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Most interesting
attractions and landmarks in
California
Gatis Pvils, 12 June 2012
No.33. http://www.wondermondo.com/California.htmImage: Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve.
Rennett Stowe, Flickr / CC BY 2.0
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Although California is one of states in the United States of America, Americans often compare it to aseparate country, e.g. if California would be a country, it
would have the eighth largest economy in the world. We
can go on with this comparison California has more
landmarks and attractions than many large countries of
the world.
Highlights of California are: Cliff formations and waterfalls inYosemite National Park are located some of the most
impressive cliff walls and waterfalls in the world, such as
the 1,444 m tall Half Dome or the 739 m tall Yosemite
Falls.
Unique ecosystems and giant trees California has the oldest, tallest and largest trees in the
world on in some places these trees form unique
forests. California has also some of the most spectacular
desert ecosystems.
Modern architecture California has beenone of the most affluent places in Earth for many
decades and thanks to the ambitions of californians
here have been created many spectacular and unusual
structures.
Devils Postpile a cliff of very well formed columnarbasalt. This cliff resembles a heap of vertically placed
piles.
El Capitan granite monolith with 900 m tall, vertical
wall. One of the most challenging climbing routes in the
world.
Half Dome granite dome rising 1,444 m tall above the
surroundings.
Kings Canyon up to 2,500 m deep canyon shaped by
glaciers in granite bedrock. Here is located Kings Gate
granite peak with nearly vertical, 610 m tall wall.
Tenaya Canyon deep, dramatic canyon.
Yosemite Falls, Upper Fall.BorisFromStockdale, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
One of the tallest waterfalls in North America isYosemite Falls. Total height of this waterfall is
739 m, but especially impressive is the tallest
cascade if this waterfall the whooping 436 m!
Wondermondo is unique project: it aims to describe the most interesting man made and natural attractions /
landmarks in the whole world.
Author of website www.wondermondo.com and each article in it is Gatis Pvils. Visit the site to find a lot more
information!
Half Dome.
docentjoyce, Flickr / CC BY 2.0
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Approximately 16 km long.
Trona Pinnacles group of more than 500 tufa spires rising from the bed of dry Searles Lake. Spires are up
to 43 m high.
Yosemite Valley up to 914 m deep, glacier carved cleft in granite rocks. Impressive landscape.
Bigfoot Cave enormous cave, 20 km long and up to 367 m deep. This cave is very challenging to its
explorers.
Black Chasm Cave this cave has unusual formations of helictites horizontally growing speleothems.
Crystal Cave this 4.7 km long cave is opened to tourists. Beautiful cave formations have been well
preserved.
Lilburn Cave the longest known cave in California,
34.6 km long.
Moaning Cavern cave with vertical entrance shaft.
Here have fallen and died prehistoric people and extinct
animals. Water drops create a moaning sound which is
heard outside the cave.
Ursa Minor recently discovered, beautiful cave. The
ceiling of the cave is sparkling due to millions of small
crystals. Cave is rich with rare speleothems several
metres long soda straws, cave pearls and others.
Bridalveil Falls 188 m tall, nearly vertical waterfall.
One of the most visited waterfalls in Yosemite NationalPark.
Burney Falls up to 40 m tall waterfall, created by
powerful springs and emanating from cliff wall. Springs
produce up to 4 m3 of water per second.
Horsetail Fall very tall, seasonal waterfall, which
once per year is illuminated by the sunset. Waterfall is
650 m tall, tallest cascade 480 m tall.
Nevada Fall mighty, 181 m tall waterfall on Merced
River.
Ribbon Fall tallest single-drop waterfall in North
America, 491 m tall.
Tueeulala Falls 270 m tall waterfall, tallest of the two drops is 180 m tall.
Vernal Fall 97 m tall, free falling waterfall on Merced River.
Waterwheel Fallslargest waterfall on Tuolumne Rover. This waterfall has a waterwheel effect where the
water hits the rock and is thrown up backwards. Some 110 m tall.
Yosemite Falls these falls are 739 metres high, have 7 drops and are 28 metres wide. One of the most
visited waterfalls in world. Tallest plunge is 436 m tall.
Horsetail Falls illuminated by the Sun.Rachel Chang, Flickr / CC BY 2.0
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Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve high
desert environment, area of the richest and most
consistent flowering of California poppy (Eschscholzia
californica Cham.).
Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest grove of Great
Basin Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva D.K.Bailey),
contains oldest known individual trees in the world,
more than 4,750 years old.
Bear Valley wildflower meadows one of the most
impressive spring wildflower displays in Northern
California, covered with millions of California poppies
and other flowers. Area more than 6,000 ha.
Carrizo Plain wildflower meadows some of the
largest and most impressive spring wildflower fields in
California, more than 1,000 km2 large. Diverse types of meadows, rare and endemic species of plants.
Giant Forest unique forest with stands of giant sequoia trees (Sequoiadendron giganteum (Lindl.)
J.Buchh.) the largest trees in world. This is the easiest to access sequoia grove but also contains the largest
trees five of the ten largest trees on Earth are located in this grove. Area 7.6 km2. In
California are located several more notable groves of
these giant trees.
Lost Horse Valley Joshua Tree National Park. Best
grove of Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia Engelm.)
visually impressive plant.
Mono Lake lake with alkaline water and
characteristic, eerie tufa towers. Lake has unusual, veryproductive ecosystem, which includes also the unique
bacteria GFAJ-1, which uses arsenic in its cellular
structure. Here live also other endemic species, e.g.
Mono Lake brine shrimp (Artemia monica). Paoha
island in the lake contains many hot springs and
fumaroles.
