According to the California Protected Areas Database (CPAD), in the state of California, United States, there are over 14,000 inventoried protected areas administered by public agencies and non-profits. In addition, there are private conservation areas and other easements.^[1] They include almost one-third of California's scenic coastline, including coastal wetlands, estuaries, beaches, and dune systems. The California State Parks system alone has 270 units and covers 1.3 million acres (5,300 km²), with over 280 miles (450 km) of coastline, 625 miles (1,006 km) of lake and river frontage, nearly 18,000 campsites, and 3,000 miles (5,000 km) of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails.

Obtaining an accurate total of all protected land in California and elsewhere is a complex task. Many parcels have inholdings, private lands within the protected areas, which may or may not be accounted for when calculating total area. Also, occasionally one parcel of land is included in two or more inventories. Over 90% of Yosemite National Park for example, is listed both as wilderness by the National Wilderness Preservation System, and as national park land by the National Park Service. The Cosumnes River Preserve is an extreme example, owned and managed by a handful of public agencies and private landowners, including the Bureau of Land Management, the County of Sacramento and The Nature Conservancy. Despite the difficulties, the CPAD gives the total area of protected land at 49,294,000 acres (199,490 km²), or 47.05% of the state (not including easements); a considerable amount for the most populous state in the country.

National Park System

The U.S. National Park System controls a large and diverse group of California parks, monuments, recreation areas and other units which in total exceed 6,240,000 acres (25,300 km²).^[2] The best known is Yosemite National Park, noted for several iconic natural features including Yosemite Falls, El Capitan and Half Dome, which is displayed on the reverse side of the California state quarter. Other prominent parks are the Kings Canyon-Sequoia National Park complex, Redwood National Park, Channel Islands National Park, Joshua Tree National Park and the largest, Death Valley National Park. The NPS also administers the Manzanar National Historic Site in Inyo County.

National parks[edit] Main article: National parks in California Channel Islands National Park Death Valley National Park Joshua Tree National Park Kings Canyon National Park Lassen Volcanic National Park Pinnacles National Park Redwood National Park Sequoia National Park Yosemite National Park
National monuments[edit] (administered by the NPS) Cabrillo National Monument Castle Mountains National Monument César E. Chávez National Monument Devils Postpile National Monument Lava Beds National Monument Muir Woods National Monument Mojave Trails National Monument San Gabriel Mountains National Monument Sand to Snow National Monument World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument
National recreation areas[edit] Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Whiskeytown National Recreation Area Golden Gate National Recreation Area
National seashores[edit] Point Reyes National Seashore
National preserves[edit] Mojave National Preserve

National Landscape Conservation System

The Bureau of Land Management’s National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) includes over 850 federally recognized areas and in California, manages 15,500,000 acres (63,000 km²) of public lands, nearly 15% of the state's land area.^[3] The National Landscape Conservation System is composed of several types of units: national monuments (distinct from the same-named units within the National Park System), national conservation areas, forest reserves, outstanding natural areas, national scenic and historic trails, wilderness, wilderness study areas, and others.

National monuments[edit] (administered by the BLM) Berryessa Snow Mountain (also administered by the Mendocino National Forest) California Coastal Carrizo Plain Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains		National conservation areas[edit] California Desert King Range
Forest reserves[edit] Headwaters Forest		Outstanding natural areas[edit] Piedras Blancas Historic Light Station
National scenic and historic trails[edit] California National Historic Trail Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail Old Spanish National Historic Trail Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail		Wilderness and wilderness study areas[edit] Total BLM-managed wilderness land in California is 3,725,230 acres (15,075.5 km2).[4]

National Marine Sanctuaries

The National Marine Sanctuary System is managed by the Office of Marine Sanctuaries, of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
California has four of the thirteen U.S. National Marine Sanctuaries:

National Wildlife Refuges

National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is an extensive system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife and plants. Many of the state's refuges are important stops and destinations for millions of migrating birds along the Pacific Flyway corridor. One, the Butte Sink Wildlife Management Area, has the highest density of waterfowl in the world.^[6] There are 38 units in the refuge system in California, including both wildlife refuges and wildlife management areas, divided into 9 different regional areas. Combined the areas equal about 440,000 acres (1,800 km²).

Hopper Mountain NWR Complex[edit] Bitter Creek NWR Blue Ridge NWR Hopper Mountain NWR Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes NWR		San Diego NWR Complex[edit] San Diego NWR San Diego Bay NWR Seal Beach NWR Sweetwater Marsh NWR Tijuana Slough NWR
Humboldt Bay NWR Complex[edit] Humboldt Bay NWR Castle Rock NWR		San Francisco Bay NWR Complex[edit] Antioch Dunes NWR Don Edwards San Francisco Bay NWR Ellicott Slough NWR Farallon NWR Marin Islands NWR Salinas River NWR San Pablo Bay NWR
Kern NWR Complex[edit] Kern NWR Pixley NWR		San Luis NWR Complex[edit] Grasslands WMA Merced NWR San Joaquin River NWR San Luis NWR
Klamath Basin NWR Complex[edit] Clear Lake NWR Lower Klamath NWR Tule Lake NWR		Sonny Bono Salton Sea NWR Complex[edit] Sonny Bono Salton Sea NWR Coachella Valley NWR
Sacramento NWR Complex[edit] Butte Sink WMA Colusa NWR Delevan NWR North Central Valley WMA Sacramento NWR Sacramento River NWR Sutter NWR Willow Creek-Lurline WMA		Other refuges[edit] Modoc NWR

Wild and Scenic rivers

Rivers designated as Wild and Scenic are administered by one of four federal land management agencies: The Bureau of Land Management, The National Park Service, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or The U.S. Forest Service.^[7] There are 22 rivers in California with portions designated as Wild and Scenic, with 23 designations in all (the American River has two separate designations, one for the North Fork, and one for the Lower section).^[8] Listed in miles.

