Best National Monuments Near Los Angeles
Like all National Parks, National Monuments are designated as protected. This happens when a proclamation comes down from a sitting President of the United States. The first such outpost, Devils Tower in Wyoming, was appointed by Teddy Roosevelt when he was in office. That said, today, dozens of magnificent and historically significant places in our nation have been given this sterling status, with California standing as one of the states grabbing the most attention. So, consider the following five National Monuments convenient to the City of Angels in the Golden State and well worth discovering by locals and visitors alike.
Cabrillo National Monument
1800 Cabrillo Memorial Drive
San Diego, CA 92106
(619) 557-5450
www.nps.gov
Every California school kid learns about the landing of explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo at San Diego Bay on Sept. 28, 1542. Not only that, but some of these children are lucky enough to take field trips to the place where the first European set foot on Western United States soil. On this very spot, a commanding statue of Cabrillo stands. Nearby, the Old Point Loma Lighthouse watches over all that goes on here. If you go, be ready to hike the two-mile bayside trail where you'll encounter the last of the world's coastal sage scrub habitats. Another trail, called the Coastal Tidepool Trail, will take you to a rocky intertidal area, a special ecosystem vital to life today in California.
San Gabriel Mountains National Monument
www.fs.fed.us
Some 554 square miles of Los Angeles county's most diverse terrain, including parts of the Angeles National Forest and the San Bernardino National Forest, was made into a national monument by President Barack Obama on Oct. 10, 2014. Because of that, Angelenos can rock out for a lifetime at this ancient outpost that includes all kinds of streams and hiking trails for these adventurous residents to enjoy right at their own back door. Mount Wilson Observatory and the San Dimas Experimental Forest are also part of this protected parcel where scientific discoveries are continuously being made. In addition, the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument boasts more than 600 archeological sites as well as the remains of the Mount Lowe Railway.
Santa Rosa And San Jacinto Mountains National Monument
51-500 Highway 74
Palm Desert, CA 92260
(760) 862-9984
www.blm.gov.
Covering a massive amount of terrain in the northernmost part of the Penninsular Ranges, this 438-square-mile monument, which started out as protected lands in the later part of the 1800s, came into its current status in October of 2000. Straddling Riverside County about two and a half hours from downtown Los Angeles, this haven located in both the San Bernardino National Forest and the California Desert Conservation Area is home to a lot of flora and fauna, including Canterberry bells, Desert Star and the endangered Penninsular bighorn sheep. If you visit, be sure to pencil in a stop at the Martinez Canyon Rockhouse, a prominent outpost listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Related: Best Activities You Wouldn't Think To Do In Los Angeles
Cesar E. Chavez National Monument
Keene, CA 93531
(661) 823-6134
www.nps.gov
When César Chávez established the United Farm Workers of America (UFW) main outpost at Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz, located in the Tehachapi Mountains of Kern County, the labor leader and civil rights activist called these headquarters La Paz. That was in 1972. Chavez lived on these 187 acres just north of Keene, California, for two decades. Now, after President Barack Obama issued his proclamation, some 26 buildings and structures, the César Chávez Memorial Garden and the leader's grave site are part of this protected area.
Devils Postpile
Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
(760) 934-2289
www.nps.gov
A rare natural formation made of columnar basalt that came about due to the cooling of ancient lava flow, the Devils Postpile National Monument - which also includes the inspiring Rainbow Falls - was once part of Yosemite National Park. Located at majestic Mammorth Lakes some four hours from Los Angeles, Devils Postpile eroded into the beautiful geographic splendor witnessed today. Straight hexagonal columns were hidden for thousands of years until melting glaciers gave way to this weird and wonderful site, a main attraction in this part of the Golden State. Wildlife galore calls this national monument home, among them the black bear, pine martens, mule deer and packs of howling coyotes.
