Natural Features, California
74 locations. View on the interactive map
- Afton Canyon — Natural · San Bernardino County, CA
The Mojave River's dramatic cut through rainbow badlands — locally called the Grand Canyon of the Mojave — protected as a BLM ACEC inside Mojave Trails Natio…
- Aguereberry Point — Natural · Inyo County, CA
West-side Death Valley overlook (~6,433 ft) in the Panamint Range, reached via Emigrant Canyon Road and a rough spur past Pete Aguereberry’s historic camp. B…
- Alabama Hills Movie Road — Natural · Inyo County, CA
Movie Road threads the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area among rounded granite outcrops with Mount Whitney on the skyline—the classic Western film backdrop.…
- Alpine Butte Wildlife Sanctuary — Natural · Los Angeles County, CA
Los Angeles County Parks 320-acre high-desert wildlife sanctuary on the southern slope of Alpine Butte in the Antelope Valley. Creosote scrub, Joshua tree wo…
- Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest (Schulman Grove) — Natural · Inyo County, CA
World-famous stand of Great Basin bristlecone pines on the White Mountains crest at ~10,000 ft—some of the oldest living trees on Earth. Schulman Grove visit…
- Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve — Natural · Los Angeles County, CA
California State Parks high-desert grassland reserve west of Lancaster protecting the state’s most consistent wildflower display country. Eight miles of trai…
- Arch Rock (Joshua Tree) — Natural · Riverside County, CA
Short, family-friendly lollipop hike to a natural monzogranite arch near White Tank Campground in Joshua Tree National Park. Trailhead at Twin Tanks parking …
- Arroyo Tapiado — Natural · San Diego County, CA
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park wash system known for fragile mud caves, slot-like passages, and badlands eroded into soft sediments of the Carrizo Badlands e…
- Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park — Natural · Los Angeles County, CA
Undeveloped California State Parks unit on Lancaster Road preserving a remnant Joshua tree–California juniper woodland that once covered much of the western …
- Badwater Basin — Natural · Death Valley, CA
Badwater Basin is North America's lowest land point at about 282 feet below sea level, a broad salt pan of polygonal crusts on the Death Valley floor. A shor…
- Bishop Peak — Natural · San Luis Obispo County, CA
Highest of the Nine Sisters (~1,559 ft) and San Luis Obispo’s signature open-space hike: a steep 3.5-mile round-trip trail through oak woodland and rocky vol…
- Borrego Palm Canyon — Natural · San Diego County, CA
Signature oasis canyon of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park: a maintained trail climbs from the Borrego Palm Canyon Campground into a rocky gorge with Californi…
- Bristol Lake — Natural · San Bernardino County, CA
Broad dry lake on the Mojave Desert floor near Amboy—salt-flat and playa scenery east of Amboy Crater. A natural-feature stop on the Route 66 / Amboy corrido…
- Cadiz Dunes — Natural · San Bernardino County, CA
Nearly 20,000-acre BLM wilderness inside Mojave Trails National Monument preserving some of the cleanest free-standing sand dunes in the eastern Mojave, betw…
- Carrizo Badlands — Natural · Imperial County, CA
Expansive eroded badlands of clay hills, mudstone, and fossil-bearing sediments on the Imperial / Anza-Borrego desert margin east of the Coyote Mountains. A …
- Carrizo Plain National Monument (Goodwin Education Center) — Natural · San Luis Obispo County, CA
BLM visitor hub for California’s vast inland grassland national monument—the Carrizo Plain, often called the state’s Serengeti—rimmed by the Temblor and Cali…
- Caruthers Canyon — Natural · San Bernardino County, CA
Botanically rich canyon in the New York Mountains of Mojave National Preserve—a chaparral “island” of oaks, manzanita, yerba santa, and pinyon–juniper at mid…
- Castle Peaks — Natural · San Bernardino County, CA
Jagged rhyolite spires on the northeast edge of Mojave National Preserve, overlooking Castle Mountains National Monument and the Ivanpah Valley. The peaks fo…
