List of National Natural Landmarks in California facts for kids

California is home to 37 special places called National Natural Landmarks. These are areas recognized by the United States government for their amazing natural features. They show off the best examples of America's natural history, like unique plants, animals, rocks, or landforms.

California's Amazing Natural Landmarks

California has many incredible natural landmarks, from ancient volcanoes to rare marshlands and huge sand dunes. Let's explore some of these special spots!

Volcanoes and Fiery Landscapes

Some landmarks show us how powerful Earth can be.

• Amboy Crater is a volcano that's about 6,000 years old. It's a type of volcano called a cinder cone and you can find it right off historic U.S. Highway 66.
• The Cinder Cone Natural Area has more than 20 large cinder cones and huge lava flows. It's like a natural museum of volcanic activity!
• Mount Shasta is one of the biggest and most impressive volcanoes in the world. It's a stratovolcano, which means it's a tall, cone-shaped volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava and ash.

Incredible Caves and Underground Worlds

California's natural landmarks also take us underground to explore fascinating caves.

• Black Chasm Cave is a small cave with three levels. It's famous for its amazing speleothems, especially the unique formations called helictites, which twist and turn in all directions.
• Lake Shasta Caverns is a beautiful Solutional cave filled with many different calcite cave formations. It's a stunning example of what water can create over time.
• Mitchell Caverns and Winding Stair Cave are considered the most important solution caverns in the Mojave Desert. They offer a glimpse into the hidden geology of the desert.

Deserts, Dunes, and Unique Landscapes

California's deserts are full of surprises, including towering dunes and ancient landforms.

• The Anza-Borrego Desert is the largest desert state park in the nation. It's a vast area with incredible desert landscapes.
• Eureka Dunes are the tallest sand dunes in the Great Basin area. Imagine climbing these giant sandy hills!
• The Imperial Sand Hills are one of the largest dune areas in the United States. They stretch for miles and are a popular spot for outdoor adventures.
• Rainbow Basin features deep canyons with rugged edges. These canyons hold fossil evidence of ancient insects and mammals from millions of years ago.
• The Trona Pinnacles are unique formations made of calcium carbonate. They look like something from another planet and were formed during the Ice Age.
• Turtle Mountain is interesting because it has two mountain sections made of completely different types of rock.

Special Water Features and Wetlands

Water plays a big role in shaping California's natural beauty.

• Burney Falls is a stunning waterfall where a river flows over rocks, fed by springs that come out of the ground. It's a great example of how underground water can create beautiful surface features.
• Deep Springs Marsh is a rare desert marsh. These wetlands are becoming harder to find in desert areas, making this spot very important.
• The Fish Slough Area of Critical Environmental Concern is a large, untouched desert wetland. It's a vital home for special plants like the alkali mariposa lily and the endangered Owens pupfish.
• The San Felipe Creek Area has a marsh that contains what might be the last natural desert stream that flows all year round in the Colorado Desert region.
• The Tijuana River Estuary is one of the best remaining saltwater marshes along the California coast. It's a crucial habitat for many birds and marine life.

Unique Plant and Animal Habitats

Many landmarks protect special plants and animals that can't be found anywhere else.

• Año Nuevo State Reserve is one of the biggest places on the mainland where northern elephant seals come to breed. It's amazing to see these huge animals up close!
• Audubon Canyon is the largest known nesting area on the Pacific Coast for large wading birds like great blue herons and great and snowy egrets.
• The Cosumnes River Riparian Woodlands are a small part of a special type of forest that used to cover much of the central valley. It's a rare glimpse into California's past landscapes.
• Elder Creek is a mostly untouched watershed with large, old stands of Douglas fir trees and other evergreens. It's a great example of a healthy forest ecosystem.
• Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes are coastal sand dunes that are home to the western snowy plover, a small bird that nests on beaches.
• Point Lobos is an amazing example of how land and sea environments connect. It's the only known place where the Monterey cypress tree and a special type of flower called variegated brodiaea grow naturally.
• The Pygmy Forest at Jug Handle State Natural Reserve is a unique forest where trees and shrubs are very short and stunted. It grows on a "five-step ecological staircase" formed by ancient sea levels.
• Torrey Pines State Reserve protects a natural forest of Torrey pine trees, which are very rare. It also has high bluffs and sea cliffs, and is home to endangered bird species.

Ancient Earth and Fossil Discoveries

Some landmarks are like windows into Earth's ancient past.

• Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks show a complete record of rock layers from the late Cretaceous period (when dinosaurs lived!) all the way to today.
• Mt. Diablo State Park is one of the few places where you can see very thick layers of rock from the Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Tertiary ages all together. It's like a giant history book made of stone.
• La Brea Tar Pits (Rancho La Brea) are famous natural asphalt pits. For thousands of years, animals got stuck in the sticky tar, preserving their bones. Scientists have found amazing fossils of mammoths, saber-toothed cats, and more here!
• Sharktooth Hill is one of the richest places in the world for finding fossils of ancient marine animals. It's a treasure trove for scientists studying ocean life from millions of years ago.
• The San Andreas Fault is one of the most famous fault lines in the world. It's a clear example of how Earth's crust moves and shifts, causing earthquakes.

Rare Grasslands and Pools

Some landmarks protect very specific and rare types of habitats.

• American River Bluffs and Phoenix Park Vernal Pools contain special seasonal pools called vernal pools and woodlands with blue oak trees. Vernal pools fill with water in winter and spring, then dry up, creating unique habitats.
• Dixon Vernal Pools are the best example of a type of grassland called valley needlegrass grassland in the central valley.
• Lanphere Dunes and Ma-le'l Dunes are considered the largest and best quality sand dune ecosystems along the coast in their area. They are very important for coastal wildlife.
• Miramar Mounds have unique soil features called mima mounds, which are small, rounded hills found in only a few places. They also contain vernal pools.
• Pixley Vernal Pools are one of the last remaining natural vernal pools that are home to rare tiny creatures like vernal pool fairy shrimp.
• Sand Ridge Wildflower Preserve is a special area with a huge variety of wildflowers, including the rare Bakersfield cactus.

These National Natural Landmarks are important places that help us understand and protect the amazing natural world around us.

Images for kids

• 

  Amboy Crater

• 

  American River

• 

  Año Nuevo State Reserve

• 

  Anza-Borrego Desert

• 

  Audubon Canyon

• 

  Black Chasm Cave

• 

  Burney Falls

• 

  Cinder Cone

• 

  Cosumnes River Preserve

• 

  Emerald Bay

• 

  Eureka Dunes

• 

  Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes

• 

  Imperial Sand Hills

• 

  Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks

• 

  Lake Shasta Caverns

• 

  Mitchell Caverns

• 

  Mt Diablo

• 

  Mount Shasta

• 

  Point Lobos

• 

  Pygmy forest at Jug Handle State Natural Reserve

• 

  Rainbow Basin syncline

• 

  La Brea Tar Pits

• 

  San Adreas Fault

• 

  Sand Ridge Wildflower Preserve

• 

  Tijuana River

• 

  Torrey Pintes

• 

  Trona Pinnacles

• 

  Turtle Mountains (California)