The Central Valley could soon be home to new state parks in what officials say is the biggest expansion of California’s state park system in decades.
The proposed parks — Feather River Park in Yuba County, San Joaquin River Parkway near Fresno, and Dust Bowl Camp in Bakersfield — would serve historically poor communities through recreation and historic preservation.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the program on Wednesday, Earth Day, on the banks of the San Joaquin River. If approved, the new parks will bring California’s total to 283, more than any other state.
California is also expanding 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 managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, also known as California State Parks. It includes popular sites like Malibu Creek State Park, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
The largest of the proposed parks, Feather River in Olivehurst, Yuba County, occupies nearly 2,000 acres along the Feather River. It would be the first state park in Yuba County, complete with a boat launch and beach on the river, and a floodplain designed to capture water in years of high flow.
The San Joaquin River Parkway in Fresno and Madera counties will join various properties into an 874-acre state park directly upriver from downtown Fresno, with parkland on both sides of the river. Officials said it will be compatible with nearby ones Millerton Lake State Recreation Area, creating a “water recreation hub” in a rapidly growing area.
In Bakersfield, Kern County, the proposed Dust Bowl Camp would mark California history on the site of the Sunset Migratory Labor Camp, one of the first camps established by the federal Farm Security Administration to house farm workers who came to California during the Dust Bowl. Immigrant workers have played a major role in shaping the economy, culture and identity of the Central Valley.
Officials said the San Joaquin River Parkway will be part of a “water recreation hub” in the fast-growing Fresno area.
(California State Parks)
The nearly two-acre park will be the first to directly highlight the Dust Bowl and immigrant farm camps of the Great Depression, state officials said. It is home to several historic buildings that are among the last remaining structures of migrant camps from the 1930s and ’40s Dust Bowl era 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 Parks Forward, which aims to rapidly expand California’s 1.6 million-acre state park system. The process of planning and acquiring three new parks, which are publicly maintained and can be obtained free of charge from the government, is starting, officials said.
The last new state park, the 1,600-acre Dos Rios State Park near Modesto, was the first to be added in a decade when it opened in 2024. Ten years earlier, in 2012, the department of parks was full of scandal when officials threatened to close 70 state parks due to lack of funds until a hidden stock of $ 54-million was revealed.
Wade Crowfoot, secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency, said Wednesday’s announcement builds on California’s 30×30 plan, which aims to save 30% of the state’s land and coastal waters by the end of this decade. The kingdom has achieved about 26% of its land target and 22% of its sea target so far.
“California’s state parks aren’t short — they have places like Big Sur, Southern California’s beaches and the world’s tallest trees — but our state has a lot to offer,” Crowfoot said. “Now with State Parks Forward, we’re bringing more parks to more places – especially in the Central Valley, a beautiful region often overlooked for new parks – while at the same time making significant progress to conserve 30% of our land by 2030.”
The plan also includes plans to expand existing state parks by 30,000 acres by the end of the decade, subject to the latest legislation, Senate Bill 630 again Assembly Bill 679simplifying the process of purchasing sensitive nature and important wildlife corridors along 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 the first state park in Yuba County.
(California State Parks)
Newsom used the opportunity to compare California’s efforts to the Trump administration, which has worked to protect national parks and forests. Last year, the president ordered the US Forest Service to open 112 million acres of national forest to logging — including all 18 national forests in California — and repealed the 2001 “No Road Act” that established protections for 58.5 million acres of wilderness across the United States.
The president also proposed cutting funding for the National Park Service and pushed for increased oil, gas and mineral development on state 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 parks program with three new state parks, creating new outdoor recreation opportunities for Central Valley communities, and deepening our commitment to conservation and preserving our lands for the benefit of generations of Californians.”
The parks department will immediately begin a public consultation process so that all three new parks can hear directly from the surrounding communities and stakeholders. The timing of final approval for each park is yet to be determined.
