California State Parks
Deer grazing at Asilomar State Beach
California State Parks List
California State Parks system contains close to 300 parks, but began simply in 1862 at Captain Israel Ward Raymond's request to US Senator John Conness of California. Wanting natural land areas at Yosemite set aside for preservation and public enjoyment, Conness introduced a bill (13. Stat. 325) in the Senate that passed though both Congressional houses and was signed by President Abraham Lincoln. The Act of June 30, 1864 granted the "Yo-Semite Valley" and the Mariposa Big Tree Grove to the State of California.
That land was returned to the federal government in 1906, becoming part of the surrounding Yosemite National Park that had been formed in 1890. Meanwhile, California was developing a new state park system.
On March 16, 1901 a bill passed, authorizing state funds for the purchase of 2,500 acres in Big Basin, Santa Cruz County. Big Basin Redwoods State Park is now the oldest California state park.
Today California State Parks handles over 70 million visits annually.
California State Parks List
Admiral William Standley SRA - Donner Memorial SP
Admiral William Standley State Recreation Area
Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park
Albany State Marine Reserve
Anderson Marsh State Historic Park
Andrew Molera State Park
Angel Island State Park
Año Nuevo State Park
Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve State Natural Reserve
Antelope Valley Indian Museum State Historic Park
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve
Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park
Auburn State Recreation Area
Austin Creek State Recreation Area
Azalea State Natural Reserve
Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park
Bean Hollow State Beach
Benbow State Recreation Area
Benicia State Recreation Area
Benicia Capitol State Historic Park
Bethany Reservoir State Recreation Area
Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park
Bidwell-Sacramento River State Park
Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Bodie State Historic Park
Border Field State Park
Bothe-Napa Valley State Park
Brannan Island State Recreation Area
Burleigh H. Murray Ranch Park Property
Burton Creek State Park
Butano State Park
Butte City Project Park Property
Calaveras Big Trees State Park
California Citrus State Historic Park
California Indian Heritage Center Park Property
California State Capitol
California State Mining and Mineral Museum Park Property
California State Railroad Museum Point of Interest
Cambria State Marine Park
Candlestick Point State Recreation Area
Cardiff State Beach
Carlsbad State Beach
Carmel River State Beach
Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area
Carpinteria State Beach
Caspar Headlands State Natural Reserve
Caspar Headlands State Beach
Castaic Lake State Recreation Area
Castle Crags State Park
Castle Rock State Park
Caswell Memorial State Park
Cayucos State Beach
China Camp State Park
Chino Hills State Park
Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park
Clay Pit State Vehicular Recreation Area
Clear Lake State Park
Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park
Colusa-Sacramento River State Recreation Area
Crystal Cove State Park
Cuyamaca Rancho State Park
D. L. Bliss State Park
Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park
Delta Meadows Park Property
Dockweiler State Beach
Doheny State Beach
Donner Memorial State Park
Eastern Kern County Onyx Ranch SVRA - Los Osos Oaks SNR
Eastern Kern County Onyx Ranch State Vehicular Recreation Area
Ed Z'berg Sugar Pine Point State Park
El Capitan State Beach
El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park
Emerald Bay State Park
Emeryville Crescent State Marine Reserve
Emma Wood State Beach
Empire Mine State Historic Park
Estero Bluffs State Park
Folsom Lake State Recreation Area
Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park
Fort Humboldt State Historic Park
Fort Ord Dunes State Park
Fort Tejon State Historic Park
Franks Tract State Recreation Area
Fremont Peak State Park
Garrapata State Park
Gaviota State Park
George J. Hatfield State Recreation Area
Governor's Mansion State Historic Park
Gray Whale Cove State Beach
Great Valley Grasslands State Park
Greenwood State Beach
Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park
Grover Hot Springs State Park
Half Moon Bay State Beach
Harmony Headlands State Park
Harry A. Merlo State Recreation Area
Hatton Canyon Park Property
Hearst San Simeon State Park
Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument
Heber Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area
Hendy Woods State Park
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
Henry W. Coe State Park
Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area
Humboldt Lagoons State Park
Humboldt Redwoods State Park
Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area
Huntington State Beach
Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park
Indio Hills Palms Park Property
Jack London State Historic Park
Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
John B. Dewitt Redwoods State Natural Reserve
John Little State Natural Reserve
Jug Handle State Natural Reserve
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area
Kings Beach State Recreation Area
