California has three new state parks: Here's where

FRESNO, Calif. - Coinciding with Earth Day, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday announced the addition of three new state parks in the Central Valley — pushing the statewide total to 283 parks — which he said is the biggest expansion of the park system in decades.

Three new parks

What we know:

The new parks are Feather River Park in Olivehurst, which is the first state park in Yuba County; San Joaquin River Parkway in Fresno and Madera counties, which is owned by the San Joaquin River Conservancy and is near the Millerton Lake State Recreation Area; and Dust Bowl Camp in Bakersfield, Kern County.

The Dust Bowl Camp is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resources, as it was created by the federal government to house displaced farmworkers who fled the Dust Bowl to seek work in California during the Great Depression. The camp served as the inspiration for John Steinbeck’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath, which Steinbeck dedicated to the camp’s administrator.

Newsom's office also noted that this camp is located near underserved communities outside Bakersfield, and is home to the only original buildings left from the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s and 40s.

All three parks are already owned by the state or local governments and two are already open to the public, although Newsom's office did not say when the new properties would officially transfer to state park ownership.

Dig at Trump

What they're saying:

In addition to touting the expansion of greenery and nature, Newsom took the opportunity to take a dig at President Donald Trump.

"As Trump sells out America’s national parks, California is doubling down on protecting the Golden State’s natural beauty," Newsom said. "Today, through the State Parks Forward initiative, we’re expanding our park system with three new state parks, creating new outdoor recreation opportunities for Central Valley communities, deepening our conservation commitments, and preserving our lands for generations of Californians to come."

New laws

Dig deeper:

Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Seibel Newsom gave a nod to two new laws, SB 630 and AB 679, which allowed California to fast-track the process to grow existing parks through the acquisition of high-value properties at little to no cost to the state.

These new parks put California on the path to "preserve and protect" an additional 30,000 acres of land by the end of the decade, Newsom's office said.

The last time Newsom announced a new state park was on Earth Day 2024, in which he said it was the first new state park in a decade. 

The Dos Rios park is also located in the Central Valley near the Tuolomne and San Joaquin rivers.