Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Take a virtual field trip all around the state courtesy of the myriad links compiled online by
the California Geological Survey (
www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/geotour
)
.
National & State Parks
Most Californians rank outdoor recreation as vital to their quality of life. Statewide, the
amount of preserved lands has steadily grown due to important pieces of legislation passed
since the 1960s. The landmark 1976 California Coastal Act saved the coastline from fur-
ther development, while the controversial 1994 California Desert Protection Act angered
many ranchers, miners and off-roaders.
Today
California State Parks
(
www.parks.ca.gov
)
protects nearly a third of the state's
coastline, along with redwood forests, lakes, canyons, waterfalls, wildlife preserves and
historical sites. In recent years, federal and state budget shortfalls and chronic underfund-
ing of California's parks have been partly responsible for widespread closures, limited vis-
itor services and increased park-entry and outdoor recreation fees. This continually hap-
pens, even though it's in California's economic best interests to keep its parks in business,
since revenues from recreational tourism consistently outpace competing 'natural resource
extraction' industries such as mining.
Unfortunately, some of California's parks are being loved to death. Too many visitors
stresses the environment, and it's increasingly difficult to balance public access with con-
servation. At popular state beaches in Southern California during summer, it's almost im-
possible to find a parking space, let alone space on the sand. To avoid the biggest crowds
and reduce your impact on parks, try to visit outside of peak season (usually summer) and
take public transportation or cycle there.
Other natural areas of coastal California, including those managed by the
National
Park Service
(
www.nps.gov/state/CA
), may go relatively untouched most of the year,
which means you won't have to reserve permits, campsites or lodging many months in ad-
vance. Just inland from the coast, several national forests in California, managed by the
US Forest Service
(USFS;
www.fs.fed.us/r5
)
, are less-trammeled areas worth exploring,
including in Big Sur. National wildlife refuges (NWR), especially favored by bird-watch-
ers, are run by the
US Fish & Wildlife Service
(USFWS;
www.fws.gov/refuges
). More
remote wilderness tracts, including the Lost Coast and the Carrizo Plain, are overseen by
the
Bureau of Land Management
(BLM;
www.blm.gov/ca/st/en.html
)
.
