California's Golden Parks

First up in our new series is Big Basin Redwoods State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Established in 1902, it's actually California's oldest State Park and is celebrating its centennial this year. Home to the largest continuous stand of Coast Redwoods south of San Francisco, as well as numerous waterfalls, abundant wildlife, and incredible scenery - this is a trip you will not want to miss.

Located in Riverside, California, Citrus State Historic Park recaptures the days when "Citrus was King" in California. The design of the park is reminiscent of a 1900s city park and includes an activity center, amphitheater, interpretive structure and demonstration groves. The land within the park still continues to produce high-quality fruits, too.

Huell Howser travels to Weaverville Joss House Historic Park, home to a Taoist Temple of Worship and the oldest still-in-use Chinese Temple in California.

Shasta City is located six miles west of Redding. During the California gold rush it was the "Queen City" of California's northern mining district prospering from 1850-1890. Huell Howser visits Shasta State Historic Park, a reminder of the area's gold rush legacy with brick ruins of a once thriving gold rush shopping district and a courthouse museum filled with original artifacts from the era.

Huell goes National in this episode of California's Golden Parks as he visits Lassen Volcanic National Park. Lava flows, jagged craters and steaming sulphur vents make up some of Lassen's breathtaking landscape.

This California State Park's name means "Mountain of Gold" and comes from the golden wildflowers that bloom there in the spring. Located on the central coast near Morro Bay, Huell Howser discovers the park's boundless natural beauty which also includes rugged cliffs, secluded beaches, streams and canyons.

Huell Howser travels to Sutter's Fort State Historic Park in midtown Sacramento. The park marks the 1839 settlement that would become our state's capital, and play a major role in California history when gold was discovered nearby in 1848.

San Diego became California's first Spanish settlement when a mission and fort were established there in 1769. Old Town San Diego State Historic Park recreates life in the Mexican and early American periods of 1821 to 1872. Stroll along with Huell Howser through original adobes, San Diego's first newspaper office, mansions and a blacksmith shop.