Name
|
Image
|
Date
|
Location
|
County
|
Ownership
|
Description
|
Amboy Crater
|
|
May 1973
|
34°31′11.69″N 115°43′26.92″W / 34.5199139°N 115.7241444°W / 34.5199139; -115.7241444
|
San Bernardino
|
Federal (Bureau of Land Management)
|
A 6,000-year-old volcanic cinder cone, made up of pahoehoe, just off historic U.S. Highway 66.
|
American River Bluffs and Phoenix Park Vernal Pools
|
|
1976
|
38°39′10.33″N 121°12′59.95″W / 38.6528694°N 121.2166528°W / 38.6528694; -121.2166528
|
Sacramento
|
Federal (United States Bureau of Reclamation), state (California State Parks), and municipal (Fair Oaks Recreation and Park District)
|
Contains vernal pools, and blue oak woodlands.
|
Año Nuevo State Reserve
|
|
1980
|
37°7′7.24″N 122°18′24.02″W / 37.1186778°N 122.3066722°W / 37.1186778; -122.3066722
|
San Mateo
|
State (California Department of Parks and Recreation)
|
One of the largest mainland breeding grounds for the northern elephant seal.
|
Anza-Borrego Desert
|
|
1974
|
33°14′57.38″N 116°24′24.63″W / 33.2492722°N 116.4068417°W / 33.2492722; -116.4068417
|
Imperial, Riverside, San Diego
|
State (California Department of Parks and Recreation)
|
The largest desert state park in the nation.
|
Audubon Canyon
|
|
1968
|
37°55′46.01″N 122°40′55.85″W / 37.9294472°N 122.6821806°W / 37.9294472; -122.6821806
|
Marin
|
Private
|
The largest known nesting area for great blue herons and great and snowy egrets on the Pacific Coast.
|
Black Chasm Cave
|
Black Chasm Cave
|
1976
|
38°26′3.4″N 120°37′35.3″W / 38.434278°N 120.626472°W / 38.434278; -120.626472
|
Amador
|
Private
|
A small three-level cave containing a variety of speleothems and some of the best helictite formations in the western U.S.
|
Burney Falls
|
|
1984
|
41°0′43.79″N 121°39′7″W / 41.0121639°N 121.65194°W / 41.0121639; -121.65194
|
Shasta
|
State (California Department of Parks and Recreation)
|
Contains some of the best examples in the western United States of a river drainage regulated by stratigraphically controlled springs.
|
Cinder Cone Natural Area
|
|
1973
|
35°17′21.95″N 115°35′6.99″W / 35.2894306°N 115.5852750°W / 35.2894306; -115.5852750
|
San Bernardino
|
Federal (Mojave National Preserve)
|
A complex of over 20 large cinder cones of recent origin with extensive and continuous lava flows.
|
Cosumnes River Riparian Woodlands
|
|
1976
|
38°15′56.57″N 121°26′21.22″W / 38.2657139°N 121.4392278°W / 38.2657139; -121.4392278
|
Sacramento
|
Private, Federal, State, and County
|
A small remnant of a rapidly-disappearing riparian woodland community type that once formed a major part of the central valley.
|
Deep Springs Marsh
|
|
1975
|
37°20′00″N 118°01′03″W / 37.33333°N 118.01750°W / 37.33333; -118.01750
|
Inyo
|
Private
|
An example of increasingly rare desert marsh.
|
Dixon Vernal Pools
|
|
1987
|
38°16′31.29″N 121°49′25.49″W / 38.2753583°N 121.8237472°W / 38.2753583; -121.8237472
|
Solano
|
Private
|
The best example of valley needlegrass grassland in the central valley.
|
Elder Creek
|
|
1964
|
39°43′32.04″N 123°37′34.35″W / 39.7255667°N 123.6262083°W / 39.7255667; -123.6262083
|
Mendocino
|
State (University of California Natural Reserve System)
|
A largely undisturbed watershed containing large old stands of Douglas fir, broadleaf evergreens, and deciduous trees.
