California Vacation Activities

With a northwest to southeast orientation, California has a length spanning 800 miles and a width of 550 miles. Just less than 160,000 square miles of total land area, California offers a wide range of climates and terrain. Temperatures have been recorded ranging from minus 45° (F) to 134° (F). Annual precipitation has varied from 161 inches in one locale to another location having gone more than a year with no measureable rain. From sea level along the coast, mountains spurt up to elevations of several thousand feet. Within this single State, streams, rivers, lakes, ocean, mountains, valleys, canyons and deserts co-exist. Such variations translate into limitless opportunities for diverse activities. 

For the water-lover, freshwater streams, rivers, and lakes provide vacation opportunities for whitewater rafting, fishing, boating, swimming, and waterskiing, to name a few activities. The Pacific Ocean allows the occasion to surf, sail, dive, snorkel, go on a harbor cruise, take a sunset walk on the beach, sunbathe, and build a sandcastle. 

For the land-lover, downhill and cross-country skiing, tobogganing, playing in the snow, hiking, camping, biking, rock climbing, horseback riding, and driving an ATV are activities that can all be experienced by visits to the mountains, valleys, canyons and/or deserts. If catching some air is on your agenda, visiting an amusement park, riding in a hot air balloon, parachuting, and skateboarding may be more to your liking. For the milder-paced enthusiast, zoos, aquariums, museums, historical missions, world-class shopping and dining, art shows, county fairs, and festivals abound. You just might even want to sit back and enjoy a professional concert, musical, opera, play, or sporting event. Regardless of your expectations, California will meet and exceed them.