brush Creek/Lagoon Lake Wetlands and Coastal Dunes Natural PreserveUnknown — check official site
🏞️ Cabrillo National MonumentUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Cache Creek WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Cadiz Dunes WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Cady Mountains Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Cahuilla Mountain WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Caliente Mountain Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🏞️ California Coastal National MonumentUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Caribou WildernessUnknown — check official site
🏞️ Carlsbad State BeachUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Carmel River State BeachUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Carrizo Gorge WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Carrizo Gorge Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Carrizo Plain National MonumentUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Carson-Iceberg WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Carson-Iceberg Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Casa Diablo Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🏞️ Castle Mountains National MonumentUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Cedar Roughs WildernessUnknown — check official site
🏞️ Channel Islands National ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Chemehuevi Mountains WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Chidago Canyon Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Chimney Peak WildernessUnknown — check official site
🌳 China Camp State ParkUnknown — check official site
🌳 Chino Hills State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Chuckwalla Mountains WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Chumash WildernessUnknown — check official site
🌳 Clear Lake State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Cleghorn Lakes WildernessUnknown — check official site
🌲 Cleveland National ForestUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Clipper Mountain WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Coal Creek Open Space PreserveUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Coal Mine Ridge PreserveUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Conejo Canyons Open SpaceUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Coso Range WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Coyote Mountains WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Crater Mountain Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🌳 Crystal Cove State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Cucamonga WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Cuesta Ridge Botanical Special Interest AreaUnknown — check official site
🌳 Cuyamaca Rancho State ParkUnknown — check official site
🌳 D.L. Bliss State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Dead Mountains WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Deer Island PreserveUnknown — check official site
🌳 Del Norte Coast Redwoods State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Desert Tortoise Natural AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Desolation WildernessUnknown — check official site
🏞️ Devils Postpile National MonumentUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Dick Smith WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Dinkey Lakes WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Doane Valley Natural PreserveUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Domeland WildernessUnknown — check official site
🌳 Donner Memorial State ParkUnknown — check official site
🌳 Ed Z'berg Sugar Pine Point State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Edwin L. Z'berg Natural PreserveUnknown — check official site
🏞️ El Capitán State BeachUnknown — check official site
🗺️ El Paso Mountains WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ El Sereno Open Space PreserveUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Elkhorn Ridge WildernessUnknown — check official site
🌳 Emerald Bay State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Emigrant WildernessUnknown — check official site
🌳 Estero Bluffs State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Excelsior Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Fish Creek Mountains WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Fish Slough Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Foothills Open Space PreserveUnknown — check official site
🌳 Fort Ord Dunes State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Fort Ord National MonumentUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Fort Ross State Historic ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Fremont Older Open Space PreserveUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Funeral Mountains WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Garcia Mountain Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Garcia WildernessUnknown — check official site
🌳 Garrapata State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Giant Sequoia National MonumentUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Golden Trout WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Golden Valley WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Granite Chief WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Granite Mountain WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Grass Valley WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Great Falls Basin WildernessUnknown — check official site
🌳 Grover Hot Springs State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Gualala Point Regional ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Hagen Canyon Natural PreserveUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Hain WildernessUnknown — check official site
🌳 Harmony Headlands State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Hauser Mountain Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Hauser WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Havasu WildernessUnknown — check official site
🌳 Hearst San Simeon State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Hollow Hills WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Hoover WildernessUnknown — check official site
🌳 Humboldt Redwoods State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Ibex WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Imperial Refuge WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Independence Creek Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Indian Pass WildernessUnknown — check official site
🏞️ Indio Hills Palms ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Inyo Mountains WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Ishi WildernessUnknown — check official site
🏞️ Jack London State Historic ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Jacumba Wilderness AreaUnknown — check official site
