Butano State Park was created in 1957 to protect California's coast redwoods from logging. Today's visitors to will discover a quiet canyon filled with towering second- and third growth-redwood trees, babbling creeks, and more.

Link to the park website.

Perched on a cliff on the central California coast, 50 miles south of San Francisco, the 115-foot Pigeon Point Lighthouse, one of the tallest lighthouses in America, has been guiding mariners since 1872. Its five-wick lard oil lamp, and first-order Fresnel lens, comprised of 1,008 prisms, was first lit at sunset, November 15, 1872. The lens stands 16 feet tall, 6 feet in diameter, and weighs 2,000 pounds. Now on display in the fog signal building, it sat in a lantern room constructed at the Lighthouse Service's general depot in New York before being shipped around the Horn. Although the original Fresnel lens is no longer in use, the lighthouse is still an active U.S. Coast Guard aid to navigation using an automated LED beacon.

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Año Nuevo State Park's rich variety of natural and cultural resources draws visitors from around the world. The park’s Natural Preserve offers an extraordinary wilderness experience, where every year up to 10,000 elephant seals return to breed, give birth, and molt their skin amongst the scenic dunes and beaches.

Link to park website.

This county park is located in Loma Mar, inland from Pescadero. The park features 637 acres of old-growth redwoods with picnic facilities, a nature center, camp store, and campfire programs. The park is known for its family camping areas and the Tan Oak and Mt. Ellen Nature Trails.

Link to park website.