California State Park Closure for 2012

Closed lifeguard tower at California State Beach
Photo by David McErlean

If you are looking at touring California next year, you might want to start that trip earlier than planned.

California State Parks announced Friday that 70 of it's 278 parks are planned to be closed after the 2011 summer season. The park closure is a result of budget cuts proposed for the next year. Closing the parks would help reduce the state budget by $11 million this year and $22 million the next year. The budget cuts were passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. in March.

“We regret closing any park,” said Ruth Coleman, director of California State Parks, “but with the proposed budget reductions over the next two years, we can no longer afford to operate all parks within the system.” 

“These cuts are unfortunate, but the state’s current budget crisis demands that tough decisions be made,” said Resources Secretary John Laird. “Hopefully, Republicans in the legislature will agree to allow California voters to decide whether we extend currently existing taxes or make deeper cuts to our parks.” 

The State Parks had three main goals when forming the method to close down the parks. The goals are to protest the most significant natural and cultural resources, maintain access to the parks for the public for as long as possible and to protest the closed parks, making sure that they are still attractive and usable in the future.  

Here is the complete list of all 70 parks that will close after the summer.

Anderson Marsh SHP 

Annadel SP 

Antelope Valley Indian Museum 

Austin Creek SRA 

Bale Grist Mill SHP 

Benbow Lake SRA 

Benicia Capitol SHP 

Benicia SRA 

Bidwell Mansion SHP 

Bothe-Napa Valley SP 

Brannan Island SRA 

California Mining & Mineral Museum 

Candlestick Point SRA 

Castle Crags SP 

Castle Rock SP 

China Camp SP 

Colusa-Sacramento River SRA 

Del Norte Coast Redwoods SP 

Fort Humboldt SHP 

Fort Tejon SHP 

Garrapata SP 

George J. Hatfield SRA 

Governor's Mansion SHP 

Gray Whale Cove SB 

Greenwood SB 

Grizzly Creek Redwoods SP 

Hendy Woods SP 

Henry W. Coe SP 

Jack London SHP 

Jug Handle SNR 

Leland Stanford Mansion SHP 

Limekiln SP 

Los Encinos SHP 

Malakoff Diggins SHP 

Manchester SP 

McConnell SRA 

McGrath SB 

Mono Lake Tufa SNR 

Morro Strand SB 

Moss Landing SB 

Olompali SHP 

Palomar Mountain SP 

Petaluma Adobe SHP 

Picacho SRA 

Pio Pico SHP 

Plumas-Eureka SP 

Point Cabrillo Light Station 

Portola Redwoods SP 

Providence Mountains SRA 

Railtown 1897 SHP 

Russian Gulch SP 

Saddleback Butte SP 

Salton Sea SRA 

Samuel P. Taylor SP 

San Pasqual Battlefield SHP 

Santa Cruz Mission SHP 

Santa Susana Pass SHP 

Shasta SHP 

South Yuba River SP 

Standish-Hickey SRA 

Sugarloaf Ridge SP 

Tomales Bay SP 

Tule Elk SNR 

Turlock Lake SRA 

Twin Lakes SB 

Weaverville Joss House SHP 

Westport-Union Landing SB 

William B. Ide Adobe SHP 

Woodson Bridge SRA 

Zmudowski SB