🌳 Jedediah Smith Redwoods State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Jennie Lakes WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ John Krebs WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ John Muir WildernessUnknown — check official site
🏞️ Joshua Tree National ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Jug Handle State Natural ReserveUnknown — check official site
🌳 Julia Pfeiffer Burns State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Kaiser WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Kelso Dunes WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Kiavah WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ King Mountain Open Space PreserveUnknown — check official site
🗺️ King Range National Conservation AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ King Range WildernessUnknown — check official site
🏞️ Kings Canyon National ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Kingston Range WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Lake Davis Wetlands and Coastal Dunes Natural PreserveUnknown — check official site
🏞️ Lands EndUnknown — check official site
🏞️ Lassen Volcanic National ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Lassen Volcanic WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Lava Beds WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Lava Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🌳 Leo Carrillo State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Little Chuckwalla Mountains WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Little Picacho WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Loma Alta Open Space PreserveUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Long Ridge Open Space PreserveUnknown — check official site
🌲 Los Padres National ForestUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Machesna Mountain WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Machesna Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Magic Mountain WildernessUnknown — check official site
🌳 Malibu Creek State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Malpais Mesa WildernessUnknown — check official site
🌳 Manchester State ParkUnknown — check official site
🏞️ Mandalay State BeachUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Manly Peak WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Marble Mountain WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Marin Islands Ecological ReserveUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Marina Dunes Natural PreserveUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Marina State BeachUnknown — check official site
🌳 Marsh Creek State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Matilija WildernessUnknown — check official site
🏞️ McGrath State BeachUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Mecca Hills WildernessUnknown — check official site
🌳 Mendocino Headlands State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Merced River Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Mesquite WildernessUnknown — check official site
🏞️ Milagra RidgeUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Milk Ranch-Case Mountain Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Mission Trails Regional ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Mitchell Caverns Natural PreserveUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Mojave National PreserveUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Mojave Trails National MonumentUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Mojave WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Mokelumne WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Monarch Butterfly Natural PreserveUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Monarch WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Mono Lake Tufa State Natural ReserveUnknown — check official site
🌳 Montaña de Oro State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Moore Creek Wetland Natural PreserveUnknown — check official site
🏞️ Mori Point (GGNRA)Unknown — check official site
🌳 Morro Bay State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Morro Dunes Natural PreserveUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Morro Strand State BeachUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Moses Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Mount Biedeman Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🌳 Mount Diablo State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Mount Lassic WildernessUnknown — check official site
🌳 Mount San Jacinto State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Mount San Jacinto State WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Mount Sutro Open Space ReserveUnknown — check official site
🌳 Mount Tamalpais State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Muir Beach (GGNRA)Unknown — check official site
🗺️ Newberry Mountains WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Nopah Range WildernessUnknown — check official site
🏞️ Norris Rancho Marino ReserveUnknown — check official site
🗺️ North Algodones Dunes WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ North Mesquite Mountains WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Ohlone Coastal Cultural PreserveUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Old Woman Mountains WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Orocopia Mountains WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Otay Mountain WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Owens Peak WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Owens Peak Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Owens River Headwaters WildernessUnknown — check official site
🏞️ Pa-nu Cultural PreserveUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Pahrump Valley WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Palen-McCoy WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Palo Verde Mountains WildernessUnknown — check official site
🌳 Palomar Mountain State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Panoche Hills North Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Panoche Hills South Wilderness Study AreaUnknown — check official site
🌳 Pfeiffer Big Sur State ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Picacho Peak WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Picchetti Ranch Open Space PreserveUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Piedras Blancas Light Station Outstanding Natural AreaUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Pine Creek WildernessUnknown — check official site
🏞️ Pinnacles National ParkUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Pinto Mountains WildernessUnknown — check official site
🗺️ Piper Mountain WildernessUnknown — check official site
🏞️ Pismo Dunes Natural PreserveUnknown — check official site

See all 356 on the map →

More to do in California

🥾 Hiking · 390 ⛺ Camping · 358 🎣 Fishing · 278 🍄 Mushroom Foraging · 278 🫐 Berry Foraging · 278 🦌 Hunting · 27 🦉 Birdwatching · 27

Nature Photography in other states

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