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Visit Ventura, California

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Although Gaspar de Portolá reached what is now Ventura County in 1769, it was 13 years before a mission was founded. Father Junípero Serra established Mission San Buenaventura, his last mission, in 1782. After the secularization of the mission's lands in 1834, adobe houses were built near the mission site by Spanish and Mexican settlers. By the 1860s Americans and Europeans began arriving, and by the time the railroad arrived in 1887, San Buenaventura—by now shortened to just Ventura—was a prosperous community of houses, stores, industries, a school and churches.

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Ventura Beach Marriott

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Hyatt Regency Westlake

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Homewood Suites by Hilton Agoura Hills

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The Steward, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel

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TownePlace Suites by Marriott Thousand Oaks Agoura Hills

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Sandbourne Santa Monica, Autograph Collection

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The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara

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Residence Inn by Marriott Santa Clarita Valencia

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Mar Monte Hotel - The Unbound Collection by Hyatt

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The Leta Santa Barbara Goleta, Tapestry Collection by Hilton

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EDITOR PICK9 Beautiful Beach CampsitesAAA Travel Editor, Sherry Mims06/27/2023 : Try beach camping for outdoor adventure!9 Beautiful Beach Campsites
ARTICLEVentura Although Gaspar de Portolá reached what is now Ventura County in 1769, it was 13 years before a mission was founded. Father Junípero Serra established Mission San Buenaventura, his last mission, in 1782. After the secularization of the mission's lands in 1834, adobe houses were built near the mission site by Spanish and Mexican settlers. By the 1860s Americans and Europeans began arriving, and by the time the railroad arrived in 1887, San Buenaventura—by now shortened to just Ventura—was a prosperous community of houses, stores, industries, a school and churches.Ventura
NATIONAL PARKAngeles National Forest Rising above the northern rim of the Los Angeles Basin, the Angeles National Forest covers more than 650,000 acres of the rugged San Gabriel Mountains, which in 1894 famed naturalist John Muir described as “one vast bee-pasture, a rolling wilderness of honey-bloom…” The forest encompasses terrain ranging from rugged, arid desert on the north slope to heavily timbered high mountain ridges and meadows.Angeles National Forest
NATIONAL PARKCalifornia Coastal National Monument Consisting of thousands of islands, rocks, exposed reefs and pinnacles extending up to 12 miles out from the shore off California's entire 1,100-mile coastline, California Coastal National Monument was established to preserve these uninhabited outcroppings.California Coastal National Monument
NATIONAL PARKChannel Islands National Park Access to the Channel Islands can be arranged at locations in Oxnard, Ventura and Santa Barbara. Of the eight islands in Southern California's Channel Islands group, Anacapa, San Miguel, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa constitute Channel Islands National Park. The ocean waters up to 6 miles offshore surrounding these five islands are protected as Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. San Miguel Island was an active bombing range from World War II through the 1970s.Channel Islands National Park
NATIONAL PARKCleveland National Forest Divided among three separate areas in San Diego, Orange and Riverside counties, Cleveland National Forest covers more than 460,000 acres in Southern California. These areas include chaparral and conifer woodlands and offer many recreational opportunities, the most popular of which are camping and hiking.Cleveland National Forest
NATIONAL PARKDeath Valley National Park Mankind's marks on the desert are limited. The park boundaries encompass the route of the Jayhawkers Trail taken from Utah's Great Salt Lake in 1849; the route taken by the Darwin-French party in 1860; the first mine worked in the region; several beehive charcoal kilns; and the ghost town site of Skidoo.Death Valley National Park
NATIONAL PARKDevils Postpile National Monument Near Mammoth Lakes and surrounded by Inyo National Forest, Devils Postpile National Monument lies at an elevation of 7,560 feet in the eastern Sierra Nevada. The highlight of this 800-acre monument is a sheer wall of symmetrical basaltic columns more than 60 feet high. The formation is a remnant of a basalt flow worn smooth on top by glacial action. A trail leads to the top where the surface resembles a tile inlay.Devils Postpile National Monument
NATIONAL PARKInyo National Forest Inyo National Forest parallels US 6 and US 395 for 165 miles between the eastern California towns of Inyokern and Lee Vining. The forest contains Inyo National Forest
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