California eyes three parks
- California announced plans for three proposed state parks, described as the state's biggest expansion in decades. - The proposed parks are Feather River (Yuba County), San Joaquin River Parkway (near Fresno), and Dust Bowl. - If approved, the additions would raise California’s total to 283 state parks, expanding protected public land. (latimes.com) (ktla.com)
California is moving to add three state parks in the Central Valley, the biggest expansion of its park system in decades. (gov.ca.gov) Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the plan on April 22, 2026, at the San Joaquin River near Fresno as part of a new initiative called State Parks Forward. If approved, the additions would raise California’s total to 283 state parks. (parks.ca.gov) The three proposed parks are Feather River in Yuba County, San Joaquin River Parkway near Fresno, and Dust Bowl Camp in Bakersfield. State officials said the sites were chosen to expand park access in Central Valley communities that have had fewer state parks than coastal parts of California. (ktla.com) (parks.ca.gov) Feather River would cover nearly 2,000 acres and would become Yuba County’s first state park, with river access for activities including rafting and swimming. San Joaquin River Parkway would span about 874 acres and fold part of the San Joaquin River Conservancy’s 22-mile parkway into the state system. (ktla.com) Dust Bowl Camp would be a state historic park built around the former Sunset Migratory Labor Camp in Kern County. California officials said the camp helped inspire John Steinbeck’s 1939 novel “The Grapes of Wrath.” (ktla.com) The announcement also tied the new parks to a larger land push. State Parks Forward aims to add 30,000 acres to existing parks by the end of the decade under laws Newsom signed in 2025 to speed up acquisitions of high-value properties. (gov.ca.gov) (parks.ca.gov) California has added only one new state park in the past decade: Dos Rios State Park near Modesto. Newsom unveiled the new plan exactly two years after dedicating Dos Rios on April 22, 2024, according to California State Parks. (ktla.com) (parks.ca.gov) Newsom cast the state move against proposed federal cuts to national parks, saying California would keep expanding access to public land. State Parks Director Armando Quintero said the new sites sit on public property, which could make acquisition simpler than a typical park deal. (gov.ca.gov) (theinertia.com) The plan still needs approvals before any ribbon-cuttings. For now, California is putting its next three parks on the map before they officially exist. (ktla.com)
