Gov't Shutdown: Can't Visit a National Park? Try These 30 CA State Parks
October 2, 2013
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Update (January 3, 2019): Originally published in 2013, this list is applicable during the winter 2019 government shutdown.
During this government shutdown, it's easy to have to focus on the closure of national parks (and to a degree, some limits to national forests). But in California, we have close to 300 state parks, many of them deserving of national status. And many of them also are near national parks, where vacationers are currently being forced to find alternatives.
Luckily, the people at California State Parks have complied a comprehensive list of nearby options up and down the state. Here's what they recommend:
Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
- Bodie State Historic Park (historic gold rush ghost town in arrested decay)
- Calaveras Big Trees NP (Giant Sequoia, first specimens discovered by Europeans)
- Columbia State Historic Park (operating historic gold rush town with businesses)
- Indian Grinding Rocks State Historic Park (traditional Native American village and visitor center)
- Millerton Lake State Recreation Area (camping, hiking and aquatic recreation)
- Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve (brine lake with unique tufa formations. Major bird nesting site)
- Railtown1897 State Historic Park (operating railroad with train rides)
Joshua Tree National Park
- Anza Borrego Desert State Park (unique desert environment and visitor center)
- California Citrus State Historic Park (working historic citrus farm)
- Lake Perris State Recreation Area (camping hiking and aquatic recreation)
- Mt. San Jacinto State Park (camping, hiking, Palm Springs Aerial Tramway)
- Salton Sea State Recreation Area (outdoor recreation on a man-made sea)
Eastern Sierra (Death Valley NP to Devils Postpile National Monument and eastside of Yosemite)
- Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve (brine lake with unique tufa formations. Major bird nesting site.)
- Bodie State Historic Park (historic gold rush ghost town in arrested decay)
- Red Rock Canyon State Park (beautiful rock formations a favorite site for films)
- Also: Check out Visit Mammoth's lists of ideas and open campsites
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
- Angel Island State Park (Ellis Island west immigration station, military history, views of San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz)
- China Camp State Park (hiking, cycling, camping and preserved historic Chinese fishing village)
- Jack London State Historic Park (rural farm and writing collage of author Jack London.)
- Mt. Diablo State Park (Hiking, cycling, camping and regional views from peak. On a clear day can see Mt. Lassen to north)
- Mt. Tamalpias State Park (Hiking, cycling, camping and regional views from peak)
- Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park (headquarters of large Mexican land grant)
- Sonoma State Historic Park (home of final California mission, site of Bear Flag Revolt against Mexico)
More from California Coastal Trail
Point Reyes National Seashore
- Fort Ross State Historic Park (site of most southern Russian settlement in North America)
- Samuel P. Taylor State Park (camping and hiking in redwoods.)
- Sonoma Coast State Park (Majestic beaches)
- Tomales Bay State Park (nested in Point Reyes NS. trails, camping and beach on Tomales Bay.)
More Ways to Explore California
Redwood National Park
- Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park (camping and hiking in redwood forests. Near Crescent City).
- Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park (camping, hiking in park bordered by a river. Near Crescent City)
- Humboldt Redwoods State Park (hiking, camping in redwoods near Eel River located about an hour south of Eureka.)
- Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (camping, hiking and cycling. Redwood forests and beaches. Look for Roosevelt elk and visit Fern Canyon.)
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