State Parks COVID-19 Resource Center

Updated: Dec. 31, 2020

Welcome to the California State Parks COVID-19 Resource Center. The department has created this online resource to serve as a one-stop center to find information on park closures and modifications and resources available to partners. Additionally, you will find information on complimentary broadcast-style home learning programs for K-12 students from various park locations across California. Please check this COVID-19 Resource Center webpage regularly, as it will be updated with new information as it becomes available.

California is seeing the largest surge in COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic. If case rates and hospitalizations continue at their current rate, California hospital intensive care units (ICU) will reach or exceed capacity.

On December 3, California issued a Regional Stay at Home Order to stop the surge of COVID-19 cases, prevent a strain on the health care system and help protect critical care for patients. The new order will be implemented regionally once there is less than 15 percent ICU capacity remaining in the following designated regions: Northern California, Bay Area, Greater Sacramento, San Joaquin Valley and Southern California. State Parks will temporarily close campgrounds and keep day use areas currently open to the public accessible in regions impacted by the new order.

Due to the critical need to stop the COVID-19 surge and prevent overwhelming regional ICU capacity, the public is advised that the closure of campground sites may be made with little advance notice. Whether your specific reservation will be canceled depends on whether the selected campground is located within one of the impacted regions. If the campsite is within an impacted region, your reservation will be canceled. Affected reservation holders will be contacted by the state’s reservation system -- ReserveCalifornia -- via email and provided with a refund.

While the Regional Stay at Home Order is asking Californians to stay home as much as possible and for certain sectors to close, the state recognizes that outdoor activity is critical for mental health and physical health. As such, we welcome you to recreate in the outdoors provided that you stay local, plan ahead to find out what is open, wear a face covering, practice physical distancing and avoid gatherings with people outside the immediate household.

For more than 150 years, State Parks has provided opportunities for people from all over the world to connect with families, friends and communities in the nation’s largest state park system. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, for the first time in the history of State Parks, safety measures such as vehicular access closures, full closures and cancellation of reservations have been implemented at this unprecedented scale.

State Parks thanks visitors for their partnership as we collectively enable responsible recreation that protects the health of visitors and the dedicated parks staff.

What is Closed

FULLY CLOSED: Some State Park Units to the Public (View List) – The full closure means there is no public access at these public outdoor spaces on a temporary basis to protect public health from the COVID-19 pandemic. All restrooms are closed, and there are no parking facilities open for visitors, recreational boats or off-highway vehicles. No form of activities is permitted (including sunbathing, walking, jogging or watersports).

Some High Public Use Indoor Facilities – including museums and visitor centers – have been closed until further notice to prevent overcrowding and maintain physical distancing.

Campgrounds:

With California’s Regional Stay at Home Order, campground sites in affected regions will be closed where there is less than 15 percent Intensive Care Unit capacity remaining. This section will be updated with current closure information. To view the current campground closure list, click here.
Affected reservation holders will be contacted by ReserveCalifornia via email and provided with a refund. Cancellation fees are being waived. Reservation cancellations and refunds will be automatic. As such, visitors do not need to take any action. However, please note that due to the volume of visitors affected, the refund process may take some time. State Parks appreciates the patience of the public as it moves through this process.

What is Open

State Parks is working with locals on a phased and regionally driven approach to increase access to park units only where compliance with state and local public health ordinances has been achieved. The public is advised to plan ahead—check the webpage of their local outdoor destination before leaving home to find out if it is open, what new guidelines are in effect and if parking is available.

Campgrounds:

With California’s Regional Stay at Home Order, campground sites in affected regions will be closed where there is less than 15 percent Intensive Care Unit capacity remaining. This section will be updated with current closure information. To view the current campground closure list, click here.
California's recent announcement on the Regional Stay at Home Order triggered by Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capacity will temporarily close campsites in impacted regions. Day use outdoor areas of park units currently open to the public will remain accessible, including trails and beaches. Members of the same household are encouraged to maintain physical and mental health by going to a park to hike, walk, bike ride, off-highway riding or boating, provided that they recreate responsibly by abiding to COVID-19 guidelines.

Visitor Guidelines

Here are some visitor guidelines State Parks has implemented to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 in the outdoors:

Stay Local – Stay close to home to slow the spread of COVID-19. Do not travel if you or someone in your household is sick
Plan Ahead – The COVID-19 pandemic response continues to be dynamic and fluid. Prior to leaving home, check the webpage of the park unit you plan to visit to find out if it is open, if parking is available, and what visitor guidelines are in effect.
Stay Safer at 6 feet – No matter the recreational activity, maintain a physical distance of 6 feet or more. Your guests should only include those within your immediate household. This means no guests or friends, and no gatherings or parties. Visitors are being asked to leave if there are too many people to allow for the required physical distance.
- Boating: Do not raft up to other boaters or pull up onto a beach next to other recreators.
- Off-highway Vehicle Recreation: Do not ride next to others or pull up next to someone else as it could put you in close proximity to others. Stage 10 feet or more from each other during unloading and loading.
Keep Clean – Be prepared. Not all restrooms are open to the public. in some cases, restrooms will be temporarily closed to keep up with cleaning schedules. Bring soap/hand sanitizer. Please pack out all trash. Park units are experiencing heavy use and you can help alleviate the impact on park facilities
Stay Covered – The state requires you wear a face covering when you cannot maintain physical distancing of six feet or more. Individuals must have a face covering with them at all times.

State Parks will continue to monitor visitation and physical distancing across the State Park System and if unsafe conditions develop, park units may close again.

For those with camping reservations not impacted by the Regional Stay at Home Order, the limited Stay at Home Order curfew currently does not have any operational impacts to camping in California’s state parks. Campsites have standard quiet and curfew hours. Additionally, current guidelines within the State Parks System do not allow visitors to congregate with others outside their immediate household.

Safety Measures Implemented to Date

To date, State Parks has temporarily implemented the following safety measures:

Closed some parks fully, meaning all vehicular access, trails and restrooms within these parks are closed.
Some state parks and beaches have no vehicle access, meaning no parking facilities and parking on roadways is prohibited. Some state parks and beaches may have limited vehicle access available.
Some campgrounds are still temporarily closed. Most campgrounds have started to reopen with modifications using this phased and regionally driven approach.
Some museums and visitor centers have started to reopen with limited capacity modifications using this phased and regionally driven approach, meanwhile some remain temporarily closed. Visitors are advised to visit the individual park webpage for additional information.
All events were canceled. New event cancellations or requests to postpone already-approved events are not being accepted at this time.

The department is working with locals on a phased and regionally driven approach to increase access to state park units only where compliance with state and local public health ordinances can be achieved. The reopening of state park units will be made with little advance notice.

Frequently Asked Questions

State Parks understands that outdoor enthusiasts have questions and concerns about the safety measures the department has implemented in the State Park System to slow the spread of COVID-19. It is important for us to keep you informed of our actions. As such, we have developed frequently asked questions (FAQs) – view here. If you do not find the answer to your question, please feel free to email us at info@parks.ca.gov.

Press Releases

Resources

Online Home Learning Programs - In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students (PORTS) is offering new broadcast-style Home Learning Programs for K-12 students from various park locations across California. Connect with a PORTS program today!