Choose the wildest, most pristine spots and you will come up with a list of isolated areas that are virtually inaccessible.

Topography and geology make the choice even more difficult. California has 1,770 kilometers of coastline, a mountain range and one of the nation's largest expanses of forest land.

With so many to choose from, I settled on an unscientific measure I call the "wow factor" where places stopped me in my tracks and had me fumbling for my camera.

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

California's north-central coast is lush with redwoods, ferns and coastal live oaks, a heavenly stretch of shoreline that is home to great Big Sur and Point Lobos parks. But Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park has a serene and rugged feel that sets it apart from other nearby enclaves. These 1,450 hectares are in a redwood canyon that rises from the beach to about 457 meters. The cherry on top of this visual feast is the 25-meter McWay Waterfall, which crashes from a rocky cliff onto the sand in a wonderful, secluded cove. The park is 60 kilometers south of Carmel along California Highway 1.

Yosemite National Park

It can be crowded and noisy in the summer, but if you stay clear of the tourist-clogged Yosemite Village, you will see why John Muir, the father of America's environmental movement, said: "No temple made by hands can compare with Yosemite."

The real magic happens in the late afternoon, when the sun casts a violet glow on the iconic Half Dome and Bridal Veil Falls. Yosemite is about 130 kilometers east of Merced, along California Highway 140.

Point Reyes National Seashore

Once while wandering along the beach at this national seashore, I came across a herd of cattle strolling on the sand. Who can blame them? These 28,350 hectares on a peninsula north of San Francisco, shrouded in cool fog and blanketed by green grass, resemble a postcard of the rocky shores of Ireland. But it's the wildlife that sets Point Reyes apart: more than 1,000 species call the park home, including a menagerie of shorebirds and raptors. The park is about 50 kilometers from San Francisco along California 1.

Redwood National and State Parks

Want to put life and its annoying problems into perspective? Get lost in the land of the giants, home to some of the largest trees in the world. At Redwood National and State Parks, the union of three state parks and a national park near Orick, you'll feel you are a part of a bigger, more beautiful world inhabited by bear, elk, Steller's jays and banana slugs. The stars of these parks are the coastal redwoods that soar more than 110 meters into the sky and date to the days of Christ. The parks are along US 101, about 130 kilometers north of Eureka.

Joshua Tree National Park

Several California desert parks deserve inclusion, particularly Anza- Borrego Desert State Park, where spring wildflowers turn the parched badlands into a sea of color and life. But the surreal rock formations at Joshua Tree give it that added magical feel, particularly during a new moon, when the stars gleam like crushed diamonds on black velvet. And then you have the trees, which Mormon pioneers believed resembled the upstretched arms of Joshua leading them to the promised land. The park is 225 kilometers east of Los Angeles along Interstate 10.

John Muir Wilderness

For hikers, the John Muir Wilderness, southwest of Mammoth Lakes, has few equals. With 950 kilometers of trails, dozens of pristine lakes and the most spectacular peaks in the Sierra Nevada mountains, this wilderness area exemplifies the beauty its namesake so prized. The office to obtain permits to enter the wilderness is at 351 Pacu Lane, Bishop.

LOS ANGELES TIMES