California is set to open its first new state park in nearly a decade on June 12, 2023. The park, known as Dos Rios, is located in the San Joaquin Valley near the confluence of the Tuolumne and San Joaquin rivers.
The 1,600-acre park will offer visitors a glimpse of the valley’s waterways before agriculture, but many activities and amenities will be added in the future. Visitors can currently enjoy guided hikes and use picnic tables and shade structures, with plans for biking, swimming, fishing, and nonmotorized boating in the works.
The park’s name is still to be determined, and an official grand opening is planned for later this year.
The Dos Rios property was formerly a dairy and cattle ranch, with a series of berms separating the rivers from the rest of the land. In 2012, the California conservation nonprofit River Partners acquired the property and began a restoration project. The berms were removed in 2018, and the property was transferred to the state in 2023.
A River Partners analysis of the property found species including riparian woodrat, Swainson’s hawk, least Bell’s vireo, yellow warbler, sandhill crane, and “an entire suite of neotropical migratory songbirds.” In waters near the restoration site, River Partners has documented spawning Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, and white sturgeon.
The park is neighbored by the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge.
The Dos Rios park will be the 281st unit in California’s state park system, which covers nearly 1.4 million acres and includes almost 15,000 campsites and 3,000 miles of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails.
