When most people first think about California tourist attractions, they think of the popular destinations like Disneyland, Universal Studios, Sea World and Magic Mountain all located near Los Angeles, or The Golden Gate Bridge and Fisherman's Warf in San Francisco, or maybe the famous San Diego Zoo, home to many of the worlds most rare and exotic animals and plants.

California has though a lot more to offer its visitors than man made attractions. The coastline of California extends from the soft, sandy, tropical beaches of San Diego, near the Mexican border, to the rugged northern coasts near Oregon. The southern parts of California attract many tourists to its palm shaded beaches. As you go further north, the coastline becomes more scenic. In northern California, hiking along rocky cliffs and visiting secluded beaches to see seals, sea otters or whales are more popular than swimming.

The Sierra Nevada Mountain Range forms a 650 km. (400 miles) long north-south wall of snow-capped peaks approximately 160 km. (100 miles) east of the Pacific shoreline. Much of the mountainous area is preserved as natural wilderness with few roads and limited access. From Bakersfield, just east of Los Angeles, to Yosemit, nearly 300 km. (200 miles) north, there is no road traversing this range east to west. When you approache the mointains from the west you will go through 80 km. (50 miles) of escalating hills and forested slopes before you reach the snow capped ridges. From the east, the snow capped peaks rise almost directly from the floor of the desert to form a spectacular wall of granite extending from horizon to horizon.

A narrow strip of California lies east of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. Here begins the barren Basin and Range Country that extend through the state of Nevada. It includes the vast wasteland of the Mojave Desert and the beauty of Death Valley.