California

This is as far out as you can get without winding up in the Pacific – San Francisco keeps pushing boundaries with trendsetting food, social movements, art and technology. This town is defined by bold moves: the iconic Golden Gate Bridge is an engineering marvel in a color chosen over the Navy's objections; nature lovers elbowed aside speculators to establish Golden Gate Park; and Alcatraz was occupied by Native American protestors and turned into a museum. Discover the weirdest tech in the west at the Exploratorium, and find inspiration in new-media installations at supersized SFMOMA.

Hugging a tree never came so naturally as it does in California's sun-dappled groves of ancient redwoods, the world's tallest trees. These gentle giants are quintessentially Californian: their roots may be shallow, but they hold each other up and reach dizzying heights. Even a short stroll on the soft forest floor beneath them puts the rest of the world into perspective. Redwoods thrive along the coast from Big Sur north to the Oregon, and you'll find old-growth groves at Muir Woods National Monument, Humboldt Redwoods State Park and Redwood National and State Parks.

Feeling so small has never felt this grand. Everything is monumental at Yosemite National Park: thunderous waterfalls tumble over sheer cliffs, granite domes tower overhead and the world's biggest trees cluster in mighty groves of giant sequoias. Conservationist John Muir considered Yosemite a great temple, and awe is the natural reaction to these vast wildflower-strewn meadows and steep valleys carved over millennia by glaciers, avalanches and earthquakes. To achieve maximum wonder, stop at Glacier Point under a full moon or drive the high country’s Tioga Rd on a cloudless summer day.

The desert gets hot, but Palm Springs has kept its cool since the '50s. This resort getaway is where stars like Sinatra, Elvis, and Leonardo DiCaprio have come out to play away from the paparazzi and lounge by the pool in mid-Century Modern digs. Hit brunch hot spots, vintage stores and the Palm Springs Art Museum until happy hour in tiki speakeasies and LGBT cabarets. Tomorrow you could explore desert canyons across Native American tribal lands, summit the San Jacinto Mountains the easy way on an aerial tramway…or you can just lounge the day away.

Following your bliss inevitably leads to Big Sur. Waterfalls splash down sandy bluffs in rainbow mists, and yurt retreats perch at the edge of redwood forests. Beyond purple-sand beaches and coves lined with California jade, pods of migrating whales dot the sparkling Pacific. But don't forget to turn around: hiding behind these coastal bluffs are hot springs and Beat literary retreats, with California condors circling over the cliffs. Time your visit for peak waterfall season in May, or after summer vacation for maximum meditation.

How do you beat LA traffic? Hit the beach instead. Sunny Santa Monica delivers an endless summer with iconic surf spots, a solar-powered Ferris wheel, carnival games on the old-fashioned pier, tidal touch pools in the aquarium and beach sunsets that go on forever. Arrive at nearby Venice Beach to join the nonstop parade of New Agers, muscled bodybuilders, goth punks and hippie drummers – around here you'll never need an excuse to let your freak flag fly.

When you're ready for your close-up, there's only one place to go. The stars come out at night for red-carpet premieres at restored movie palaces, and you too can have your Hollywood moment on the pink-starred Walk of Fame. This once-gritty LA neighborhood is making a glorious comeback, bringing old Hollywood glamour to glitzy velvet-roped bars, VIP nightclubs and hip hotels. Snap a selfie outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre or duck into Hollywood & Highland’s Babylon Court for a photo op with the iconic Hollywood sign and revel in your 15 minutes of social media fame.

Where orange groves and walnut trees once grew, Walt Disney built his dream world. Since his 'Magic Kingdom' opened in 1955, Disneyland has expanded to neighboring Disney California Adventure to become SoCal’s most-visited tourist attraction. Waltz down Main Street, U.S.A. with your favorite cartoon characters, ride movie-themed roller coasters and watch fireworks explode over Sleeping Beauty Castle on hot summer nights. For a day, leave your troubles behind, suspend disbelief and join throngs of gleeful kids.

