California State Parks Opens Application Period for Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program Grants

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—California State Parks is now accepting applications from public entities to provide outdoor recreational experiences to their communities through the federal Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) Program. In the seventh round of this competitive grant program, a total of approximately $224.1 million is available nationwide for communities with limited or no access to publicly available, close-by, outdoor recreation opportunities. Up to $15 million can be requested per project.

California State Park Adventure Pass Expands to 54 Participating Parks for All California Fourth Graders and Teachers

Get your pass now and start exploring the outdoors for free!

SACRAMENTO, Calif.— Just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, California State Parks, in partnership with First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and the California Natural Resources Agency, is expanding its popular California State Park Adventure Pass from 19 select state parks to 54. The pilot program, currently in its third year, allows California fourth graders and fourth-grade teachers free admission to participating parks until Aug. 31, 2024. The public can find a park near them at parks.ca.gov/AdventurePass.

Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria and California State Parks Formalize Partnership to Cooperate on the Protection of Tribe’s Ancestral Homelands

LOLETA, Calif.— California State Parks and the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria (Bear River) formalized their relationship earlier this week to cooperate on the protection, preservation, and interpretation of parks that lie within Bear River’s ancestral homelands in the North Coast Redwoods District of State Parks.

California State Parks Encourages Off-Highway Vehicle Enthusiasts to ‘Be Off-Road Heroes’ During OHV Safety Week November 11 to 19

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—California State Parks Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Division and partners are proud to announce the upcoming fall OHV Safety Week, taking place from November 11 to 19. This semiannual event promotes safe and responsible off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation across California's dedicated OHV public lands. This year’s theme is “Be the Off-Road Hero,” and OHV enthusiasts can be heroes by following safety protocols and protecting the state’s natural resources.

‘The Orphans’ at Calaveras Big Trees State Park Are Alive and No Longer Stand Alone

ARNOLD, Calif.— California State Parks today announced that the two monarch giant sequoias known as “The Orphans” at Calaveras Big Trees State Park are alive and no longer stand alone. The sequoias were damaged during a prescribed burn in the park’s North Grove area last fall. Several scientists visited The Orphans on Thursday, October 5, and observed that they are alive and thousands of giant sequoia seedlings now surround them.

California State Parks Welcomes Military Community with Free Admission to 144 Park Units in Honor of Veterans Day

SACRAMENTO, Calif.— In celebrating the service of U.S. military veterans, California State Parks is offering free admission to 144 select state parks on Veterans Day, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023.

California State Parks, Save the Redwoods League and Waddell Creek Association Open New Rancho del Oso Welcome Center at Big Basin Redwoods State Park

SANTA CRUZ, Calif.—California State Parks, Save the Redwoods League, and Waddell Creek Association today announced the opening of the new Rancho del Oso Welcome Center, a gateway to the western coastal side of Big Basin Redwoods State Park. The new welcome center facility and adjacent public campground will greet visitors to California’s oldest state park and largest expanse of old-growth coast redwoods south of San Francisco. The park has had limited access since the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fires. 

California State Historical Resources Commission to Consider 14 Properties for Action at November 3 Meeting

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—The California State Historical Resources Commission (Commission) will consider nine nominations, from a small schoolhouse in rural Sierra County to the world-famous Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, for federal historic designation; the removal of two properties from federal designation due to their destruction by wildfire; and three nominations for state historic designation.

D.L. Bliss State Park to Remain Closed through Summer 2024 for Waterline Replacement Project

TAHOMA, Calif.— California State Parks today announced that D.L. Bliss State Park in the Lake Tahoe Basin will remain temporarily closed through summer 2024. Contract work to replace aging waterlines at the park is ongoing and expected to be completed next year. Work will resume after the snow melts in the spring and is anticipated to continue through summer 2024.

California State Parks and Partners Launch ‘Arts in California Parks’ Program

SACRAMENTO, Calif.— California State Parks today announced the launch of a new program, Arts in California Parks, to help make California’s parks more inclusive and welcoming. Through this new program, artists, culture bearers, and California Native American tribes will be eligible to receive funding to create artwork throughout state and local parks. The public is invited to chime in on the development of the program through a survey at ArtsinCaliforniaParks.org, and to participate as visitors or collaborators.