Amargosa River Natural Area

Winding largely underground beneath the parched Mojave Desert, the Amargosa River surfaces occasionally to form lush oases in an arid landscape. These ecologically rich sanctuaries provide a haven for unique species that exist nowhere else on Earth. The best time to visit the Amargosa River Natural Area is from October through April. Bring plenty of water, come prepared for the desert climate and enjoy the many recreational activities the natural area has to offer.

Andrew Molera State Park

In the 1960s, Nature Conservancy acquisitions along the Big Sur coast and in the foothills of the Monterey Peninsula led to the creation of Andrew Molera State Park and Jacks Peak County Park. The former Molera family ranch is home to a remarkable diversity of native plants and wildlife, including reintroduced California condors. From the park’s headlands and sandy beach, visitors can spot sea otters, harbor seals and sea lions in the swaying kelp forests of Monterey Bay.

Angelo Coast Range Reserve

The Angelo Coast Range Reserve is part of a 7,915-acre living laboratory managed by the University of California’s Natural Reserve System. The property features numerous creeks that feed into the Eel River as well as towering redwoods and Douglas-firs that provide shelter for ringtails, voles, Pacific giant salamanders and many other forest inhabitants. Listen and watch for pileated woodpeckers and northern spotted owls.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

Springtime brings colorful wildflower displays to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Brittlebrush, chuparosa, ocotillo, sand verbena, brown-eyed evening primrose and more explode across California's largest state park. In addition to viewing wildflowers, visitors can explore the park's badlands, washes, canyons and rugged peaks on 100 miles of hiking and riding trails and 500 miles of dirt roads.

Big Morongo Canyon Preserve

Big Morongo Canyon Preserve is a hidden desert oasis located between the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. Melting snow from the surrounding San Bernardino Mountains feeds a series of perennial springs throughout the preserve. Big Morongo supports a wide variety of wildlife, including bighorn sheep, mountain lions, bobcats, foxes, lizards, tree frogs, and more than 240 species of birds.

Boggs Lake Ecological Reserve

Formed by a volcanic eruption more than a million years ago, Boggs Lake lies in a lush northern California forest of oak, madrone, Douglas-fir and pine trees. The preserve is home to a thriving and fluctuating vernal pool, an important and threatened habitat in California. Offering visitors one of the most unique displays of vernal pool flora in the state, the 153-acre preserve also provides habitat for frogs, newts, fairy shrimp and a shifting population of birds.

Carrizo Plain National Monument

At the heart of Carrizo Plain is mirage-like Soda Lake, lying in a bed of unbroken grassland and surrounded by the Temblor and Caliente mountain ranges. Here, in an area of great cultural significance to Native Americans, the Chumash and Yokuts peoples traded, gathered food and held ceremonies in the shadow of Painted Rock. Today, the plain remains a lush paradise of native grasses and colorful wildflowers, home to San Joaquin kit foxes, giant kangaroo rats, and the San Joaquin antelope squirrels.

Channel Islands National Park

Channel Islands National Park is made up of five rugged islands and the waters that surround them. The islands are home to more than 2,000 species of plants and animals, including 145 found nowhere else on Earth. Outdoor enthusiasts and explorers can enjoy year round activities such as scuba diving, snorkling, kayaking, hiking, bird watching, as well as seasonal attractions such as whale watching and beautiful wildflower displays.

Coachella Valley Preserve

Colorful sand dunes and mesas give the Coachella Valley Preserve a distinctive Southwestern feel. Along the central gorge and up the lean ridges, raptors scout for lizards while migrating gnatcatchers and sparrows may linger in the palm oases for weeks. These lush habitat islands, with their pools and streams, harbor some of the region's most species-rich natural communities.

Cosumnes River Preserve

Flowing 80 miles from the Sierra foothills to the cattails and wetlands of the San Joaquin River delta, the Cosumnes River wends through California's agricultural heart, the Central Valley. Yet it is also a place where, from late September to early March, thousands of endangered sandhill cranes roost and forage in rice fields planted specifically to attract them. Although by late February the cranes have usually begun their journey north, a few remain through mid-March to glean the fields and finish raising broods.

