In this edition of our National Parks series, our guide Steve Farrar will take us on a tour of three parks along the California coast and then out into the vast Pacific Ocean to three more island parks. Although the usual conception of an island vacation is sunbathing on the beaches of tropical paradises (and some do fit that bill), there are quite a variety of additional experiences offered by this group of parks: climbing to 10,000 feet elevation, scuba diving into the realm of giant kelp plants, kayaking into sea caves, and even travelling half-way around the world. We will explore how the jet stream plays a crucial role in enabling trees to grow to unimaginable heights and how the San Andreas fault has split a volcano and shifted one half of it hundreds of miles away to form a lava wonderland park. Come along for a ride that will save you many airline miles – that is, unless you get inspired to go visit them!
Redwood, CA
Pinnacles, CA
Channel Islands, CA
Haleakala, HI
Hawaii Volcanoes, HI
American Samoa, AS