Redwood Mountain Grove the largest grove (1300
ha) of giant sequoia on Earth. Here grows also the tallest
giant sequoia in the world.
Boole Tree giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron
giganteum (Lindl.)) with the largest girth. Height 81.9
m, girth 34.8 m, volume 1,244 m3.
Devil's Canyon Colossus largest incense-cedar
(Calocedrus decurrens ((Torrey) Florin), volume 223 m3.
50.3 m high, diameter 3.78 m.
Dorrington sugar pine largest sugar pine (Pinus
lambertiana Douglas). Volume 255 m3, diameter 3.53 m,
height 66.1 m.
Boole Tree.Bradluke22, Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
Goldfields, Carrizo Plain wildflower meadows.Simon Sun, Flickr / CC BY 2.0
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General Grant giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum (Lindl.)), second largest tree in the world.
Height 81.5 m, girth 33.5 m, volume 1,357 m3. This beautiful tree is declared to be National Shrine, memorial
to those who died in war.
General Sherman giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum (Lindl.) J.Buchh.), the largest tree of the
world by volume.Volume 1,487 m3. Height 83.8 m, girth 33.0 m. Believed to be 2,300 2,700 years old.
Hyperion tallest known tree in world, coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl.). 115.61 m tall,
diameter 4.84 m. Contains 502 m3 of wood. In total more than 500 coast redwoods exceed height of 103 m.
Lost Monarch stoutest (also largest) coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl.) in the world.
Diameter 7.92 m. Volume 1,206 m3, Height 97.8 m.
Methuselah Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva D.K.Bailey). Oldest known individual tree in
world, 4,844 years old.
Raven's Tower reportedly tallest Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong) Carr.), 96.9 m high.
Tallest Giant Sequoia Redwood Mountain Grove. Tallest giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum
(Lindl.)), 94.9 m high.
The Chandelier Tree enormous coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl.) with large 1.83 x
2.64 m hole carved in 1930ies car can drive through it. Height of the tree 96 m.
Bumpass Hell geothermal field with hot springs, fumaroles, mud pots. Visually the most impressive
geothermal area near Lassen volcano.
La Brea tar pits site where in the tar have been preserved numerous extinct animals such as two species of
mammoth, sabre-toothed cats, American lions and many other.
Racetrack Playadry lake in Death Valley, where the sailing stones have left traces in the mud. Sto nes
are moved by wind in wet mud.
Blythe Intaglios large geoglyphs (gigantic figures on
flat surface). The largest geoglyph is 52 m long depiction
of a human. In this area are located several dozen such
figures and also a labyrinth Topock Maze. Age is
unknown.
Chumash Painted Cave small sandstone cave withred, white and black painting, which depicts the
cosmology of Chumash people. Age is unknown,
between 200 and 1000 years.
Little Petroglyph Canyon canyon with more than
20,000 petroglyphs, created by Coso people.
Petroglyph Point large sandstone outcropping
covered with one of the largest displays of native
American art in North America, with more than 5,000
carvings. This site is sacred to local Modoc people.
Chumash Painted Cave.Kristina D.C. Hoeppner, Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
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Bodie remarkably well preserved ghost town,
developed during the Californian gold rush in 1876.
Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo the oldest
stone building in California. This church was constructedin 1794 and is the second oldest operating cathedral in
United States.
Fort Ross former Russian fortress and village,
established 1812. It was the southernmost Russian
settlement in Americas, here has been reconstructed a
complex of traditional Russian wooden buildings.
Hotel del Coronado giant wooden building luxury
beachfront hotel. Constructed in 1888, when it was the
largest resort hotel in the world.
La Purissima the best preserved Spanish mission inCalifornia, with nine buildings. Established in 1787, after
an earthquake rebuilt in its current site in 1812.
Mission San Diego de Alcal first Franciscan mission in California, founded in 1769. Established by
Spaniards and long inhabited by Kumeyaay Indians.
Presidio of Santa Barbara this historical fortress includes El Cuartel one of the oldest buiuldings in
California, constructed by Spanish in 1782.
Eames House early example of modern architecture.
This private house was constructed in 1949, designed byits owners Charles and Ray Eames.
Golden Gate Bridge iconic bridge, one of the most
popular bridges in the world. This 2,737 m long
suspension bridge was constructed in 1933 1937.
Pylons are 227 m high, the span under the bridge is 67
m.
Hearst Castle one of most luxurious buildings in
United States, constructed for the newspaper magnate
William Randolph Hearst in 1919 1947. Contains huge
collection of art and antiques. Among the many
impressive parts of this complex well known is Neptune
Pool with Roman temple, brought from Europe.
Hollyhock House (Aline Barnsdall Complex) private
villa in Art Deco (Mayan Revival) style, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1919 1921. Also the
furniture is designed by Wright.
Hollywood Signone of American cultural icons, 14 m tall letters HOLLYWOOD. erected in 1923.
Mission Inn enormous hotel in Mission Revival Style, gradually extended in 1902 1935. The architecture
of this complex is diverse, eclectic and very lively and impressive.
Paramount Theatre large movie theater, built in Art Deco style in 1931.
San Francisco cable cars the last manually operated system of cable cars in the world. Development
started in 1873.
Church in Bodie ghost town.Don Graham, Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
Golden Gate Bridge.David Ohmer, Flickr / CC BY 2.0
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Stahl House No 22. masterpiece of minimalist design for private houses. Constructed in 1959, with its
architecture well ahead of the time.
Walt Disney Concert Hall concert hall with amazing architecture, built in 2003, designed by Frank
Gehry.