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State and National Park Travel

John C. Jones

Photojournalist

 

California and Wonderful Winter Time State Parks

 

 

With a moderate climate in most of the state, this is a State you will never have to leave all winter long.  Traveling from park to park will keep you busy all the winter months!  Here is a summary of what the state has to offer...

 

 

Park name Designation County or
counties		 Area in
acres (ha)[1]		 Year estab-
lished[1]		 Status[2] Remarks
Admiral William Standley State Recreation Area State recreation area Mendocino &1000000000000004500000045 acres (18 ha) 1944 Features redwoods plus fishing for salmon and steelhead on the Eel River.[3]
Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park State park Shasta &100000000000059300000005,930 acres (2,400 ha) 1975 Preserves a wilderness of freshwater springs and geologically recent lava flows.[4]
Albany State Marine Reserve Park property Alameda 1985
Anderson Marsh State Historic Park State historic park Lake &100000000000012980000001,298 acres (525 ha) 1982 Slated to close July 2012 Preserves a tule marsh and ancient archaeological sites of the Pomo people.[5]
Andrew Molera State Park State park Monterey &100000000000047660000004,766 acres (1,929 ha) 1968 Offers a primitive walk-in campground on the Big Sur coast.[6]
Angel Island State Park State park Marin and San Francisco &10000000000000756000000756 acres (306 ha) 1955 Interprets an island in San Francisco Bay whose history encompasses Coast Miwok prehistory, ranching, the 1910–1940 Angel Island Immigration Station, and long military use.[7]
Annadel State Park State park Sonoma &100000000000050920000005,092 acres (2,061 ha) 1971 Slated to close July 2012 Supports a variety of day-use activities at the northern end of Sonoma Valley.[8]
Año Nuevo State Park State park San Mateo &100000000000042090000004,209 acres (1,703 ha) 1985 Encompasses Año Nuevo Island and Año Nuevo Point, which boasts the world's largest mainland rookery of northern elephant seals.[9]
Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve State natural reserve Los Angeles &100000000000017810000001,781 acres (721 ha) 1976 Showcases the state's most-consistent blooms of California poppy, in the high Mojave Desert.[10]
Antelope Valley Indian Museum State Historic Park State historic park Los Angeles &10000000000000397000000397 acres (161 ha) 1979 Slated to close July 2012 Interprets the Native American cultures of the Great Basin and surrounding regions in a 1928 folk art building on the NRHP.[11]
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park State park San Diego, Imperial, and Riverside &10000000000585930000000585,930 acres (237,120 ha) 1933 Preserves a vast tract of the Colorado Desert in California's largest state park.[12]
Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve State natural reserve Sonoma &10000000000000752000000752 acres (304 ha) 1934 Preserves a grove of coast redwoods.[13]
Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park State park Los Angeles &10000000000000566000000566 acres (229 ha) 1993 Preserves a remnant stand of Joshua trees and junipers in the Antelope Valley.[14]
Asilomar State Beach State beach Monterey &10000000000000107000000107 acres (43 ha) 1951 Balances protection of rocky coast and dune habitat with public access.[15] The 1913 Asilomar Conference Grounds are a National Historic Landmark.[16]
Auburn State Recreation Area State recreation area El Dorado and Placer &1000000000004237700000042,377 acres (17,149 ha) 1966 Offers numerous recreational opportunities along the North and Middle Forks of the American River.[17]
Austin Creek State Recreation Area State recreation area Sonoma &100000000000059270000005,927 acres (2,399 ha) 1964 Slated to close July 2012 Features a rugged wilderness on Austin Creek, adjacent to Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve.[18]
Azalea State Natural Reserve State natural reserve Humboldt &1000000000000003000000030 acres (12 ha) 1943 Harbors a profusion of spring-blooming western azaleas.[19]
Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park State historic park Napa &100000000000000007500000.75 acres (0.30 ha) 1974 Slated to close July 2012 Showcases a restored 1846 water-powered grist mill in Napa Valley.[20] The mill is on the NRHP.[21]
Bean Hollow State Beach State beach San Mateo &1000000000000004400000044 acres (18 ha) 1958 Offers fishing and beachcombing among tide pools.[22]
Benbow Lake State Recreation Area State recreation area Humboldt &100000000000011420000001,142 acres (462 ha) 1958 Slated to close July 2012 Centers on a reservoir on the South Fork Eel River.[23]
Benicia Capitol State Historic Park State historic park Solano &100000000000000008600000.86 acres (0.35 ha) 1951 Slated to close July 2012 Interprets the third and oldest-surviving California capitol, used 1853–54.[24] The building is on the NRHP.[25]
Benicia State Recreation Area State recreation area Solano &10000000000000447000000447 acres (181 ha) 1957 Slated to close July 2012 Preserves a tidal wetland on the Carquinez Strait.[26]
Bethany Reservoir State Recreation Area State recreation area Alameda &10000000000000609000000609 acres (246 ha) 1974 Offers windsurfing and other water recreation on the Bethany Reservoir.[27]
Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park State historic park Butte &100000000000000052000005.2 acres (2.1 ha) 1964 Slated to close July 2012 Offers tours of the 1868 Victorian mansion of influential settlers John and Annie Bidwell.[28] The mansion is on the NRHP.
Bidwell-Sacramento River State Park State park Butte and Glenn &10000000000000349000000349 acres (141 ha) 1979 Preserves riparian habitat on the Sacramento River and its tributary Big Chico Creek.[29]
Big Basin Redwoods State Park State park Santa Cruz &1000000000001805000000018,050 acres (7,300 ha) 1906 Established as California's first state park, to preserve coast redwoods on Waddell Creek.[30]
Bodie State Historic Park State historic park Mono &100000000000010160000001,016 acres (411 ha) 1962 Preserves the ghost town of Bodie, whose gold-mining heyday ran from 1877–1881, and is now a National Historic Landmark.[31]
Bolsa Chica State Beach State beach Orange &10000000000000169000000169 acres (68 ha) 1960 Offers surf fishing and catching grunion by hand.[32]
Border Field State Park State park San Diego &100000000000013160000001,316 acres (533 ha) 1972 Occupies the southwesternmost point of the contiguous U.S., on the Mexico – United States border. Part of the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve.[33]
Bothe-Napa Valley State Park State park Napa and Sonoma &100000000000019910000001,991 acres (806 ha) 1960 Slated to close July 2012 Contains the farthest inland coast redwoods in a California state park.[34]
Brannan Island State Recreation Area State recreation area Sacramento &10000000000000329000000329 acres (133 ha) 1952 Slated to close July 2012 Offers water recreation amid a maze of channels in the delta of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River.[35]
Burleigh H. Murray Ranch Park property San Mateo &100000000000013250000001,325 acres (536 ha) 1979 Encompasses a hidden valley with a historic ranch established in 1857.[36]
Burton Creek State Park State park Placer &100000000000018900000001,890 acres (760 ha) 1976 Offers 6 miles (9.7 km) of unpaved roadway for hiking and cross-country skiing.[37]
Butano State Park State park San Mateo &100000000000047280000004,728 acres (1,913 ha) 1956 Showcases a secluded redwood-filled valley.[38]
Butte City Project Park property Butte &1000000000000003700000037 acres (15 ha) 2007

 

 

 

 

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