California to open three state parks

Governor Gavin Newsom announced on April 22 that California plans to create three new state parks in the Central Valley, a move state officials described as the biggest expansion of the park system in decades. The plan, called State Parks Forward, would raise the statewide total to 283 parks and add 30,000 acres to existing parks by the end of the decade, according to the governor’s office and California State Parks. The three proposed parks are Feather River Park near Olivehurst in Yuba County, San Joaquin River Parkway in Fresno and Madera counties, and Dust Bowl Camp near Bakersfield in Kern County, according to a California State Parks fact sheet and reporting by KPBS. State officials said the sites were chosen in part because the Central Valley has had fewer state parks than the coast and other parts of California. (gov.ca.gov) National Geographic reported this week that the parks are being planned in parts of California outside the state’s traditional park hubs and tied the move to California’s broader land-and-water conservation push. ### Which three parks is California actually planning to add? California State Parks identified the three sites as Feather River Park, San Joaquin River Parkway and Dust Bowl Camp. (parks.ca.gov) The agency’s fact sheet said the planned parks span about 330 miles from one end of the Central Valley to the other. KPBS reported that Feather River Park would be Yuba County’s first state park. The San Joaquin River Parkway site lies in Fresno and Madera counties, while Dust Bowl Camp is near Bakersfield in Kern County. (nationalgeographic.com) ### Why is the Central Valley the focus of this expansion? Wade Crowfoot, California’s natural resources secretary, said in the governor’s April 22 release that the initiative is aimed at bringing “more parks to more places,” particularly the Central Valley, which he said has too often been overlooked for new parks. (parks.ca.gov) The governor’s office said the new parks would be located near underserved communities. (kpbs.org) Armando Quintero, director of California State Parks, told KPBS that California’s park map looks like “a necklace around the outer part of California” and that the administration’s focus has been to bring parks closer to where people live. That explanation was presented by state officials as part of broader priorities including Outdoors for All and California’s 30x30 conservation initiative. (gov.ca.gov) ### How does this connect to California’s conservation targets? California State Parks said the expansion is tied to the state’s 30x30 initiative, a goal to conserve 30% of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030. The agency’s State Parks Forward fact sheet said California has added more than 2.5 million acres of conserved land and waters over the last three years. The same fact sheet said the state also plans to expand existing parks by 30,000 acres by the end of the decade. (kpbs.org) Among the examples listed were 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. ### What made the new park plan possible now? (parks.ca.gov) Senate Bill 630 and Assembly Bill 679, both signed in 2025, were cited by the governor’s office and California State Parks as measures that streamline acquisitions of public land for park expansion. State officials said the laws allow high-value properties to be acquired at little or no cost to the state. (parks.ca.gov) Quintero told KPBS that nonprofit conservation partners often acquire land for protection and then seek to transfer it to public agencies, but that the process had been slow and costly. He said the new laws reduced those barriers for no- or low-cost acquisitions. ### When will the parks open? California State Parks has not published opening dates for the three new parks. (gov.ca.gov) The agency’s fact sheet said planning and acquisition for the three sites began on Earth Day 2026, and the governor’s office framed the announcement as the start of a longer process rather than an immediate opening. The next public details are expected to come through the State Parks Forward updates page, which California State Parks is using for engagement and project information. (kpbs.org) The broader expansion effort runs through the end of the decade, when the state says it aims to complete the additional 30,000 acres of park growth. (gov.ca.gov) (parks.ca.gov)