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California

Top attractions in California

101 national parks, ski areas, museums, landmarks and natural wonders in California, each with when to go, where to stay and what’s nearby. Ranked by how many people look them up and how many visit.

Parks & monuments 38Mountains & skiing 21Natural wonders 9Things to do 24History 9
Attractions
101
101 ranked
National Park Service sites
28
9 national parks
Most visited
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
15.7M visitors in 2025
Top ranked
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary
284K readers
Ranked

The 20 top attractions in California

An even mix of how many people read about each place and, where it’s counted, how many visit.

All 101 →
1
Museum · in San Francisco, CAAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary284K readers
2🎢 Theme park · in Anaheim, CADisney California Adventure10.1M visitors (2024) · 132K readers3🏞 National Park · 1 mi from Yosemite Valley, CAYosemite National Park4.3M visitors (2025) · 396K readers4🏞 National Park · 19 mi from Coachella, CAJoshua Tree National Park2.9M visitors (2025) · 186K readers5🌲 Park & preserve · 4 mi from Seaside, CAFort Ord National Monument69K readers
6Getty Villa🏛 Museum · in Los Angeles, CA454Kvisitors 20167Sequoia National Park🏞 National Park · 10 mi from Silver City, CA1.4Mvisitors 20258Hetch Hetchy Reservoir🛶 Lake · 17 mi from Yosemite Valley, CA54Kreaders a year9Death Valley National Park🏞 National Park · in Furnace Creek, CA1.3Mvisitors 202510Balboa Park🌲 Park & preserve · in San Diego, CA51Kreaders a year11Avengers Campus🎢 Theme park · in Anaheim, CA51Kreaders a year12Redwood National Park🏞 National Park · 1 mi from Hiouchi, CA1.2Mvisitors 202513Black's Beach🏖 Beach · 5 mi from Del Mar, CA39Kreaders a year14Golden Gate National Recreation Area🏞 National Recreation Area · in San Francisco, CA15.7Mvisitors 202515Kings Canyon National Park🏞 National Park · 16 mi from Wilsonia, CA780Kvisitors 202516Computer History Museum🏛 Museum · in Mountain View, CA38Kreaders a year17Muir Woods National Monument🏞 National Monument · 2 mi from Mill Valley, CA757Kvisitors 202518Filoli🏛 Museum · 3 mi from San Carlos, CA37Kreaders a year19Point Reyes National Seashore🏖 National Seashore · 3 mi from Point Reyes Station, CA2.4Mvisitors 202520Catalina Casino🏛 Museum · in Avalon, CA32Kreaders a year
Photo credits

Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Disney California Adventure: CrispyCream27, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Yosemite National Park: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Joshua Tree National Park: Sergiy Galyonkin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fort Ord National Monument: Bureau of Land Management, Public domain

This month

Best to visit in October

Places with a real season where October is one of the best months: mild weather and, where the Park Service counts visitors, quieter than average.

🏞 National Park · 1 mi from Hiouchi, CARedwood National Park1.2M visitors (2025) · 97K readers🏞 National Recreation Area · in San Francisco, CAGolden Gate National Recreation Area15.7M visitors (2025) · 17K readers🏞 National Monument · 2 mi from Mill Valley, CAMuir Woods National Monument757K visitors (2025) · 85K readers📍 Landmark · 7 mi from Edwards AFB, CABalls 825K readers🌲 Park & preserve · 11 mi from New Cuyama, CACarrizo Plain National Monument22K readers🏞 National Park · 10 mi from Soledad, CAPinnacles National Park343K visitors (2025) · 50K readers🏺 Ancient site · 3 mi from Dillon Beach, CABodega Bay19K readers🏞 National Monument · in San Diego, CACabrillo National Monument769K visitors (2025) · 14K readers
Photo credits

Redwood National Park: Michael Schweppe, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Golden Gate National Recreation Area: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Muir Woods National Monument: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Balls 8: NASA/Tony Landis, Public domain · Carrizo Plain National Monument: Bob Wick, BLM, Public domain · Pinnacles National Park: Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bodega Bay: Pixistik1687, Public domain · Cabrillo National Monument: Eric Kilby, CC BY-SA 2.0

Ranked

Most visited

Latest yearly visitor counts (National Park Service, else Wikidata).

1Golden Gate National Recreation Area🏞 National Recreation Area · in San Francisco, CA15.7M20252Disney California Adventure🎢 Theme park · in Anaheim, CA10.1M20243Yosemite National Park🏞 National Park · 1 mi from Yosemite Valley, CA4.3M20254San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park🏞 National Historical Park · in San Francisco, CA2.9M20255Joshua Tree National Park🏞 National Park · 19 mi from Coachella, CA2.9M20256Point Reyes National Seashore🏖 National Seashore · 3 mi from Point Reyes Station, CA2.4M20257Sequoia National Park🏞 National Park · 10 mi from Silver City, CA1.4M20258Death Valley National Park🏞 National Park · in Furnace Creek, CA1.3M20259Redwood National Park🏞 National Park · 1 mi from Hiouchi, CA1.2M202510Fort Point National Historic Site🏛 National Historic Site · in San Francisco, CA1M2025
Browse

By type

🏞Parks & monuments38 · Yosemite National Park⛷Mountains & skiing21 · Palisades Tahoe Olympic Valley💧Natural wonders9 · Hetch Hetchy Reservoir🎢Things to do24 · Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary🏛History9 · Balls 8
Keep exploring