Cuyamaca Rancho State Park

Featuring blossoming meadows, magnificent panoramic views and cascading streams, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park comprises some of the most unusually diverse wildlife habitats in San Diego County. Cuyamaca Rancho State Park provides passage and a home to mountain lions, deer and rabbits. Wildlife lovers are joined in their enthusiasm for the park by bikers, equestrians, hikers and campers, who all find something to appreciate in the park’s 100 miles of trails.

Elkhorn Slough Reserve

Flushed by the cycling tides of Monterey Bay, Elkhorn Slough meanders more than seven miles inland through tidal flats, creeks and marshes, all teeming with aquatic plants. From upland trails, visitors overlook coastal dunes, oak woodlands and rare maritime chaparral. Its unique setting has made Elkhorn Slough one of the Western United States' premier birdwatching sites, designated a Globally Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society and the American Birding Conservancy.

Fairfield Osborn Preserve

Formerly a Conservancy project, Fairfield Osborn Preserve is now owned by Sonoma State University and used as a research and education site. This protected landscape harbors a dazzling array of natural communities within its 411 acres, including mature oak woodlands, evergreen forests, native bunch grasslands, vernal pools and perennial fishless streams. Spring brings abundant wildflower displays and neotropical migratory birds, including the spectacular Lazuli bunting.

Forest of Nisene Marks State Park

The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park rises steeply from sea level to peaks and ridges as high as 2,600 feet. Towering redwoods and lush undergrowth create a rich habitat for many species. Visitors can explore the remarkably varied terrain by hiking, jogging or biking the park's 30 miles of trails. Listen for bird songs and the rushing flow of nearby creeks.

Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Preserve

The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Preserve comprises 18 miles of Earth's most biodiverse coastal dune-lagoon ecosystem. Featuring the highest dunes on the west coast, the preserve offers many surprising vistas and harbors 1,400 distinct species of birds, plants and animals. In spring, yellow giant coreopsis, indigo dune larkspur and vivid orange California poppies color the dune mat. Endangered California least terns make their nest in hidden sand pockets along the dunes.

Irvine Ranch Wildlands and Parks

Prior to 1992, the Irvine Ranch and its rugged, scenic canyons were unavailable to all but cattle, cowboys and descendants of its namesake, rancher James Irvine. Now the Ranch's urban neighbors explore extensive oak and sycamore woodlands that have largely disappeared from Southern California. The Ranch offers docent led tours throughout the reserve's many natural wonders, such as sandstone bluffs, seismic cataracts and sweeping views of the Pacific.

Jepson Prairie Preserve

From March to May, the 1,600-acre preserve is decorated with shallow ponds ringed in brilliant yellow, orange and purple flowers. The preserve features one of the best remaining examples of native bunchgrass prairie in California, and its hard claypan soil provides rich habitat for vernal pool wildlife and dozens of native plants.

Kaweah Oaks Preserve

Kaweah Oaks Preserve harbors four different habitat types, including one of California's last remaining valley oak riparian forests. The Preserve supports more than 300 plant and animal species, including the gray fox, great horned owl and Nuttall's woodpecker. Visitors in May and June will enjoy elderberry blooms and snow-white yerba manza flowers.

Kern River Preserve

Designated a Globally Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society, every year the preserve attracts more than 200 nesting and feeding bird species. Nature events and festivals take place year-round; check the preserve's web site for details.

Lanphere Dunes Preserve

Lanphere Dunes is a spectacular place to view late summer wildflowers, watch migrating waterfowl or simply comb the waveslope for sand dollars. Along a strip less than a mile wide, you'll find crashing surf, 80-foot-high sand dunes, seasonal swales and hollows and dense beach pine forest. The western snowy plover, a sparrow-sized shore resident, nests in the dunes' sheltered sandspits and sparse vegetation.

Marin Headlands

As part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the Marin Headlands is one of the most visited sites in the National Park system. The park offers miles of hiking trails, stunning views of the Pacific and the city, dog friendly Rodeo Beach and other attractions such as the the NIKE Missile Site, Point Bonita Lighthouse, Tennessee Valley and Fort Cronkhite.

