California is gearing up to receive visitors to its newest state park in more than a decade.
According to State Parks Director Armando Quintero, the 2,500-acre Dos Rios Ranch site will be open to the public within a year.
“Sometime in 2023, there will be early access to the public,” he said.
Visitor amenities and facilities will be built over the next five years.
“We have to do an archaeological survey and ensure we’re not disturbing any Native American sites or anything like that,” said Quintero. “There is going to be a fair amount of planning that goes in before we bring in sustainable infrastructure there.”
When completed, the new park will offer fishing and swimming opportunities on two rivers: the San Joaquin and the Tuolumne. California Governor Gavin Newsom has committed $5 million to the park.
“We strongly believe that everyone deserves to have close-to-home access to vibrant parks,” said Quintero. “In a way, it is a walk back in time to a gentle valley. It is one of those places where people will visit and say, ‘Oh, my goodness, this is where I live.’ That’s my hope.”
“During Covid, people were hungry for these outdoor spaces… We are always keeping an eye on what could be next,” he added.
This park is intended to be a popular spring and summer destination for visitors. This park can act as a conduit for water flow to the groundwater recharge area during seasons of heavy rainfall, boosting the groundwater’s health.
The park will be the first since Fort Ord Dunes was designated a state park in 2009.
There are 279 state parks in California. According to Sandoval, 68 million people visit these parks each year.
Quintero said the state Parks and Recreation Department is interested in expanding its park inventory, because “the population here is exploding,”