Attractions in nearby states

All of America →
Nevada 11AdventuredomeUtah 35Zion National ParkArizona 34Grand Canyon National ParkOregon 16Crater Lake National ParkIdaho 21Yellowstone National ParkColorado 49Rocky Mountain National Park
Directory

Every attraction in California

101 attractions

1Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary🏛 Museum · in San Francisco, CA284Kreaders a year2Disney California Adventure🎢 Theme park · in Anaheim, CA10.1Mvisitors 20243Yosemite National Park🏞 National Park · 1 mi from Yosemite Valley, CA4.3Mvisitors 20254Joshua Tree National Park🏞 National Park · 19 mi from Coachella, CA2.9Mvisitors 20255Fort Ord National Monument🌲 Park & preserve · 4 mi from Seaside, CA69Kreaders a year6Getty Villa🏛 Museum · in Los Angeles, CA454Kvisitors 20167Sequoia National Park🏞 National Park · 10 mi from Silver City, CA1.4Mvisitors 20258Hetch Hetchy Reservoir🛶 Lake · 17 mi from Yosemite Valley, CA54Kreaders a year9Death Valley National Park🏞 National Park · in Furnace Creek, CA1.3Mvisitors 202510Balboa Park🌲 Park & preserve · in San Diego, CA51Kreaders a year11Avengers Campus🎢 Theme park · in Anaheim, CA51Kreaders a year12Redwood National Park🏞 National Park · 1 mi from Hiouchi, CA1.2Mvisitors 202513Black's Beach🏖 Beach · 5 mi from Del Mar, CA39Kreaders a year14Golden Gate National Recreation Area🏞 National Recreation Area · in San Francisco, CA15.7Mvisitors 202515Kings Canyon National Park🏞 National Park · 16 mi from Wilsonia, CA780Kvisitors 202516Computer History Museum🏛 Museum · in Mountain View, CA38Kreaders a year17Muir Woods National Monument🏞 National Monument · 2 mi from Mill Valley, CA757Kvisitors 202518Filoli🏛 Museum · 3 mi from San Carlos, CA37Kreaders a year19Point Reyes National Seashore🏖 National Seashore · 3 mi from Point Reyes Station, CA2.4Mvisitors 202520Catalina Casino🏛 Museum · in Avalon, CA32Kreaders a year21Academy Museum of Motion Pictures🏛 Museum · in Los Angeles, CA30Kreaders a year22Lassen Volcanic National Park🏞 National Park · 3 mi from Mineral, CA505Kvisitors 202523Big Bear Lake🛶 Lake · 5 mi from Big Bear Lake, CA29Kreaders a year24Angeles National Forest🌲 National forest · 12 mi from Pasadena, CA28Kreaders a year25California Science Center🏛 Museum · in Los Angeles, CA28Kreaders a year2617-Mile Drive🛣 Scenic drive · in Del Monte Forest, CA27Kreaders a year27Anza-Borrego Desert State Park🌲 State park · in Borrego Springs, CA26Kreaders a year28Balls 8📍 Landmark · 7 mi from Edwards AFB, CA25Kreaders a year29Burney Falls💧 Waterfall · 8 mi from Cassel, CA25Kreaders a year30Fort Point National Historic Site🏛 National Historic Site · in San Francisco, CA1Mvisitors 202531Palisades Tahoe Olympic Valley⛷ Ski area · 5 mi from Sunnyside-Tahoe City, CA23Kreaders a year32Carrizo Plain National Monument🌲 Park & preserve · 11 mi from New Cuyama, CA22Kreaders a year33Pinnacles National Park🏞 National Park · 10 mi from Soledad, CA343Kvisitors 202534Blythe Intaglios🏺 Ancient site · 11 mi from Blythe, CA21Kreaders a year35Boundary Peak⛰ Mountain · 8 mi from Benton, CA21Kreaders a year36Bodega Bay🏺 Ancient site · 3 mi from Dillon Beach, CA19Kreaders a year37Cabrillo National Monument🏞 National Monument · in San Diego, CA769Kvisitors 202538Channel Islands National Park🏞 National Park · 2 mi from San Buenaventura (Ventura), CA227Kvisitors 202539Arroyo Seco🏜 Canyon & gorge · in Pasadena, CA17Kreaders a year40Aquarium of the Pacific🐾 Zoo & aquarium · in Long Beach, CA16Kreaders a year

How we rank: an even mix of how many people read about each place on Wikipedia (a typical month, so one viral week can’t sway it) and, where it’s counted, how many visit (National Park Service for park units, else Wikidata, last 5 years). Places without a visitor count rank on readers alone. Closed, destroyed and private places stay listed but aren’t ranked. Sources: National Park Service · OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia · photos via Wikimedia Commons.

Common questions

Attractions in California

What are the top attractions in California?

Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, Disney California Adventure, Yosemite National Park, Joshua Tree National Park and Fort Ord National Monument, ranked by how many people read about them and, where counted, how many visit.

What is the most visited attraction in California?

Golden Gate National Recreation Area, with about 15,748,676 visitors in 2025 (National Park Service).

How many national parks are in California?

9 national parks (Yosemite National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Sequoia National Park, Death Valley National Park, Redwood National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Pinnacles National Park and Channel Islands National Park), plus 19 other National Park Service sites.

Where should I go in California in October?

Redwood National Park, Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Muir Woods National Monument: October is one of their best months, with mild weather and fewer crowds where the Park Service counts visitors.