|
Emerald Bay
|
|
1968
|
38°57′25.49″N 120°5′36.3″W / 38.9570806°N 120.093417°W / 38.9570806; -120.093417
|
El Dorado
|
State (California Department of Parks and Recreation)
|
An outstanding example of glacial geology.
|
Eureka Dunes
|
|
1983
|
37°5′45.6″N 117°40′30″W / 37.096000°N 117.67500°W / 37.096000; -117.67500
|
Inyo
|
Federal (Death Valley National Park)
|
The tallest dune complex in the Great Basin.
|
Fish Slough Area of Critical Environmental Concern
|
|
1975
|
37°28′8.69″N 118°24′3.1″W / 37.4690806°N 118.400861°W / 37.4690806; -118.400861
|
Inyo, Mono
|
Mixed- federal (Bureau of Land Management), state, municipal
|
A large, essentially undisturbed, desert wetland that provides habitat for the alkali mariposa lily and the endangered Owens pupfish.
|
Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes
|
|
1974
|
34°57′56.13″N 120°39′1.24″W / 34.9655917°N 120.6503444°W / 34.9655917; -120.6503444
|
San Luis Obispo
|
Mixed- federal (Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge), state, private
|
A coastal dune tract with off-road vehicle recreation, a national wildlife refuge, beaches, and nesting for the western snowy plover.
|
Imperial Sand Hills
|
|
1966
|
32°55′0″N 115°3′0″W / 32.91667°N 115.05000°W / 32.91667; -115.05000
|
Imperial
|
Federal (Bureau of Land Management)
|
One of the largest dune patches in the United States.
|
Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks
|
|
2006
|
33°43′53.4″N 117°41′34.8″W / 33.731500°N 117.693000°W / 33.731500; -117.693000
|
Orange
|
Mixed- state, county, municipal
|
A remarkably complete stratigraphic succession ranging in age from late Cretaceous to the present.
|
Lake Shasta Caverns
|
|
May 2012
|
40°48′16.2″N 122°18′15.98″W / 40.804500°N 122.3044389°W / 40.804500; -122.3044389
|
Shasta
|
Private
|
A well-decorated Solutional cave that contains a diverse assemblage of calcite cave formations.
|
Lanphere Dunes and Ma-le'l Dunes
|
|
2021
|
|
Humboldt
|
Federal (Bureau of Land Management, Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge)
|
Considered to be the largest and best quality sand dune ecosystems representing coastal dunes in the area.
|
Miramar Mounds
|
|
1972
|
32°50′43″N 117°8′19″W / 32.84528°N 117.13861°W / 32.84528; -117.13861
|
San Diego
|
Federal (Marine Corps Air Station Miramar)
|
Contains unique soil features called mima mounds, which are found in only three or four locations in the country, and vernal pools.
|
Mitchell Caverns and Winding Stair Cave
|
|
1975
|
34°56′26.97″N 115°30′51.97″W / 34.9408250°N 115.5144361°W / 34.9408250; -115.5144361
|
San Bernardino
|
State (California Department of Parks and Recreation)
|
Regarded as the most important solution caverns in the Mojave Desert.
|
Mt. Diablo State Park
|
|
1982
|
37°52′37.75″N 121°55′25.79″W / 37.8771528°N 121.9238306°W / 37.8771528; -121.9238306
|
Contra Costa
|
State (California Department of Parks and Recreation)
|
One of the few areas in the region where geologic strata of Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Tertiary age can be seen in an aggregate thickness of 42,000 feet (13,000 m).
|
Mount Shasta
|
|
1976
|
41°24′35.6″N 122°11′41.52″W / 41.409889°N 122.1948667°W / 41.409889; -122.1948667
|
Siskiyou
|
Federal (Shasta-Trinity National Forest)
|
One of the world's largest and most impressive stratovolcanoes, within the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
|
Pixley Vernal Pools
|
|
1987
|
35°59′3.85″N 119°12′45.04″W / 35.9844028°N 119.2125111°W / 35.9844028; -119.2125111
|
Tulare
|
Private
|
One of the few remaining natural vernal pools containing rare endemic crustacean species such as vernal pool fairy shrimp.
