California adds 3 Central Valley state parks, with plans for more, Newsom says
The California State Parks system is adding three parks in the Central Valley in what Gov. Gavin Newsom touted as the biggest expansion of the system in decades.
San Joaquin River Parkway in Madera County, the Dust Bowl Camp outside of Bakersfield, and a park along Feather River in Yuba County are the newest additions to the California State Parks system. Newsom made the announcement Wednesday morning at an Earth Day event at the San Joaquin River Parkway in Madera County.
“These three parks, the parkway here and the Feather River with 2,000 acres and the Dust Bowl Camp, we’re celebrating our history, celebrating our diversity, celebrating a sense of space and a sense of belonging,” Newsom said.
The expansion brings the total number of state parks, state beaches, and historical museums within the system to 283, according to Armando Quintero, director of California State Parks.
“Another new park that is going to be a historic site that’s just outside of Bakersfield, and it preserves a migrant labor camp to house displaced farmworkers who fled the Dust Bowl. They came here to seek work in California during the Great Depression,” said Quintero. “Then on the other end of the valley, we’ll have a park along the Feather River, which is going to be the first state park in Yuba County.”
The state parks system is accelerating the expansion, with the goal of adding 30,000 acres to the existing park lands by 2030, Quintero said.
California’s state parks usually charge $5 to $10 for visitors who arrive by vehicle or motorcycle. There is no charge to walk or bike into most parks, according to the system’s website. The public can also borrow free state park passes from local libraries.
The state park system will soon hold public engagement sessions to gather feedbacks and to decide the constructions and features needed for the three new parks, Quintero said.
This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 1:05 PM.
