California State Parks

California State Parks
Agency overview
Formed1864 (First State Park)
1927 (Bureaucratic Forming) [1]
Headquarters715 P St, Sacramento, California
Employees1,451 permanent staff, 1,416 seasonal (2016-17)[2]
Annual budget$1.039 billion (2023)[3]
Agency executive
  • Armando Quintero[4], Director
Parent agencyCalifornia Natural Resources Agency
Websiteparks.ca.gov

The California State Parks is the state park system for the U.S. state of California. The system is administered by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, a department under the California Natural Resources Agency. The California State Parks system is the largest state park system in the United States.[5]

California State Parks administers 279 separate park units on 1.4 million acres (5,700 km2), with over 280 miles (450 km) of Californian coastline; 625 miles (1,006 km) of lake and river frontage; nearly 15,000 campsites; and 3,000 miles (4,800 km) of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails. Headquartered in Sacramento, park administration is divided into 21 districts.

  1. ^ "State Parks Celebrating 150 Years. State of California". State Parks Celebrating 150 Years. State of California. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  2. ^ "State Park System Statistical Report". CA.gov. State of California. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  3. ^ California State Parks - 2023 Governor’s Budget
  4. ^ California State Parks - Director Armando Quintero
  5. ^ "Contact Us." California Department of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved on May 18, 2013.