California State Parks Increases Access to All Parks in the North Coast Redwoods

Praire Creek Redwoods State Park. Photo by Richard Price.

The California State Parks continues to slowly reopen parking lots across Northern California, with 20 recently opening up at 50 percent vehicle capacity. Now, officials have added the North Coast Redwoods District to that list, including all state parks in Humboldt, Del Norte, and Mendocino counties.

Parking lots to 20 California State Parks were beginning to open in the North Coast on May 21, although visitors center and campgrounds will remain closed. According to our count (which may be a little off, due to lack of announcements from California State Parks) the number of state parks open in NorCal currently sits at 40.

The purple area to the left shows all the California State Parks in the North Coast Redwoods District

A slew of outdoor areas and campsites have been reopening recently, including many areas in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest and Tahoe National Forest, following month’s of closure due to the Coronavirus. While all but 36 California State Parks are currently open, the parking lots have been closed to encourage only local visitors in the areas.

Park officials are currently encouraging people to stay in their counties and not travel for outdoor recreation.

“We are still telling people to stay close to home,” said Gloria Sandoval, deputy director of California’s state parks department. “It’s important for everybody to do their part to help mitigate the spread of the virus.”

Here is a complete list of state parks open in Northern California:

Butte County

Lake Oroville State Recreation Area

Del Norte County

Del Norte Coast Redwoods

Jedediah Smith Redwoods

Tolowa Dunes

El Dorado County

Ed Z’berg Sugar Pine Point State Park

Emerald Bay State Park

Folsom Lake State Recreation Area (also in Sacramento and Placer counties)

Lake Valley State Recreation Area

Washoe Meadows State Park

Humboldt County

Fort Humboldt

Grizzly Creek Redwoods

Humboldt Lagoons

Humboldt Redwoods

Patrick’s Point

Prairie Creek Redwoods

Richardson Grove

Kern County

Onyx Ranch State Vehicular Recreation Area

Mendocino County

Hendy Woods

MacKerricher

Manchester

Mendocino Headlands

Mendocino Woodlands

Navarro River Redwoods

Point Cabrillo Light Station

Russian Gulch

Sinkyone Wilderness

Van Damme

Nevada County

Donner Memorial State Park

Placer County

Auburn State Recreation Area

Kings Beach State Recreation Area

Santa Cruz County

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park

The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park

Wilder Ranch State Park

Shasta County

McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park

Sonoma County

Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve

Austin Creek State Recreation Area

Jack London State Historic Park

Sugarloaf Ridge State Park

Trione-Annadel State Park

Tuolumne County

Columbia State Historic Park

Here are some new visitor guidelines State Parks has implemented to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 in the outdoors:
  • Plan Ahead – With 280 park units in the state park system, visitors are advised to visit the webpage of their local outdoor destination before leaving home to find out if it is open, what new visitor guidelines are in effect and if parking is available.
  • Stay Local – Stay close to home. Parking is temporarily very limited or non-existent at park units across the state. Walk or bike to parks in your local neighborhood. Do not take road trips to parks and beaches or to neighboring states.
  • Leave it at Home – The use of coolers, umbrellas, shade tents, BBQs or chairs is not allowed in many park units. Plan ahead.
  • Keep it Moving – Passive recreation (lounging, picnics, sunbathing, etc.) is being restricted where physical distance is a challenge. In those areas, only active recreation (walking, running, biking, boating, kayaking, off-highway riding, etc.) will be allowed. Also, observe one-way trails where they are in place.
  • Stay Safer at 6ft — No matter the recreational activity, maintain a physical distance of six feet or more. Visitors are being asked to leave if there are too many people to allow for the required physical distance.
  • Keep Clean – Be prepared. Not all restrooms are open to the public. Bring soap/sanitizer and pack out all trash.

Active NorCal

Telling the Stories of Northern California

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