Central California is a mecca for outdoor lovers and small towns appreciators.
Last updated: February 28, 2025
Central California in Review
Two opposite parts of California, Southern California and Northern California, seem to be the talk of the majority of the locals and visitors. The first attracts with its sunny beaches and world-famous coastal cities. The latter is a place to explore award-winning wineries and a global center for high technology and innovation, Silicon Valley.
Central California, a vast area in between these two geographic regions, is hardly a place to be on everybody’s lips. It slips off any conversation or is casually divided between the northern and southern parts of the Golden State.
Big mistake! The central part of California boasts some of the world-famous sites that entice travelers from all corners of the world. From the tallest waterfalls in the state to the world’s most beautiful drives and quintessential towns you don’t know you need to see until you visit them, Central California is a place locals are proud of and travelers can’t stop raving about, once they get to see it.
If you feel the sudden urge of curiosity – even the slightest one – let’s dive deeper and see what you ought to explore and places you can’t skip while traveling across Central California.
PLACES YOU OUGHT TO VISIT IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
1. Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a crown jewel of Central California. One of the biggest and most famous national parks in the state, it’s home to granite rock formations, waterfalls galore, scenic valleys, and miles-long rivers.
This part of Central California gathers nature lovers from all walks of life, from avid adventurers that camp on the rock face of El Capitan to long-distance hikers that pass through Yosemite, Sequoia, and KingsCanyon National Park while trekking along the 211-mile John Muir Trail. And there are also those that come to the central part of California for the scenic views and relaxing nature walks.
Yosemite National Park embraces all challenges and exceeds all expectations. With such diverse terrain and a vast range of activities, the area is one of the busiest places to visit in Central California in the summer. The influx of visitors drops in the winter.
Yet, with the arrival of snow, a different group of nature lovers flocks to the park. With that being said, Yosemite hardly experiences any downtime, offering different views and exploits every season.
2. Big Sur
Some of the world-famous places you ought to see in the Golden State can be found along the Central California Coast. Stretching for 90 miles, Big Sur is one of the longest scenic routes and home to several California state parks.
With rolling hills on one side and the whooshing waves of the Pacific Ocean on the opposite, Big Sur is considered one of the most beautiful drives in the world. And thanks to the Mediterranean climate of the Central Coast of California, the area looks resplendent and is open for visits throughout the year.
Big Sur encompasses many iconic sites, from secluded McWay Falls to purple-sand Pfeiffer Beach and the historic Bixby Bridge. But if I may put in my two cents, the coastal drive is one of the best places in Central California for wildlife lovers. Seabirds, seals and sea lions, and occasional dolphins and whales can be seen in many areas along the Big Sur coast.
3. San Simeon
Speaking about marine mammals, one of the world’s largest rookeries of northern elephant seals is located near the southern entrance to Big Sur. The Piedras Blancas Rookery is often viewed as a part of another Central California jewel, the town of San Simeon. The place is famous for remarkable scenery, wildlife, and Hearst Castle.
A former residence of William Randolph Hearst, a wealthy American newspaper publisher, the mansion was in the spotlight in the 1920s and 1930s for the lavish parties its owner hosted regularly. Among the famous people it entertained were Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, and Greta Garbo. Today, Hearst Castle is a California state park and a national historic landmark.
4. Sequoia National Park
The first time we went to Sequoia National Park, we failed to bring along the list of sites we wanted to see in this unspoiled kingdom of giant trees. So, we roamed around aimlessly, smitten by the grand scale of the area.
Pink sunset with a mix of golden and red hues descended upon the layered mountains by the time we decided to exit one of the oldest national parks not only in Central California, but in the United States.
The journey from the top to the bottom of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the darkness with only headlights illuminating the winding road turned into more than an hour long journey. Yet this poorly planned trip only ignited our interest in the Central California region.
We’d been to Sequoia National Park several times after that, climbing its granite rock formation, Moro Rock, gazing in awe at the colossal sequoias, including the General Sherman Tree, the world’s largest tree by volume, and chasing its elusive waterfalls.
5. Kings Canyon National Park
Another Central California favorite, Kings Canyon National Park is adjacent to Sequoia National Park. If you visit the latter in the summer, the chances are you’ll end up in the land of large canyons as well.
The two national parks in California’s Sierra Nevada are connected by the Generals Highway. A section of the road gets closed during the winter months. This is the time when you need to plan a separate visit to Kings Canyon.
As the name suggests, this Central California park boasts deep canyons. And as they say, where there are canyons, there are also waterfalls. Sure enough, the park has several gushing waterfalls that hide amid giant sequoia trees.
