The U.S. State With The Most National Forests Feels Like A Real-Life Postcard

Most Americans are familiar with our national parks and the wide range of landscapes and climates they showcase, but national forests often get less time in the spotlight. These government-protected lands are often just as picturesque as the stunning national parks. And the best part: They're more accessible for more people, as there are 154 national forests across the country compared to 63 national parks. 

When it comes to national forests, just like with national parks, California reigns supreme. The Golden State boasts the most national forests of any state in the country with 20 overall, including two that bleed into Nevada and Oregon. Alaska might have the country's largest national forests, and Maine might have the most forest cover in the country, but California has the most individual national forests one can visit. 

Don't expect them all to look the same, either. Like California itself, the forests vary in backdrop from dry landscapes to chilly mountain ranges topped with snow. Depending on where in the state you're visiting and what you're looking for, chances are you'll be able to find the national forest for you within arm's reach.

Northern California is home to most of the state's national forests, though they're not exactly a hop, skip, and a jump away from San Francisco. East of the Central Valley, you'll find a string of national forests that each showcase different plant species. Sequoia National Forest, for example, boasts majestic giant sequoia trees that give it its name. Just a bit farther north, near the wildly underrated Kings Canyon National Park, you'll find Inyo National Forest. Here, you can't miss the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, home to Methuselah, the oldest living tree in the world at nearly 5,000 years old.

Nestled between Kings Canyon and Yosemite National Park is the mountainous Sierra National Forest, spanning 1.3 million acres of oak- and conifer-dotted hills and thickly forested alpine slopes. North of that is Stanislaus National Forest, a perfect choice for the holiday lover in your family; at Stanislaus, you can cut down and take home your own Christmas tree — with a $10 permit, of course. Less than half an hour southwest of Lake Tahoe is Eldorado National Forest, while the aptly named Tahoe National Forest is a two-hour drive north. Meanwhile, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, the largest national forest in the Lower 48, straddles the California–Nevada border.

North of San Francisco, you'll similarly find several national forests clustered up against each other, such as Mendocino, Shasta-Trinity, Six Rivers, and Klamath National Forests. Plumas National Forest, an ideal destination for fall foliage views, lies two hours north of Tahoe National Forest, while Lassen National Forest is about two hours north of that. Keep going north and you'll hit Modoc National Forest. And if you get to California's northern border with Oregon, you'll be able to explore portions of Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. 

It shouldn't come as a surprise that temperate Central and Northern California have more national forests than Southern California, but that doesn't mean SoCal is all deserts and rocks. Take Angeles National Forest, for example, located just north of Los Angeles. Referred to as LA's "backyard playground," Angeles National Forest has plenty of sights and rewarding waterfall trails and spans about 700,000 acres of terrain from desert-like chaparral at lower altitudes to forested mountainsides at higher altitudes. 

San Bernardino National Forest might be farther east of LA — closer to southeast California's desert landscapes — but while it has a desert floor, there are also breathtaking mountain peaks like the towering Mount San Jacinto. Prefer to get away from arid terrain entirely? Northwest of LA, you'll find Los Padres National Forest, home to nearly 1.8 million acres of mountainous land spread across two sections: the larger mountainous area mostly in the coastal interior in the south and the otherworldly Big Sur Coast, one of California's (and the country's) most famed natural wonders, further north. 

If you're in the San Diego area, you won't need to trek all the way up north to the LA region to experience a national forest. Cleveland National Forest is east of the city in the transition zone between montane landscapes and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.