National Wilderness Preservation System

There are 149 wilderness areas in California totaling just over 15,000,000 acres (61,000 km2).[9] The largest is Death Valley Wilderness at 3,055,413 acres (12,364.82 km2), the largest federally designated wilderness in the continental United States, and the smallest is the Rocks and Islands Wilderness at 19 acres (77,000 m2). The wilderness areas are managed by the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. Rarely, if ever, are designated wilderness areas stand alone protected areas, and thus their areas are, in all likelihood, already accounted for in the various agencies' inventories.

National Forests

California has 17 U.S. National Forests, one special management unit (Lake Tahoe) and parts of 3 other National Forests. Total combined area of the forests is 20,061,888 acres (81,187.58 km²) and covers over 19% of the state. The largest forest entirely within the state is Shasta-Trinity National Forest, at 2,209,832 acres (8,942.87 km²), the smallest is Cleveland National Forest at 460,000 acres (1,900 km²). The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is not precisely a national forest in the conventional sense. Instead the Forest Service manages the land with particular attention paid to Lake Tahoe and its relationship with the forests surrounding it, with emphasis on erosion control management and watershed restoration, among other more conventional forest management activities. It is the smallest of the Forest Service units in California, with 191,000 acres (770 km²) in its jurisdiction split between California and Nevada.

State Forests

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) operates eight Demonstration State Forests totaling 71,000 acres. The forests represent the most common forest types in the state. The State Forests grow approximately 75 million board feet of timber annually and harvest an average of 30 million board feet each year, enough to build 3,000 single-family homes. Revenue from these harvests fund the management of the State Forests. In addition, the forests provide research and demonstration opportunities for natural resource management, while providing public recreation opportunities, fish and wildlife habitat, and watershed protection. Activities include: experimental timber harvesting techniques, watershed restoration, mushroom collecting, hunting, firewood gathering, cone collecting for seed, a variety of university research projects, horseback riding, camping, mountain biking, and hiking.^[10]

State parks

The California Department of Parks and Recreation maintains over 270 protected areas, which include almost one-third of California's scenic coastline, including coastal wetlands, estuaries, beaches, and dune systems. The state parks system covers 1.3 million acres (5,300 km2), with over 280 miles (450 km) of coastline, 625 miles (1,006 km) of lake and river frontage, nearly 18,000 campsites; and 3,000 miles (5,000 km) of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails.[11] The largest is Anza-Borrego State Park at 600,000 acres (2,400 km2), making it one of the largest state parks in the country. The smallest, Watts Towers, owned by the State Park system but managed by the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department,[12] is a mere 0.1-acre (400 m2).

State wilderness areas

Boney Mountain State Wilderness Area Mount San Jacinto State Wilderness Murrelet State Wilderness, part of Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park[13] Orestimba State Wilderness, officially called the Henry W. Coe State Wilderness Santa Rosa Mountains State Wilderness Sinkyone Wilderness State Park West Waddell Creek State Wilderness Area, a 5,900 acres (24 km2) section of Big Basin State Park Additionally, 386,000 acres (1,560 km2) of Anza-Borrego State Park have been designated as wilderness.[14]

Department of Fish and Wildlife Protected Areas

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW), through its seven regional divisions,[15] manages more than 700 protected areas statewide, totaling 1,177,180 acres (4,763.9 km2).[16] They are broadly categorized as: 110 wildlife areas,[17] designed to give the public easier access to wildlife while preserving habitats. 135 ecological reserves,[18] which protect rare terrestrial and ocean species and habitats. 319 undesignated lands. 108 public access lands. 21 fish hatcheries. 37 miscellaneous lands.

Municipal parks

Most cities and counties in California, as in elsewhere, own and operate open spaces of various types, the most recognizable being the city and county park. By far the largest inventory of protected land held by a municipal agency belongs to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, with just over 400,000 acres (1,600 km2) in its jurisdiction.[19] The largest city park in the state is Mission Trails Regional Park in San Diego at 5,800 acres (23 km2), although there are several county and regional parks that are larger. Total land owned by municipal agencies is roughly 1,500,000 acres (6,100 km2) acres.

Privately owned preserves

In addition to the many public lands are about 550,000 acres (2,200 km2) of privately owned preserves. The Wildlands Conservancy is the largest owner of protected lands with 180,686 acres (731.21 km2). The Nature Conservancy has been involved in over 100 projects in the state since 1958.[20] Many are eventually transferred to public agencies, but the Conservancy still owns and maintains several substantial preserves, including the Gray Davis/Dye Creek Preserve, Vina Plains Preserve, McCloud River Preserve, Cosumnes River Preserve, Santa Cruz Island, Irvine Ranch Wildlands and the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve. The largest private preserve is the 93,000 acres (380 km2) Wind Wolves Preserve owned by the aforementioned Wildlands Conservancy.[21] In total, there are many dozens of land trust and conservation organizations active in California, with thousands of acres preserved on public and private lands through their efforts.[22] A few that operate entirely or substantially in the state are the Peninsula Open Space Trust, the Northern Sierra Partnership, the Sempervirens Fund, the Sacramento Valley Conservancy and the Wilderness Land Trust.

Largest land owners of protected lands

The 20 largest landholders, according to the CPAD 2018a Statistics Report: