Juniperus californica is a shrub or small tree reaching 3–8 meters (10–26 feet), but rarely up to 10 m (33 ft) tall.

The cones are berrylike, 7 to 13 mm (1⁄4 to 1⁄2 in) in diameter, blue-brown with a whitish waxy bloom, turning reddish-brown, and contain a single seed (rarely two or three).

[7][8] It is also found off of the North American continental shelf, on Guadalupe Island in the Pacific Ocean, where there are less than 10 individuals.

[citation needed] The species is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as least concern, and not considered globally threatened.

However, one of the southernmost populations, formerly on Guadalupe Island off the Baja California Peninsula coast, was almost destroyed by feral goats in the late 19th century, with only a few plants remaining.

However, as the species matures, it becomes too tall to provide adequate food and shelter for deer and other ground animals of similar size.