- China Lake Overlook (NAWS boundary views) — Natural · Inyo County, CA
Views toward the massive Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake — the Navys primary desert test range. Remote desert ridgelines and dry lakebeds dominate the v…
- Cholla Cactus Garden — Natural · Riverside County, CA
Dense stand of teddybear cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii) on Pinto Basin Road in Joshua Tree National Park, where the Mojave and Colorado deserts meet. A sh…
- Corn Springs — Natural · Riverside County, CA
BLM fan-palm oasis deep in a Chuckwalla Mountains canyon—year-round spring, California fan palms, migratory birds, and a small developed campground. Desert C…
- Cottonwood Spring — Natural · Riverside County, CA
Earthquake-fed oasis near Joshua Tree National Park’s southern entrance — native cottonwoods, later fan palms, Cahuilla bedrock mortars, and gold-era mill re…
- Crowley Lake Columns — Natural · Mono County, CA
Thousands of bizarre stone pillars formed by volcanic ash erosion along the lake shore — one of the strangest formations in California. :contentReference[oai…
- Crucifixion Thorn Natural Area — Natural · Imperial County, CA
A fenced BLM natural area in the Yuha Desert preserving one of California’s largest stands of crucifixion thorn (Castela emoryi), a rare Sonoran Desert shrub…
- Culp Valley — Natural · San Diego County, CA
High desert valley and campground corridor on Montezuma Grade (S-22) in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, roughly 3,400 ft above the Borrego Valley floor. Piny…
- Dantes View — Natural · Death Valley, CA
Panoramic overlook 5,476 ft above Badwater Basin — one of the most dramatic elevation contrasts in North America. You can see the entire salt flat and Telesc…
- Darwin Falls — Natural · Inyo County, CA
Rare desert waterfall hidden in a lush canyon near Panamint Valley. A permanent spring-fed oasis with flowing water year-round — extremely unusual for Death …
- Desert Lily Sanctuary — Natural · Riverside County, CA
BLM Area of Critical Environmental Concern (~2,000 acres) in Chuckwalla Valley northeast of Desert Center set aside for desert lily (Hesperocallis undulata) …
- Desolation Canyon — Natural · Death Valley, CA
Colorful badlands canyon on the west flank of the Black Mountains south of Furnace Creek—an unmarked NPS cross-country route with Artist’s Palette–style mine…
- Devils Cornfield — Natural · Death Valley, CA
Roadside Death Valley National Park landscape of tall arrowweed (Pluchea sericea) clumps that early travelers likened to shocks of corn. Wind-scoured sand pi…
- Dumont Dunes — Natural · San Bernardino County, CA
Large BLM Open Area of wind-blown sand dunes in the northern Mojave east of Hwy 127 between Baker and Death Valley Junction. Popular OHV and sandboarding des…
- Elephant Trees Area — Natural · San Diego County, CA
Named Anza-Borrego Desert State Park unit protecting a northern outlier stand of elephant trees (Bursera microphylla) reached by a short nature trail off Spl…
- Eureka Dunes — Natural · Inyo County, CA
Tallest sand dunes in California (rising ~680 ft above Eureka Valley’s playa) inside northern Death Valley National Park. An isolated dune field at ~3,000 ft…
- Fall Canyon — Natural · Death Valley, CA
Official Death Valley National Park day hike into a deep Grapevine Mountains canyon of banded Bonanza King dolomite, polished narrows, and a terminal dryfall…
- Father Crowley Vista Point — Natural · Inyo County, CA
Signed pullout and short walk above Rainbow Canyon (Star Wars Canyon) on the western approach to Death Valley, with sweeping views into the multi-colored vol…
- Fortynine Palms Oasis — Natural · San Bernardino County, CA
Fan-palm oasis in a rocky canyon on the northern edge of Joshua Tree National Park, reached by a ~3-mile round-trip trail over a barrel-cactus ridge from a d…
- Golden Canyon & Red Cathedral — Natural · Death Valley, CA
