The Central Valley could soon be home to three new state parks, in what officials say is the largest expansion of California’s state park system in decades.
The proposed parks – Feather River Park in Yuba County, the San Joaquin River Parkway near Fresno, and Dust Bowl Camp in Bakersfield – would serve historically park-poor communities with recreation and historic preservation.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced the plan on the banks of the San Joaquin River on Earth Day Wednesday. If approved, the new parks would bring California’s total to 283, far more than any other state.
California also expanded three existing parks in Mendocino, Nevada and San Mateo counties, state officials said.
Unlike national parks like Yosemite, which are managed by the federal government, state parks are overseen by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, also known as California State Parks. These include beloved destinations like Malibu Creek State Park, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, and Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
The largest of the proposed parks, Olivehurst, spans nearly 2,000 acres along the Feather River in Yuba County. It will be Yuba County’s first state park, complete with a boat launch and riverside beach, as well as a floodplain designed to take water in high-flow years.
The San Joaquin River Parkway in Fresno and Madera counties will connect various properties into an 874-acre state park directly upstream from downtown Fresno, with parkland on both sides of the river. Officials said it will complement the surrounding Millerton Lake State Recreation Area, To create a “Water Recreation Centre” in the rapidly growing area.
In Bakersfield, Kern County, the proposed Dust Bowl Camp would mark California history on the site of the Sunset Migrant Labor Camp, one of the first camps established by the federal Farm Security Administration to house farmworkers who came to California during the Dust Bowl. Migrant workers played a profound role in shaping the economy, culture, and identity of the Central Valley.
The San Joaquin River Parkway will be part of a new “water recreation center” in the rapidly growing Fresno area, officials said.
(California State Park)
State officials said the nearly two-acre park will be the first to directly highlight the Dust Bowl and migrant farm camps of the Great Depression. It is home to several historic structures that are among the last remaining migrant camp buildings from the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s and 40s in California. Also known as Weedpatch Camp, the site is on the National Register of Historic Places and inspired parts of John Steinbeck’s novel “The Grapes of Wrath.”
Wednesday’s announcement is part of a new initiative called State Park AheadWhich wants to rapidly expand California’s 1.6 million acre state park system. This begins the planning and acquisition process for three new parks, which are publicly held and could be acquired at little or no cost to the state, officials said.
The last new state park, 1,600-acre Dos Rios State Park near Modesto, was added for the first time in a decade when it opened in 2024. A decade earlier, in 2012, the parks department was embroiled in scandal when officials threatened to close 70 state parks due to a lack of funding unless hidden reserves of $54 million were disclosed.
California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot said Wednesday’s announcement is based on California 30×30 planWhich seeks to conserve 30% of the state’s land and coastal waters by the end of the decade. The state has so far achieved about 26% of its land target and 22% of its marine target.
“California’s state parks are nothing short of iconic – with places like Big Sur, Southern California beaches and the tallest trees in the world – but our state has so much more,” Crowfoot said. “Now through State Parks Forward, we are bringing more parks to more places – especially in the Central Valley, a beautiful region that has often been overlooked for new parks – while also making significant progress toward conserving 30% of our lands by 2030.”
The initiative also includes a plan to expand existing state parks by 30,000 acres by the end of the decade, based on recent legislation. senate bill 630 And Assembly Bill 679Streamlining the procurement process for sensitive ecosystems and critical wildlife habitat corridors adjacent to existing parks.
Those expansions include 453 acres recently added to Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve in Mendocino County, 218 acres to South Yuba River State Park in Nevada County and 133 acres to Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park in San Mateo County, also announced Wednesday.
Feather River Park will be Yuba County’s first state park.
(California State Park)
Newsom used the opportunity to compare California’s efforts to those of the Trump administration, which has worked to limit protections for national parks and forests. Last year, the President ordered the U.S. Forest Service to open nearly 112 million acres of national forestland to logging — including all 18 of California’s national forests — and rescinded the 2001 “roadless rule” that had established protections for 58.5 million acres of wilderness areas across the United States.
The President has also proposed cutting National Park Service funding and pushed to expand oil, gas and mineral development on federal lands, among other efforts.
“As Trump sells off America’s national parks, California is doubling down on protecting the Golden State’s natural beauty,” Newsom said. “Today, through the State Parks Forward initiative, we are expanding our park system with three new state parks, creating new outdoor recreation opportunities for Central Valley communities, and deepening our conservation commitments and preserving our lands for future generations of Californians.”
The Parks Department will immediately begin a public engagement process for all three new parks to hear directly from surrounding communities and stakeholders. The timing of final approval of each park has not yet been determined.