6. Mammoth Lakes
Mammoth Lakes is one of the most curious places we’ve been to in Central California. A few years ago, we drove to the area for my birthday. The central part of the Golden State can be cold and windy even at the beginning of the summer. What we didn’t expect was snow. Not just a dry crust left to melt after the season of heavy snowfalls was over, but fresh snowy coat.
Central California seemed to sense our confusion. And as if making fun of us, it started powdering the ground with more snow.
Indeed, surrounded by towering peaks of the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Mammoth Lakes area is your surest place to find snow in Central California. In the mid and late summer, though, and any time before the snowy blanket covers the mountains and alpine lakes, a plethora of scenic trails and water activities keep you on your toes.
TIP: When visiting this part of Central California, make sure to stop at Mono Lake, a saline lake famous for tufa peaks rising from its surface.
Hot Springs: Summer or winter, drive farther north toward Bridgeport where you can find some of the “most natural” (free and easy to reach) hot springs in Central California.
7. Mammoth Mountain
Mammoth Mountain is a superior skiing and snowboarding resort known far beyond the borders of Central California. On average, the area gets 400 inches of snow and 300 days of sunshine a year. The winter season lasts from late October to mid-spring. Some years, it can extend well into the late spring and even early summer.
8. Oakhurst
Oakhurst is a getaway to Yosemite National Park. The place sits some 15 miles south of the Southern Entrance to the park and serves as a base home for many Central California travelers.
Considering its location and epic outdoor adventures right on its doorsteps, some locals converted their houses into Airbnbs to allure and accommodate more travelers. With that said, next time when you plan your adventures in Central California, you can count on Oakhurst to offer you an excellent weekend getaway with a cozy home to return to at the end of the day.
9. Lewis Creek Trail
Cozy Airbnbs are not the only lure of Oakhurst. The town is also a playground for Central California outdoor lovers. Lesser-known gems such as the Lewis Creek Trail are within a few-minute drive from here.
The Lewis Creek Recreation Trail is located roughly 6 miles north of Oakhurst. Spanning 3.7 miles, this forest hike deserves a separate place on our Central California list. Two cascading waterfalls adorn the scenic trail, announcing their presence from afar.
TIP: Mountain lions roam in the Lewis Creek National Recreation area. Thus, hiking alone is discouraged.
10. Bass Lake
The only time we visited Bass Lake, a 5-mile long lake in Central California, was at the end of our winter trip to Yosemite. The lake lost lots of water, leaving large expanses of the shore exposed. Experiencing the waterbody in this state felt surreal. But it had its own charm. We walked “into” the lake, now only slightly muddy. Kids collected pebbles and small rocks.
In the spring, when rains and melted snow fill the waterbody to the brim, Bass Lake becomes a favorite spot for fishing, sailing, and later water skiing and swimming.
11. Pinnacles National Park
A humble member of the state’s national park family, Pinnacles National Park is one of the most underrated areas in Central California. The area is dotted with pointed rocks, secluded hiking trails, and two talus caves. The caves were the main reason we added Pinnacles National Park to our Central California road trip a few springs ago.
TIP: Bring along a flashlight. Some sections of these hidden caverns are pitch-dark. Add to it natural moisture that accumulates on the rocky walls and you get a perfect living environment for some common and rare species of bats found in the central section of California.
12.Sacramento
The capital of the Golden State is also located in Central California. Contrary to my initial expectations, the city can’t be more diverse. It all means business inside the tall buildings, including the California State Capitol, of downtown Sacramento. Sitting next to them, trendy coffee shops, green squares, and expansive parks dilute the business-like vibe and hint at the more vibrant side of the city.
Wander farther away from the modern capital of the state and you’ll find a quintessential California of the old days. Old Sacramento lets go of any stiffness the downtown area may still incline to. Here the 19th-century buildings, narrow streets, and rides on a steam train define the mood of the historic city.
13. Pismo Beach
We’ll finish our trip to Central California at Pismo Beach. The coastal city ends on your itinerary every time you take the Pacific Coast Highway (US 1) and head to the northern part of the state, exploring its diverse parks and scenic coastal towns along the way.
Pismo Beach lures with its vibrant downtown area, beautiful beaches, and numerous parks. The city life has, however, never been the biggest draw for me. I take Pismo Beach’s seasonal attraction over man-made landmarks every time the road leads me to this part of the Central California Coast.
From November through February, the city harbors a large kaleidoscope of monarch butterflies. The insects winter in the warmer region of Central California and farther south the coast in Mexico. Come spring, and they migrate back to Canada.
