There are 37 National Natural Landmarks in California.

Name Image Date Location County Ownership Description Amboy Crater San Bernardino Federal (Bureau of Land Management) A 6,000-year-old volcanic cinder cone, made up of pahoehoe, just off historic U.S. Highway 66. American River Bluffs and Phoenix Park Vernal Pools Sacramento Federal (United States Bureau of Reclamation), state (California State Parks), and municipal (Fair Oaks Recreation and Park District) Contains vernal pools, and blue oak woodlands. Año Nuevo State Reserve San Mateo State (California Department of Parks and Recreation) One of the largest mainland breeding grounds for the northern elephant seal. Anza-Borrego Desert Imperial, Riverside, San Diego State (California Department of Parks and Recreation) The largest desert state park in the nation. Audubon Canyon Marin Private The largest known nesting area for great blue herons and great and snowy egrets on the Pacific Coast. Black Chasm Cave Amador Private A small three-level cave containing a variety of speleothems and some of the best helictite formations in the western U.S. Burney Falls Shasta State (California Department of Parks and Recreation) Contains some of the best examples in the western United States of a river drainage regulated by stratigraphically controlled springs. Cinder Cone Natural Area San Bernardino Federal (Mojave National Preserve) A complex of over 20 large cinder cones of recent origin with extensive and continuous lava flows. Cosumnes River Riparian Woodlands Sacramento Private, Federal, State, and County A small remnant of a rapidly-disappearing riparian woodland community type that once formed a major part of the central valley. Deep Springs Marsh Inyo Private An example of increasingly rare desert marsh. Dixon Vernal Pools Solano Private The best example of valley needlegrass grassland in the central valley. Elder Creek Mendocino State (University of California Natural Reserve System) A largely undisturbed watershed containing large old stands of Douglas fir, broadleaf evergreens, and deciduous trees. Emerald Bay El Dorado State (California Department of Parks and Recreation) An outstanding example of glacial geology. Eureka Dunes Inyo Federal (Death Valley National Park) The tallest dune complex in the Great Basin. Fish Slough Area of Critical Environmental Concern Inyo, Mono Mixed- federal (Bureau of Land Management), state, municipal A large, essentially undisturbed, desert wetland that provides habitat for the alkali mariposa lily and the endangered Owens pupfish. Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes San Luis Obispo Mixed- federal (Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge), state, private A coastal dune tract with off-road vehicle recreation, a national wildlife refuge, beaches, and nesting for the western snowy plover. Imperial Sand Hills Imperial Federal (Bureau of Land Management) One of the largest dune patches in the United States. Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks Orange Mixed- state, county, municipal A remarkably complete stratigraphic succession ranging in age from late Cretaceous to the present. Lake Shasta Caverns Shasta Private A well-decorated Solutional cave that contains a diverse assemblage of calcite cave formations.Lanphere Dunes and Ma-le'l Dunes2021HumboldtFederal (Bureau of Land Management, Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge)Considered to be the largest and best quality sand dune ecosystems representing coastal dunes in the area. Miramar Mounds San Diego Federal (Marine Corps Air Station Miramar) Contains unique soil features called mima mounds, which are found in only three or four locations in the country, and vernal pools. Mitchell Caverns and Winding Stair Cave San Bernardino State (California Department of Parks and Recreation) Regarded as the most important solution caverns in the Mojave Desert. Mt. Diablo State Park Contra Costa State (California Department of Parks and Recreation) One of the few areas in the region where geologic strata of Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Tertiary age can be seen in an aggregate thickness of . Mount Shasta Siskiyou Federal (Shasta-Trinity National Forest) One of the world's largest and most impressive stratovolcanoes, within the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Pixley Vernal Pools Tulare Private One of the few remaining natural vernal pools containing rare endemic crustacean species such as vernal pool fairy shrimp. Point Lobos Monterey State (California Department of Parks and Recreation) An outstanding example of terrestrial and marine environments in close association, and the only known habitat of Monterey cypress and variegated brodiaea. Pygmy Forest at Jug Handle State Natural Reserve Mendocino State (California Department of Parks and Recreation) Includes a five step ecological staircase on which a unique forest of low, stunted trees and shrubs is located. Rainbow Basin San Bernardino Federal (Bureau of Land Management) Deep erosion canyons with rugged rims with fossil evidence of insects and Miocene mammals. La Brea Tar Pits (Rancho La Brea) Los Angeles Municipal (City of Los Angeles) Site of the world-famous natural asphalt tar pits. San Andreas Fault San Benito Private One of the best illustrations of earth displacement caused by small crustal movements. San Felipe Creek Area Imperial, San Diego Federal (Bureau of Land Management), state (California Department of Fish and Wildlife) A marsh containing probably the last remaining perennial natural desert stream in the Colorado Desert region. Sand Ridge Wildflower Preserve Kern Private A remnant natural area displaying a great diversity of floral species including the Bakersfield cactus. Sharktooth Hill Kern Private One of the most abundant, diverse and well- preserved fossil marine vertebrate sites in the world. Tijuana River Estuary San Diego Federal (Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve), state, municipal One of the finest remaining saltwater marshes on the California coastline. Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve San Diego State (California Department of Parks and Recreation) Contains a natural Torrey pine forest, high bluffs and sea cliffs, and endangered bird species. Trona Pinnacles San Bernardino Federal (Bureau of Land Management) A relict landform from the Pleistocene containing unique formations of calcium carbonate. Turtle Mountain San Bernardino Federal (Bureau of Land Management), state Contains two mountain sections of entirely different composition.

See also

List of National Historic Landmarks in California

References