When Dos Rios Ranch opens next month in the San Joaquin Valley, California will have 280 state parks, making it one of the nation's largest parks and one of the most popular, visited by about 70 million people a year. Become one.
Did anyone know?
The short answer is “almost no one.”
Over the past 20 years, I've asked thousands of Californians to name five state parks. He is one of less than 5% of people who can do that. And most of these perplexed respondents are outdoor enthusiasts, the kind of people I meet at talks about trails and hiking.
This lack of awareness is more than surprising at this point. That's dangerous.
If Californians can't name some state parks, the city of Sacramento won't see the threat of delaying investment in the system or, as will inevitably happen again, cutting funding. Probably not.
Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposed $291.5 billion budget for next year would include $3 million in funding for a popular program that lets (mostly low-income) library card holders check out free passes to state parks. Item is deleted. But how many legislators and voters don't even remember that there are hundreds of parks in the state?
The reason for the disconnect is popularity. Many Californians actually know and love these places, but forget that they are state parks. You may have marveled at the giant sequoias of the western Sierra Nevada, but did you know you can find them at Calaveras Big Trees State Park? Or, if you've seen them along the coast near the Oregon border, you've come to the Earth! Have you ever found yourself in Jedediah Smith Sequoia State Park, home to the tallest tree in the world? And when you visit the palm oasis far south between San Diego and the Salton Sea, you'll find yourself in Anza-Borrego Desert State Were you at the park?
If you ask Californians, they remember the good times and even a lot of information about nature and history, but the names of parks like where the gold rush started (Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park) Many times I realized that I didn't remember. , where famous writers found inspiration (Jack London State Historic Park), and where immigrant communities lived and worked (China Camp State Historic Park).
A great weekend in Big Sur? It was actually in Pfeiffer Big Sur, Julia Pfeiffer Burns, Limekiln, Andrew Morella, and Garrapata State Park. I miss the unassuming parks in the heart of cities like Watts Tower in Los Angeles and Old Town San Diego. You've probably stopped by Hearst's Castle, located halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Another memorable place that people often forget about is state parks.
These treasures are also quickly lost when disaster strikes. Wildfires were reported to be “burning hills near Malibu” rather than “raging through Malibu Creek, Leo Carrillo, and Point Mugu State Parks,” and were also reported to be “burning the hills near Malibu, California's first iconic Big Basin Redwood State Park.” Instead of “destroying parks,” it was reported that they would “burn the mountains near Santa Cruz.” state park. “
State parks need a lot of things: more campgrounds, better outreach, and funding commensurate with the size and scope of the system, but first and foremost they need more campgrounds, better support, and funding commensurate with the size and scope of the system, but first and foremost they need more campgrounds, better support, and funding commensurate with the size and scope of the system, but first and foremost they need more campgrounds, better support, and funding commensurate with the size and scope of the system. It's about getting noticed. A lack of awareness results in missed opportunities for all Californians to enjoy our parks and leads to a lack of the financial support and strong stewardship necessary for our state parks to thrive.
Such support is never guaranteed. A century ago, his ultra-conservative friend Governor William Richardson opposed the creation of a state park system, vetoing park legislation and ranting about wasting taxpayer money. Park supporters won. The state park system was established in his 1927 year and, in a tongue-in-cheek move, included a beautiful sequoia retreat named “Richardson Grove State Park.”
Remember today, when library programs offering state park passes are under threat? Mr. Newsom's proposal to cut $3 million to eliminate the $37.9 billion budget deficit continues an unfortunate history of priorities.
The 2024-25 allocation to the Department of Parks and Recreation is set at $807 million, plus just $1.1 million for all capital improvement projects across 280 state park sites. Meanwhile, Caltrans, which manages state highways, plans to increase its funding by $1 billion to $17.5 billion.
State parks need and deserve more respect and revenue. Let's start small – just to be safe, don't cut the library park pass program – then think bigger. Rather than increase Caltrans' generous (some would say bloated) budget, state parks should be given a $1 billion backlog of deferred maintenance and improvement projects. Why not give him a one-time subsidy?
As more Californians, especially policymakers, realize that state parks are the places they love, funding will follow.
John McKinney, author of Hike California's State Parks and 20 other hiking-themed books, has visited all 280 state parks.