The daunting name brings to mind Wild West ghost towns, broken-down pioneer wagon trains and tumbleweed blowing past skulls on desert sand dunes – but Death Valley is full of life. Spring wildflowers daub the dunes with a painter’s palette of colors, adrenaline-seekers zoom across crackled salt flats, and shy desert wildlife lives by starlight. Twist your way up narrow canyons past geological oddities, and teeter over volcanic craters formed by violent prehistoric explosions.

San Diego is known for its beaches and craft beer – but there's another side to this seaside town. Beautiful Balboa Park is the pride of San Diego, with Spanish Colonial and Mission Revival–style architecture along El Prado promenade and more than a dozen art, cultural and science museums. Glimpse exotic wildlife and ride the ‘Skyfari’ aerial tram at San Diego’s world-famous zoo, or nab tickets for a show at the Old Globe Theaters, modeled on the famous Shakespearean original.

Along the coast around the weathered Victorian port of Mendocino, churning surf is never out of earshot, and tides roll back to reveal driftwood, abalone, and boulders that'll make you think some sea monsters have lost their marbles. Mendocino is a legendary bohemian outpost, with bookstores, natural food shops and redwood water towers swirled in mists carrying fragrant bursts of lavender, jasmine and THC – but there's more to explore inland in Mendocino County. You've probably heard of Mendocino's now-legal cash crop, but you'll also find some of the state's best-value wines lining sunny Anderson Valley.

Nicknamed the ‘American Riviera' for its seaside elegance and culinary decadence, Santa Barbara might sound fancy, but it's all laid-back California vibes. Waving palm trees, powdery beaches, fishing boats clanking in the harbor – it’d be a travel cliché if it wasn’t the plain truth. But Santa Barbara worked hard to stay so idyllic: downtown was rebuilt in signature Spanish Colonial Revival style after a 1925 earthquake and environmentalists lobbied to clean up the beaches in the '60s and '70s. California’s ‘Queen of the Missions’ is a rare beauty, with its signature red-roofed, whitewashed adobe building.

‘Go west, young man!’ was the rallying cry of tens of thousands of pioneers who arrived here during California’s gold rush, starting in 1848. Today, these rough-and-tumble Sierra Nevada foothills are a stronghold of Golden State history, with thrilling, mostly true tales of banditry, bordellos and bloodlust. Wind past sleepy townships and abandoned mines on Hwy 49 to discover swimming holes, white-water rafting, downhill mountain-biking bomber runs and saloon wine-tasting rooms supplied by the state's oldest grapevines. Eureka! You've found your California adventure.

Sonoma's Russian River Valley is one of California's best-kept secrets. This wine country is Napa's rebel cousin, with sparkling wines offered in tasting rooms, and cult biodynamic Pinot Noirs you won't find anywhere else. Hippies headed back to the land here in the '60s, and you can taste their organic farm-to-table cuisine and feel the groovy vibes in Occidental and Sebastopol. Riverside cabin retreats date from the 1900s, when San Franciscan socialites headed here for sunshine and privacy – Guerneville has been an LGBT getaway for a century, and Lazy Bear Weekend (July/August) is a major gay holiday.

Get up close and personal with California marine life in the fishing village of Monterey, where John Steinbeck brought colorful local wharf characters to life – and the seals are pretty outrageous too. Hop aboard a whale-watching cruise to explore a national marine sanctuary, or walk right into the bay at the aquarium to spot golden sea dragons, shy pink Pacific octopuses and scene-stealing rescued otters at play. Explore Monterey's hidden gardens, villa art museums and historic adobe-walled buildings, then visit monarch butterflies and the West Coast’s oldest lighthouse in neighboring Pacific Grove.

No other pile of rock in California stirs the imagination quite like Mt Shasta, rising majestically from the surrounding flatlands. There's something mystical about this peak – Native Californians believed that it was home to a sky-spirit chief. Tales swirl around Mt Shasta: New Age pilgrims say it's an energy vortex, and one late-19th-century explorer reported that survivors of a lost continent were living in tunnels below its surface. Experience spine-tingling chills on its windblown peak, and see for yourself why conservationist John Muir said its beauty made his ‘blood turn to wine.’

