Time outdoors gives us space to step away from daily pressures. Our public lands offer places to move, breathe, reflect and share meaningful moments with those we care about.
But the benefits go beyond a single walk or hike. Spending time in nature can boost our mood, ease anxiety and nurture our relationships.
All across California, State Parks interpreters, educators, artists and community leaders are inspiring people to discover new places and deepen their connection to the world around them. Sometimes that spark comes through art, sometimes under the open sky and sometimes it starts in a classroom.
Arts in California Parks grants program, launched by California State Parks and administered through Parks California, funds community organizations, tribal groups, local governments and nonprofits to bring community arts events and experiences into regional and local parks across the state. The premise sounds simple. The impact is profound.
Through its Re-examining Our Past initiative, California State Parks is working to make sure the histories within these lands are told accurately, including the histories of the California Native American tribes who have called this land home since time immemorial, long before the creation of California state parks.
A field trip that sparks a new career path. A kayak paddle down the Los Angeles River. A circus workshop in the park down the street. However people first meet California’s parks, that first experience can be the one that lasts.
Getting outside to soak up California’s sunshine is one of life’s simple joys. When we all care for California’s parks and public lands, together, we help these special places thrive for everyone, now and into the future.
On summer weekends, thousands of people gather along the South Yuba River, swimming in clear pools, hiking forest trails and soaking up one of California’s true natural treasures.
But the Yuba River is more than just a favorite spot. It’s one of California’s most important and storied rivers, full of life and history.
For generations, field trips have sparked curiosity and helped students connect classroom lessons to the world around them. Today, California State Parks and our partners provide a modern, 21st-century model to make sure every student feels welcome and inspired by California’s natural wonders.
In the heart of Los Angeles, just a short walk from Chinatown and the downtown high rises, Los Angeles State Historic Park is a living story of movement, change and community. What we see today as a vibrant urban green space has been shaped over generations by people who cared for this land — from Indigenous stewardship and early agriculture to railroads, industry and passionate community advocacy.
At Angel Island, history is embedded in the landscape — in the arrivals, the waiting and the journeys that brought people across the Pacific. Cynthia Pu, an Angel Island State Park interpreter, helps share with visitors the lived experiences of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities whose resilience and hope have shaped both this special place and the story of California.
