By Hugo Martín

Coming up with a list of California's ultimate parks and wild places is like being asked to choose your favorite family member. Each one is special in his own way, even that annoying brother who still owes you $100. How can you pick?

With so many criteria to choose from, I settled on an unscientific measure I call the "wow factor." On my assignments covering the outdoors, here are places that stopped me in my tracks, left me dumbfounded and had me fumbling for my camera. I have visited only a tiny fraction of the nation's third-largest state, so I'm sure I missed many other "wow" places. Send your nominees to tellus@latimes.com.