While surfers hang loose in Huntington Beach and yachties mingle dockside in Newport Beach, Orange County's Laguna Beach lures them all with culture and natural beauty. Startling seascapes led an early-20th-century artists’ colony to put down roots here, and Laguna’s bohemian past lives on in downtown art galleries, adorable arts-and-crafts bungalows tucked beside multimillion-dollar mansions, and the annual Summer Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters.

High in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, this all-seasons adventure base camp centers on the USA’s second-deepest lake. In summer, startlingly clear blue waters invite splashing, kayaking and even scuba diving. Meanwhile, mountain bikers careen down epic single-track runs and hikers follow trails through thick forests to staggering views. After dark, retreat to cozy lakefront cottages and toast s’mores in firepits. When the lake turns into a winter wonderland, gold-medal ski resorts amp up the adrenaline for downhill fanatics, snowboarders and Nordic traditionalists.

Anchoring the Cascades' chain of volcanoes to the south, this alien landscape bubbles over with roiling mud pots, noxious sulfur vents and steamy fumaroles. But Lassen also delights the senses with colorful cinder cones and azure crater lakes. Ditch the crowds and head to this off-the-beaten-path destination to discover fresh peaks to be conquered, pristine waters for dipping, forested campgrounds for comfort, and boardwalks through Bumpass Hell that will leave you awestruck.

Even if you never set foot on a board – but, like, you should totally check out this gnarly break, brah – surfing defines California pop culture, from street slang to movies and laid-back fashion. Pros ride world-class breaks off Malibu, Huntington Beach (aka ‘Surf City USA’), La Jolla and Santa Barbara, while newbies get schooled at ‘surfari’ camps along the coast from San Diego north to Santa Cruz.

All aboard! Evocatively named routes like Coast Starlight and Pacific Surfliner will tempt you to leave your car behind and ride the rails, from Oakland to SoCal. South of San Luis Obispo, glimpse remote beaches from Amtrak’s panoramic-view observation cars. Blink and you’re already in Santa Barbara, in time for wine. Hop off for a seaside swim at whistle-stop Carpinteria or Ventura, before rolling into LA’s architecturally grand Union Station. Keep rolling south to historic Mission San Juan Capistrano and North County beach towns before landing in downtown San Diego.

If you road-trip along the coast between San Diego and Sonoma, you'll be following in the footsteps of early Spanish conquistadors and Catholic priests. Franciscan friar Junípero Serra founded many of California’s 21 missions in the late 18th century, and many are restored to their original stark beauty. Legend has it that ghosts still pace the cloisters of many missions, built by Native California conscripts – many of whom didn't survive to see their completion. Mission San Juan Capistrano is one of best restores, with flowering gardens, stone arcades, fountains, and chapels adorned by spiritual frescoes.

California may be sunnier down south, but Point Reyes is more poetic. Step across the San Andreas Fault to find windswept beaches, where the horizon stretches toward infinity. Way off at land's end, climb the lighthouse and scan the Pacific for migratory whales. In this wild place you'll find good company: there's a seasonal colony of raucous giant elephant seals at Chimney Rock and free-ranging herds of hulking tule elk, especially on the north end. Return to civilization the easy way at Point Reyes Station for lazy brunches and splendid local cheese.

Tossed like lost pearls off the coast, the Channel Islands have been California's last outpost of civilization ever since seafaring Chumash people established villages on these remote rocks. Marine life thrives on these islands, from coral reefs to giant elephant seals. Get back to nature with fantastic sea kayaking and snorkeling in Channel Islands National Park, or plan a posh getaway at the harborfront hotels of Mediterranean-style Catalina Island.

Who says you can’t turn back time? Speed over the curved bay bridge or hop the ferry from San Diego to swanky, retro, seaside Coronado. You don't need a costume to enjoy the period drama of the palatial 19th-century Hotel del Coronado, where royalty and presidents escaped from their duties and Marilyn Monroe cavorted in the 1950s screwball classic Some Like It Hot. Pedal past impossibly white beaches all the way down the peninsula’s Silver Strand, stopping at old-fashioned ice-cream parlors and vintage photo ops – no sepia-tone filter necessary.