Consider the numbers:
- 340 miles of coastline
- 970 miles of lake and river frontage
- 15,000 campsites
- 3,195 historic buildings
- 11,000 known prehistoric and historic archeological sites
These are some of the features that comprise California’s 280 state parks – enough to keep even the most ambitious among us exploring for a lifetime.
Some parks are familiar, like Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Carlsbad State Beach and Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. It’s likely that others are not so familiar. How about Delta Meadows Park Property in Clayton, 34 miles northeast of San Francisco? Visitors get a glimpse into what the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region looked like 150 years ago.
And what about Gray Whale Cove State Beach, 10 miles north of Half Moon Bay, named for the massive mammals that regularly swim close to shore?
And there’s the 247-acre, urban-ensconced Rio de Los Angeles State Park, once a toxic rail yard where today’s visitors can spot up to 150 bird species?
It’s California’s wide range of topography, geography, climate and cultures that makes our variety of parks possible and a favorite destination for out-of-staters and residents alike. These parklands encompass seashore, mountains, deserts, sand dunes, volcanoes, caves, old-growth forests, rainforests and rivers — an astounding variety and more than any other state.
Here are a few more examples of lesser-known parks and the surprises they hold:
- Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park — We think of old-growth redwoods as the purview of the federal government, but these 4,650 acres of forested and open land near Santa Cruz belongs to California.
- Clay Pit State Vehicular Recreation Area — Motorcycles, ATVs and 4x4s are welcome in this shallow clay pit that was created after the removal of clay to build the Oroville Dam.
- Russian Gulch State Park — Think a 3-mile leafy canyon, pristine beaches, rocky coastline and a 36-foot-high waterfall — all just two miles north of Mendocino.
- Verdugo Mountains Park Property — Designated by Los Angeles County as a Significant Ecological Area, these 244 acres near Glendale offer the copious foliage of mature live oaks, bay laurels, sycamores, big leaf maples and other indigenous trees.
The 17 Watts Towers in the Los Angeles neighborhood of the same name make up both a state park and a National Historic Landmark. The towers’ steel cores are wrapped in wire mesh, covered with mortar and inlaid with glass, pottery, tile, rocks and shells. They were built between 1921 and 1954 by Italian immigrant, tile mason and construction worker Simon Rodia. Courtesy photo/Wikipedia - Garrapata State Park — Located near Carmel-By-The-Sea, this park offers trails that run from the ocean to dense redwood groves. The area is frequented by sea lions, harbor seals and sea otters, and gray whales swim close to the shore during the winter migration southward.
- Benicia Capitol State Historic Park — For one year (1853-1854), Benicia, 36 miles northeast of San Francisco, was the state’s capitol. This historic building has been exquisitely restored with period furnishings and exhibits.
- Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park — Experts estimate that Chumash Native Americans created this art, which is carved and painted on giant sandstone boulders, during the 1600s or earlier. A 3D scan of the paintings has been made not only to assess the condition of the artwork over time, but to give visitors a closer look. The cave is located 13 miles north of Santa Barbara.
It is the endless work of our state park system to care for these invaluable resources, but the state’s work is generously augmented by the California State Parks Foundation. The member-supported nonprofit is dedicated to protecting and preserving our parks. Full disclosure: I’m a member, and as such, I just received the organization’s Park Passport, a compact, full-color, 111-page paperback dense with facts about each of the 280 parks. Besides a general description of each park, there is an extensive list of amenities, activities and accessibility.
Despite the availability of the internet, this lightweight book is an invaluable, concise collection of information. And even better, the guide fits handily in a glove compartment, purse or backpack.
The foundation created the passport “to inspire park-goers to discover new state parks and make it easy to find information all in one place.”
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