Explore California State Parks
California State Parks provides access to a wealth of cultural and natural resources that invite visitors to explore California. Whether digital classroom resources, summer programs for kids, or tours guided by the parks’ knowledgeable and dedicated interpreters, the department’s programs create meaningful experiences that educate and inspire Californians of all backgrounds, ages, education levels, and abilities.
California is world renowned for its biological diversity and its unique plant and animal species. Approximately 40 of the state’s 770 native wildlife species and about 2,100 of its 6,300 plant species are found nowhere else. The state is one of the world’s 25 biological hot spots, places of greatest biodiversity, and greatest threat.
Managing historical and archaeological sites in California’s state parks require many skills and specialties. The diverse resources entrusted to us are of many types (archaeological sites, historic structures, fragile artifacts, rare boats, and unique features, for example). The department is fortunate to have highly skilled and dedicated people assigned to the task of identifying, evaluating, recording, and protecting this non-renewable resource base.
The Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Division provides leadership statewide in the area of off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation. It acquires, develops, and operates state-owned vehicular recreation areas; and it provides for a statewide system of managed OHV recreational opportunities through funding to other public agencies. The OHMVR Division works to ensure quality recreational opportunities remain available for future generations by providing for education, conservation, and enforcement efforts that balance OHV recreation impacts with programs that conserve and protect cultural and natural resources.
Interpretive Programs
Just as language interpreters put unfamiliar words into terms you understand, so too do park interpreters put concepts concerning our shared natural and cultural worlds into terms that are meaningful to you. Park interpretative programs, ranging from guided nature and cultural heritage field trips to Living History and Environmental Studies programs, seek to protect your parks by fostering an awareness and understanding of California's state parks in an enjoyable and relevant manner.
Community Involvement
The Office of Community Involvement (OCI) works directly with communities to provide relevant programming that increases access to parks and facilitates meaningful experiences in nature for all Californians. OCI intentionally works with non-traditional park users and under-served communities who may not have the awareness, opportunity, or ability to experience the beautiful diversity of California State Parks. The OCI team creates opportunities to overcome barriers and empowers individuals to access the benefits of outdoor recreation.
Educators
From day trips to environmental living overnights to in-school programs, California's state parks offer opportunities for students to learn about our shared natural and cultural history through hands-on experiences and interaction with trained staff and volunteers. Encompassing a mind-boggling array of natural and cultural resources, state parks are the places where lasting school memories are made. The California State Park Adventure Pass provides free entry for fourth graders and their families to 54 amazing participating state parks throughout the state.
Volunteers in Parks
Volunteers are vital to California’s state parks. The Volunteers in Parks Program has about 23,000 volunteers who donated about 800,000 hours of time in 2022. They assist staff in countless ways, in nearly all of the state parks. Please consider volunteering today and be the difference tomorrow.