McCloud River Preserve

Beneath the slopes of Mount Shasta, the McCloud River snakes through the valley forest providing excellent habitat for Shasta rainbow trout and exotic brown trout. Wildlife is abundant in the 2,330-acre McCloud River Preserve. Mountain lions, black bears, ringtails and gray foxes roam the dense conifer and oak forests, Shasta salamanders scale limestone outcroppings, otters glide through calm river pools, and osprey and bald eagles soar.

Montaña de Oro State Park

With its secluded beaches, rugged cliffs and rolling hills, Montaña de Oro State Park is a great place for naturalists to enjoy the solitude and beauty of California’s central coast. The Nature Conservancy worked with California State Parks to protect the 1,902-acre Andre Ranch. In December 2008, 730 acres at the southern part of the ranch was added to Montaña de Oro State Park.

Pinnacles National Monument

Located at the southern end of the Gabilan Mountains, Pinnacles National Monument provides a dramatic playground for outdoor enthusiasts offering rock climbing, bird watching, night hiking and cave exploring. In addition to its stunning rock formations and talus caves, Pinnacles features miles of rolling native grasslands and valley oak woodlands — two increasingly rare habitat types in California. Its temperate mediterranean climate supports a vast array of native plant and animal diversity including the endangered California condor, 14 species of bats and 10 percent of the country’s native bee species.

Ring Mountain Open Space Preserve

Ring Mountain boasts a remarkable array of native plants and wildlife just 15 miles north of the bustling metropolis of San Francisco. This special corner of Marin County features unusual serpentine soils and distinctive rocky outcrops that provide a haven for seven rare and endangered plants, including the Tiburon Mariposa lily. Ring Mountain’s rolling ridge line offers stunning 360-degree views of the Bay Area, making it a favorite among botanists, geologists, historians and hikers alike.

Sacramento River

The riparian forest of the Sacramento River provides breeding habitats and migratory stopover sites for more than 135 species of native birds, including warbling vireo, blue grosbeak and yellow-billed cuckoo. Birding is just one of the popular activities to enjoy along the Sacramento River. Abundant hiking, boating, fishing and camping opportunities are available at nearby state parks and recreation areas.

San Elijo Lagoon

San Elijo Lagoon is one of San Diego's largest remaining coastal wetlands. In a state of constant flux, this shallow-water estuary circulates food and nutrients that support 300 species of native plants, 24 species of mammals and 20 species of reptiles and amphibians. Wildlife viewing is best in the early mornings and early evenings.

Santa Monica Mountains NRA

It's hard to believe that park-starved Los Angeles could be home to the world's largest urban national park. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area covers 153,075 acres and 26 zip codes. From the seashore to inland coastal mountains, the area is a beautiful mosaic of unique mediterranean landscapes offering year-round hiking, camping and swimming.

Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve

For a glimpse of early California, visit the Santa Rosa Plateau, a 2,000-foot-high sanctuary in California's Santa Ana Mountains. The Reserve blends the region's largest expanse of native grasslands with wetlands, coastal sage scrub, chaparral and dramatic stands of rare Engelmann oak, and hosts some of southern California's last basalt-flow vernal pools and tenajas natural holes in basalt creekbeds. Once threatened by over- development, the Reserve now sustains scores of native and endangered species.

Stornetta Public Lands

This scenic property features two and a half miles of bluffs overlooking California coastline, rolling hills, an ancient estuary and an island off the coast known as Sea Lion Rocks. Its diverse habitat sustains several riparian corridors, cypress groves, meadows and sand dunes, as well as many rare and endangered animals that rely on the waters that run through this remarkable property.

Van Duzen County Park

Van Duzen County Park is home to a wide range of birds, mammals and plants. Belted kingfishers hover over the river in search of fish, while ash-throated and western flycatchers dart by in pursuit of insects. In 1969 the Georgia-Pacific Corporation donated the redwood groves that now make up the park’s Pamplin Grove and Swimmer’s Delight to The Nature Conservancy, which transferred the land to Humboldt County in 1981.