Classic Death Valley hike through golden badlands leading to the dramatic red cliffs of Red Cathedral. One of the park’s most popular and visually striking c…
- Great Falls Basin — Natural · Inyo County, CA
Granite canyon and seasonal waterfalls on the east face of the Argus Range west of Trona—BLM Wilderness Study Area with a short approach to the lower falls a…
- Haystack / Crowley Overlook — Natural · Mono County, CA
Photographers and aviation spotters use high dirt spurs above Crowley Lake for Sierra backdrop views across the Long Valley caldera. There is no single offic…
- Heber Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area — Natural · Imperial County, CA
California State Parks OHMVR Division unit (~343 acres) of creosote-studded sand dunes, fine-sand hills, and hard-packed dry-lake clay three miles north of t…
- Hole-in-the-Wall — Natural · San Bernardino County, CA
Mojave National Preserve hub of sculptured volcanic rhyolite walls at 4,400 ft. Rings Loop climbs Banshee Canyon with metal rings set in rock; information ce…
- Ibex Dunes — Natural · Death Valley, CA
Tall star and linear dunes stacked against the Ibex Hills in the remote southeast corner of Death Valley National Park. Quieter alternative to Mesquite Flat …
- Imperial Sand Dunes (Gecko Road) — Natural · Imperial County, CA
North America's largest sand-dune system (Algodones/Glamis) in the Colorado Desert — endless ridges of wind-sculpted sand managed by BLM as the Imperial Sand…
- Jawbone Canyon — Natural · Kern County, CA
Broad Mojave-side canyon and recreation gateway in the Eastern Kern County BLM / Jawbone-Butterbredt area west of CA-14, where desert washes cut into the El …
- Juan Bautista de Anza Overlook — Natural · Imperial County, CA
BLM overlook on the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail with a panoramic view across the Yuha Desert ACEC south of I-8 near Ocotillo. The Yuha is C…
- Kelso Dunes — Natural · San Bernardino County, CA
One of the tallest dune fields in the Mojave, rising hundreds of feet above the desert floor inside Mojave National Preserve. The main trailhead on Kelso Dun…
- Keys View — Natural · Riverside County, CA
Paved overlook at ~5,185 ft on the crest of the Little San Bernardino Mountains in Joshua Tree National Park, with panoramic views across Coachella Valley, t…
- Koehn Lake — Natural · Kern County, CA
Large dry-lake / playa basin in the Fremont Valley of the western Mojave, near the historic Saltdale salt works approaches. Classic high-desert lakebed scene…
- Lost Palms Oasis — Natural · Riverside County, CA
One of five California fan-palm oases in Joshua Tree National Park—a secluded canyon grove reached by a long day hike from Cottonwood Spring through yucca, o…
- Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes — Natural · Death Valley, CA
Most accessible dunes in Death Valley, rising to 100 ft near Stovepipe Wells. Star, transverse, and barchan dune types all present. Dawn photography is extra…
- Mitchell Caverns (Providence Mountains SRA) — Natural · San Bernardino County, CA
California State Parks limestone cavern complex in the Providence Mountains, surrounded by Mojave National Preserve. Ranger-guided tours visit El Pakiva and …
- Mopah Peaks — Natural · San Bernardino County, CA
Paired rhyolitic volcanic plugs (Mopah Range) rising above bajadas in BLM Turtle Mountains Wilderness. Signature skyline landmarks of the southern Mojave/Col…
- Mosaic Canyon — Natural · Death Valley, CA
Near Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley National Park, Mosaic Canyon opens from a gravel parking area into polished Noonday Dolomite narrows and natural breccia…
- Mountain Palm Springs — Natural · San Diego County, CA
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park oasis complex with native California fan palm groves in Surprise, Palm Bowl, and Southwest Grove canyons — short desert hikes …
- Natural Bridge Canyon — Natural · Death Valley, CA
Short canyon walk off Badwater Road to a large natural bridge cut by flash-flood erosion through layered Death Valley sediments. The trailhead sits at the en…