|
Point Lobos
|
|
1967
|
36°31′1.56″N 121°56′33.36″W / 36.5171000°N 121.9426000°W / 36.5171000; -121.9426000
|
Monterey
|
State (California Department of Parks and Recreation)
|
An outstanding example of terrestrial and marine environments in close association, and the only known habitat of Monterey cypress and variegated brodiaea.
|
Pygmy Forest at Jug Handle State Natural Reserve
|
|
1969
1973
|
39°22′29.3″N 123°47′22.15″W / 39.374806°N 123.7894861°W / 39.374806; -123.7894861
|
Mendocino
|
State (California Department of Parks and Recreation)
|
Includes a five step ecological staircase on which a unique forest of low, stunted trees and shrubs is located.
|
Rainbow Basin
|
|
1966
|
35°1′46″N 117°2′12″W / 35.02944°N 117.03667°W / 35.02944; -117.03667
|
San Bernardino
|
Federal (Bureau of Land Management)
|
Deep erosion canyons with rugged rims with fossil evidence of insects and Miocene mammals.
|
La Brea Tar Pits (Rancho La Brea)
|
|
1964
|
34°3′46.62″N 118°21′21.49″W / 34.0629500°N 118.3559694°W / 34.0629500; -118.3559694
|
Los Angeles
|
Municipal (City of Los Angeles)
|
Site of the world-famous natural asphalt tar pits.
|
San Andreas Fault
|
|
1965
|
|
San Benito
|
Private
|
One of the best illustrations of earth displacement caused by small crustal movements.
|
San Felipe Creek Area
|
|
1974
|
33°10′11″N 115°49′19″W / 33.16972°N 115.82194°W / 33.16972; -115.82194
|
Imperial, San Diego
|
Federal (Bureau of Land Management), state (California Department of Fish and Wildlife)
|
A marsh containing probably the last remaining perennial natural desert stream in the Colorado Desert region.
|
Sand Ridge Wildflower Preserve
|
|
1984
|
35°18′31.26″N 118°47′24.29″W / 35.3086833°N 118.7900806°W / 35.3086833; -118.7900806
|
Kern
|
Private
|
A remnant natural area displaying a great diversity of floral species including the Bakersfield cactus.
|
Sharktooth Hill
|
|
1976
|
35°26′30.57″N 118°56′26.18″W / 35.4418250°N 118.9406056°W / 35.4418250; -118.9406056
|
Kern
|
Private
|
One of the most abundant, diverse and well- preserved fossil marine vertebrate sites in the world.
|
Tijuana River Estuary
|
|
1973
|
32°33′7.2″N 117°7′9.59″W / 32.552000°N 117.1193306°W / 32.552000; -117.1193306
|
San Diego
|
Federal (Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve), state, municipal
|
One of the finest remaining saltwater marshes on the California coastline.
|
Torrey Pines State Reserve
|
|
1977
|
32°54′59.58″N 117°14′58.7″W / 32.9165500°N 117.249639°W / 32.9165500; -117.249639
|
San Diego
|
State (California Department of Parks and Recreation)
|
Contains a natural Torrey pine forest, high bluffs and sea cliffs, and endangered bird species.
|
Trona Pinnacles
|
|
1967
|
35°37′3.81″N 117°22′5.08″W / 35.6177250°N 117.3680778°W / 35.6177250; -117.3680778
|
San Bernardino
|
Federal (Bureau of Land Management)
|
A relict landform from the Pleistocene containing unique formations of calcium carbonate.
|
Turtle Mountain
|
|
1973
|
34°19′5.53″N 114°51′7.28″W / 34.3182028°N 114.8520222°W / 34.3182028; -114.8520222
|
San Bernardino
|
Federal (Bureau of Land Management), state
|
Contains two mountain sections of entirely different composition.
|