San Diego Parks by Radius

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National Park Service

Cabrillo National Monument
The Cabrillo National Monument comemorates the first time a European, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, set foot on the west coast of the United States.

Channel Islands National Park
Comprised of five in a chain of eight southern California islands near Los Angeles, Channel Islands National Park is home to a wide variety of nationally and internationally significant natural and cultural resources. The park consists of 249,354 acres, half of which are under the ocean. Over 2,000 species of plants and animals can be found within the park.

Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park has more than 3.3 million acres of spectacular desert scenery, interesting and rare desert wildlife, complex geology, undisturbed wilderness, and sites of historical and cultural interest.

Grand Canyon National Park
One of the most spectacular examples of erosion anywhere in the world, Grand Canyon is unmatched in the incomparable vistas it offers to visitors on the rim.

Greenbelt Park
Greenbelt Park is a refuge for native plants and animals just twelve miles from Washington, D.C.

Hohokam Pima National Monument
Preserved here are the archeological remains of the Hohokam culture. Hohokam is a Pima Indian word meaning "those who have gone."

Joshua Tree National Park
Two deserts, two large ecosystems whose characteristics are determined primarily by elevation, come together at Joshua Tree National Park. The Colorado Desert encompasses the eastern part of the park and features natural gardens of creosote bush, ocotillo, and cholla cactus. The higher, moister, and slightly cooler Mojave Desert is the special habitat of the Joshua tree.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Three of America's four desert ecosystems--the Mojave, the Great Basin, and the Sonoran Deserts--meet in Lake Mead NRA. As a result, this seemingly barren area contains a surprising variety of plants and animals. Lake Mead caters to boaters, swimmers, sunbathers, and fishermen while its desert rewards hikers, wildlife photographers, and roadside sightseers.

Manzanar National Historic Site

Mojave National Preserve
The Mojave National Preserve encompasses 1.6 million acres of mountains, jumble rocks, desert washes, and dry lakes.Plant and animal life varies by elevation.

Montezuma Castle National Monument
The five-story, 20-room cliff dwelling served as a "high-rise apartment building" for prehistoric Sinagua Indians over 600 years ago. Early settlers to the area assumed that the imposing structure was associated with the Aztec emperor Montezuma, but the castle was abandoned almost a century before Montezuma was born.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
In this desert wilderness of plants and animals and dramatic mountains and plains scenery, you can drive a lonely road, hike a backcountry trail, camp beneath a clear desert sky, or just soak in the warmth and beauty of the Southwest. The Monument exhibits a collection of plants of the Sonoran Desert, including the organ pipe cactus, a large cactus rarely found in the United States.

Parashant National Monument
Parashant National Monument, located on the northern edge of the Grand Canyon, is a remote area of open, undeveloped spaces. It is an impressive and diverse landscape that includes an array of scientific and historic resources.

Pinnacles National Monument
Rising out of the chaparral-covered Gabilan Mountains, are the spectacular remains of an ancient volcano. Massive monoliths, spires, sheer-walled canyons and talus passages define millions of years of erosion, faulting and tectonic plate movement.

Pipe Spring National Monument
Pipe Spring National Monument is rich with American Indian, early explorer and Mormon pioneer history.

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Located in a Mediterranean ecosystem, the Santa Monica Mountains contain a wide variety of plants and wildlife. The mountains also have an interesting and diverse cultural history which begins with the Chumash and Gabrielino/Tongva peoples and continues today in "L.A.'s backyard."

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park
These two adjoining parks protect immense mountains, deep canyons, huge trees, and stunningly diverse habitats. Sequoia and Kings Canyon share miles of boundary and are managed as one park.

Tuzigoot National Monument
Tuzigoot is an ancient village or pueblo built by a culture known as the Sinagua. The pueblo consisted of 110 rooms including second and third story structures.

Washington Monument
George Washington was unanimously elected the first President of the United States. Washington defined the Presidency and helped develop the relationships among the three branches of government. His leadership and service to the republic have been distinguished through the naming of the federal capital, universities, streets, counties, and a state; but none have captured the imagination of the people world-wide like the Washington Monument.