Seven California Parks to Visit This Spring

HOLLISTER — The road to Pacheco State Park begins in this old Central Coast cowboy town, famous for its apricot farms. There is still a barnlike saloon in the quaint downtown, and then the road begins to wind through fields of yellow blooms of wild mustard and lush, light green hills dotted with majestic, gnarled oak trees.

After a visitor crosses dozens of hand-painted wooden signs advertising fresh-picked cherries, avocados and garlic, a short climb reveals a gorgeous view: a vast expanse of lapping water tucked between the rolling hillsides — reminiscent of the Scottish countryside, but actually a park in the Golden State stretching across San Benito, Merced and Santa Clara Counties.

Pacheco is one of seven California state parks we recommend visiting this spring, beyond the usual well-trod destinations popular with wildflower seekers. The park offers 28 miles of trails for hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking through secluded meadows that feel far from city life, though only about a 30-minute drive off Highway 101. (If you do visit, you can also stop by San Juan Bautista, a rustic town home to the mission where Alfred Hitchcock filmed a famous scene in “Vertigo.”)

California has a whopping 280 state parks, covering more than a million acres, and the park system just started a digital passport to encourage people to try to visit every single one (weather permitting, of course). You can also check out free vehicle day-use passes for most California state parks from your local library.

Happy traveling.

Visit California’s railroad museum

Sacramento became the commercial center of California during the gold rush, and much of that history is preserved in Old Sacramento State Historic Park, a cluster of original and reconstructed buildings from that era. The highlight is the California State Railroad Museum, which features more than 20 restored locomotives and railroad cars, some of which date back more than 150 years. This time of year, you can ride along the Sacramento River in a train pulled by a historic steam or diesel locomotive to experience what rail travel was like back in the day.

A taste of California citrus

In Riverside, California Citrus State Historic Park showcases the history of the state’s citrus industry and the people who made it possible. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, orange groves spread across the Inland Empire, the Los Angeles region and the Central Valley, sometimes called California’s “second gold rush.” The park includes a museum on the citrus business, and you can take a self-guided tour through groves of navel and Valencia oranges, grapefruits and lemons.

Hikes with Southern California skies and ocean views

A beautiful beachside greensward, Point Mugu State Park in the Santa Monica Mountains is a popular hiking destination in the spring. The park has all sorts of terrain to explore on foot — river-carved canyons, oceanside bluffs, sycamore groves and more.

A pair of picturesque parks along the Mendocino Coast

Mendocino Headlands State Park is a 347-acre greenbelt between Highway 1 and the Pacific Ocean surrounding the picturesque village of Mendocino. There are miles of hiking trails through seaside bluffs and fern canyons, as well as access to Big River Beach, a gorgeous place to picnic or play in the water. A 20-minute drive north, MacKerricher State Park is a great destination for spotting seals, exploring tide pools and doing some bird watching.

Calming vistas and rolling hills

Though I spotted just a few clumps of purple wildflowers and tall stalks of orange blooms when I was there last month, Pacheco State Park in the spring can become a wildflower paradise, with yellow violets, larkspur and California poppies blanketing its rolling hillsides. When wildflowers bloom, the park typically offers guided walks highlighting its history and wildflower displays.

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Today’s tip comes from Valerie Wells, who recommends Bidwell Park in Chico, about 90 miles north of Sacramento. One of the largest municipal parks in the nation, “Bidwell Park is a wild refuge from the traffic and noise of the city,” she writes.

Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We’ll be sharing more in upcoming editions of the newsletter.