- North Algodones Dunes Wilderness — Natural · Imperial County, CA
BLM wilderness (~26,000+ acres) protecting the tall, vehicle-free northern Algodones / Imperial Sand Dunes north of State Route 78. Hiking and horseback only…
- Owens Lake — Natural · Inyo County, CA
Owens Lake is a vast mostly dry playa south of Lone Pine where alkali flats, dust control berms, and shallow ponds create stark minimalist landscapes. Mirror…
- Racetrack Playa — Sailing Stones — Natural · Death Valley, CA
Perfectly flat dry lakebed where rocks slide across clay leaving trails up to 820 ft long. The mechanism — thin winter ice sheets pushed by wind — was only c…
- Ryan Mountain — Natural · Riverside County, CA
Popular Joshua Tree National Park summit hike to a 5,457-ft peak with panoramic views over Lost Horse Valley, Wonderland of Rocks, and the Pinto Basin — clas…
- Saddleback Butte State Park — Natural · Los Angeles County, CA
State park protecting a granite butte and classic Antelope Valley Joshua tree woodland on the western Mojave — day-use picnic area, nature trail, and peak hi…
- Short Canyon — Natural · Kern County, CA
BLM Area of Critical Environmental Concern on the Sierra Nevada desert fringe west of Ridgecrest, famous for spring wildflower displays (200+ species reporte…
- Sidewinder Canyon — Natural · Inyo County, CA
NPS-described wilderness canyon hike off Badwater Road in southern Death Valley — a demanding route into narrow, dark slot tributaries with boulder squeezes,…
- Skull Rock — Natural · Riverside County, CA
Iconic granite boulder in Joshua Tree National Park whose twin hollows resemble eye sockets — formed by chemical weathering and rainwater pooling in small de…
- Soda Lake Overlook — Natural · San Luis Obispo County, CA
Primary public viewpoint over Soda Lake — a vast seasonal alkaline playa (~3,000 acres) at the heart of Carrizo Plain National Monument. Short Overlook Hill …
- South Tufa Area (Mono Lake) — Natural · Mono County, CA
Primary public shoreline of Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve: calcium-carbonate tufa towers rising from the hypersaline alkaline lake on the east side of…
- Spooners Cove (Montaña de Oro) — Natural · San Luis Obispo County, CA
Signature cove and trail hub of Montaña de Oro State Park — rugged coastal bluffs, sandy beach, tide pools, and trailheads for Valencia Peak, Bluff Trail, an…
- Stateline Peak Overlook — Natural · NV/CA Border
Historic fire-lookout site on the NV/CA line above Crystal Bay. A short paved FS Rd 1601 walk reaches a free interpretive overlook with telescopes and broad …
- Superstition Mountain — Natural · Imperial County, CA
Isolated desert mountain mass rising from the Imperial Valley west of the Salton Sea, a landmark for west-county BLM lands and popular high-clearance / OHV t…
- Telescope Peak — Natural · Death Valley, CA
Highest point in Death Valley National Park at 11,049 ft. A strenuous hike with alpine views overlooking the lowest point in North America — a 11,300 ft vert…
- The Slot (Anza-Borrego) — Natural · San Diego County, CA
Short, sinuous mudstone slot canyon in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park — a walk-through narrows carved in soft Borrego Badlands sediments east of Borrego Spri…
- White Mountain Peak — Natural · Mono County, CA
Highest summit of the White Mountains east of the Owens Valley—one of California’s premier high-desert alpine day hikes via the White Mountain Road and resea…
- Wonderland of Rocks — Natural · San Bernardino County, CA
Labyrinth of monzogranite boulder piles and corridors in central Joshua Tree National Park—the park’s core climbing and cross-country hiking maze. Jointed pl…
- Yuha Desert — Natural · Imperial County, CA
Broad Colorado Desert plain west of El Centro managed largely as BLM ACEC and route network, known for fossil oyster-shell beds, the historic Yuha Well on th…
- Zabriskie Point — Natural · Death Valley, CA
Zabriskie Point overlooks golden badlands carved from ancient lake beds in Death Valley National Park. Sunrise lights the ridgelines amber and orange; a shor…