California is planning one of its largest state park expansions in decades, with three new parks proposed across the Central Valley and thousands of acres being added to existing parks.
According to California State Parks, the new State Parks Forward initiative would bring California’s state park total to 283. The plan includes new parks along the Feather River in Yuba County, the San Joaquin River near Fresno, and a historic Dust Bowl-era camp near Bakersfield. The state also plans to add 30,000 acres to existing parks by the end of the decade.
Three New Parks Planned for the Central Valley
The first is Feather River Park in Olivehurst, in Yuba County. The nearly 2,000-acre property sits along the Feather River and is expected to include river access, a boat launch, a riverside beach, restored habitat areas, and floodplain land designed to take on water during high-flow years. It would also become the first state park in Yuba County.
The second is San Joaquin River Parkway, which would join several public properties into an 874-acre state park in Fresno and Madera counties. The parkway sits immediately upriver from Fresno and already includes river access on both sides of the San Joaquin River. State officials say the new park would complement nearby Millerton Lake State Recreation Area and help create a larger water recreation hub in the region.
The third proposed park is Dust Bowl Camp near Bakersfield. The roughly 2-acre site is currently not open to the public but is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resources. Also known as the Sunset Migratory Labor Camp, it was one of the first federal camps built to house displaced farm workers who came to California during the Great Depression. The site also helped inspire John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath.
Existing Parks Are Also Growing
Work is also underway to expand existing parks through land donations and acquisitions. Recent additions include 453 acres at Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve in Mendocino County, 218 acres at South Yuba River State Park in Nevada County, and 133 acres at Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park in San Mateo County.
At Montgomery Woods, the added land includes second-growth redwood and oak woodlands. At South Yuba River State Park, the addition brings the Independence Trail fully into the park. At Pigeon Point, the new coastal acreage more than triples the park’s footprint and could help extend the California Coastal Trail through 1.5 miles of coastline.
The three new parks are still moving through the planning and acquisition process. California State Parks says it will begin public engagement and submit a visioning report this fall with recommendations and next steps.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.