Red Rock Canyon State Park - California

Address:Hwy. 14
California City, California

Red Rock Canyon State Park is famous for its scenic desert cliffs and vivid rock formations, depicted in many movies, including "Jurassic Park." Once the home of the Kawaiisu Indians, the park still has petroglyphs in its El Paso Mountains, in addition to the spectacular multi-colored cliffs for which the park is known. Visitors are welcome to join nature hikes and campfire programs, as well as tour the park by car. There are picnic areas and hiking trails as well as exhibits - not to be missed. Open year round, Red Rock Canyon is a definite must-see.

Red Rock Canyon State Park features scenic desert cliffs, buttes and spectacular rock formations. The park is located where the southernmost tip of the Sierra Nevada converges with the El Paso Range. Each tributary canyon is unique, with dramatic shapes and vivid colors. Historically, the area was once home to the Kawaiisu Indians, who left petroglyphs in the El Paso mountains and other evidence of their inhabitation. The spectacular gash situated at the western edge of the El Paso mountain range was on the Native American trade route for thousands of years. During the early 1870s, the colorful rock formations in the park served as landmarks for 20-mule team freight wagons that stopped for water. About 1850, it was used by the footsore survivors of the famous Death Valley trek including members of the Arcane and Bennett families along with some of the Illinois Jayhawkers. The park now protects significant paleontology sites and the remains of 1890s-era mining operations, and has been the site of a number of movie shoots.