Kruse Rhododendron State Natural Reserve
La Purísima Mission State Historic Park
Lake Del Valle State Recreation Area
Lake Oroville State Recreation Area
Lake Perris State Recreation Area
Lake Valley State Recreation Area
Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park
Leo Carrillo State Park
Leucadia State Beach
Lighthouse Field State Beach
Limekiln State Park
Little River State Beach
Locke Boarding House Museum Point of Interest
Los Angeles State Historic Park
Los Encinos State Historic Park
Los Osos Oaks State Natural Reserve
MacKerricher SP - Providence Mountains SRA
MacKerricher State Park
Mailliard Redwoods State Natural Reserve
Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park
Malibu Creek State Park
Malibu Lagoon State Beach
Manchester State Park
Mandalay State Beach
Manresa State Beach
Marconi Conference Center State Historic Park
Marina State Beach
Marsh Creek State Park State Historic Park
Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park
Martial Cottle Park State Recreation Area
McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park
McConnell State Recreation Area
McGrath State Beach
McLaughlin Eastshore State Park State Seashore
Mendocino Headlands State Park
Mendocino Woodlands State Park
Millerton Lake State Recreation Area
Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve
Montaña de Oro State Park
Montara State Beach
Monterey State Historic Park
Monterey State Beach
Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve
Moonlight State Beach
Morro Bay State Park
Morro Strand State Beach
Moss Landing State Beach
Mount Diablo State Park
Mount San Jacinto State Park
Mount Tamalpais State Park
Natural Bridges State Beach
Navarro River Redwoods State Park
New Brighton State Beach
Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area
Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area
Old Sacramento State Historic Park
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
Olompali State Historic Park
Pacheco State Park
Pacifica State Beach
Palomar Mountain State Park
Patrick's Point State Park
Pelican State Beach
Pescadero State Beach
Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
Picacho State Recreation Area
Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park
Pío Pico State Historic Park
Pismo State Beach
Placerita Canyon State Park
Plumas-Eureka State Park
Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park
Point Dume State Beach
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
Point Lobos Ranch Park Property
Point Mugu State Park
Point Sal State Beach
Point Sur State Historic Park
Pomponio State Beach
Portola Redwoods State Park
Prairie City State Vehicular Recreation Area
Prarie Creek Redwoods State Park
Providence Mountains State Recreation Area
Railtown 1897 SHP - Zmudowski SB
Railtown 1897 State Historic Park
Rancho San Andrés Castro Adobe Park Property
Red Rock Canyon State Park
Refugio State Beach
Reynolds Wayside Campground
Richardson Grove State Park
Rio de Los Angeles State Park State Recreation Area
Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach
Robert Louis Stevenson State Park
Robert W. Crown Memorial State Beach
Russian Gulch State Park
Saddleback Butte State Park
Salinas River State Beach
Salt Point State Park
Salton Sea State Recreation Area
Samuel P. Taylor State Park
San Bruno Mountain State Park
San Buenaventura State Beach
San Clemente State Beach
San Elijo State Beach
San Gregorio State Beach
San Juan Bautista State Historic Park
San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area
San Onofre State Beach
San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park
San Timoteo Canyon Park Property
Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park
Santa Monica State Beach
Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park
Schooner Gulch State Beach
Seacliff State Beach
Silver Strand State Beach
Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area
Sinkyone Wilderness State Park
Smithe Redwoods State Natural Reserve
Sonoma State Historic Park
Sonoma Coast State Park
South Carlsbad State Beach
South Yuba River State Park
Standish-Hickey State Recreation Area
State Indian Museum State Historic Park
Stone Lake Park Property
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park
Sunset State Beach
Sutter Buttes State Park
Sutter's Fort State Historic Park
Tahoe State Recreation Area
The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
Thornton State Beach
Tijuana Estuary NP Point of Interest
Tolowa Dunes State Park
Tomales Bay State Park
Tomo-Kahni State Historic Park
Topanga State Park
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
Torrey Pines State Beach
Trinidad State Beach
Trione-Annadel State Park
Tule Elk State Natural Reserve
Turlock Lake State Recreation Area
Twin Lakes State Beach
Van Damme State Park
Verdugo Mountains Park Property
Ward Creek Park Property
Washoe Meadows State Park
Wassama Round House State Historic Park
Watts Towers of Simon Rodia State Historic Park
Weaverville Joss House State Historic Park
Westport-Union Landing State Beach
Wilder Ranch State Park
Wildwood Canyon Park Property
William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park
Will Rogers State Beach
Will Rogers State Historic Park
Woodland Opera House State Historic Park
Woodson Bridge State Recreation Area
Zmudowski State Beach