An hour drive north, just about 30 miles from Oakland, nestled along the Carquinez Strait, you can find Benicia Capital State Historic Park, with a beautiful setting, surrounded by water, and two grand white pillars marking the entrance of the building. It’s one of dozens of California historic parks.
In honor of the United States 250th anniversary and Juneteenth, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a special free annual pass to California’s state historic parks. The Historian Passport, as it is known, will offer free admission to 33 California historic state parks.
The passport, which typically costs $50 a year, offers unlimited visits for up to four people per pass, can be downloaded here, after creating a state parks log-in, until July 6. The pass is good for a year.
“California doesn’t hide from hard truths and uncomfortable history – in fact, we embrace it and learn from it,” Newsom said in announcing the free pass. “While Trump ignores and tries to rewrite the past, California is marking these celebrations of freedom by inviting everyone to learn our country’s history – our real history – for free in our state parks.”
The comment appeared to be a swipe at President Donald Trump for his March 2025 executive order, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” That order required to remove “improper ideology” that might “undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light.”
“For generations, Black Americans were excluded from public spaces and denied access to the opportunities and experiences that others enjoyed,” said Senator Akilah Weber Pierson, chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus. “By widening access to California’s historic state parks to more families, we help ensure that public lands are places where everyone can learn and benefit from.”
Day trips
Among the 33 historic parks covered by the free pass are several within reach on a day trip from Oakland.
Jack London State Historic Park
Jack London State Historic Park. Credit: Brian Baer/California State Parks
Just an hour from downtown Oakland, on the way to Santa Rosa, you can take a tour of Jack London’s ranch, visit his grave site, and peek into the cottage where “The Call of the Wild” author wrote. Then take a one-mile walk to a dam, lake, and bathhouse built by London. Other hikes lead up through fir and oak woodlands to views of the Valley of the Moon.
Olompali State Historic Park. Credit: Brian Baer/California State Parks
The Coast Miwok inhabited a site off San Pablo Bay dating back as far as 6,000 BC through the early 1850s. A “kitchen rock” is still visible — a large boulder used as a mortar for grinding acorns and seeds. The park overlooks the Petaluma River and San Pablo Bay and has several archaeological and nature trails.
Benicia Capital State Historic Park
Benicia Capitol State Historic Park. Credit: Brian Baer/California State Parks
Just an hour north, across the Benicia-Martinez Bridge, you can see the residency of an upper middle-class family from the mid-1800s through 1968 this place is for you. The building served as the state capitol for two years in the 1850s and is the only pre-Sacramento Capitol that survives.
Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park
Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park. Credit: Brian Baer/California State Parks
This park preserves one of the most prosperous private estates established during the Mexican period in Northern California, a large adobe building dating back to the 1830s, complete with historical furniture and tools.
Weekend trips
If you’re ready for a longer day of driving or an overnight, a range of free-entrance options await.
Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park
Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park. Credit: Brian Baer/California State Parks.
This park, east of Sacramento, is home to North America’s largest collection of bedrock mortars and California’s largest roundhouse still used by Native Americans.
Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park
Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park. Credit: Brian Baer/California State Parks
Even farther along, toward Grass Valley, is a park commemorating the spot where James Marshall first discovered gold in 1848, setting off the Gold Rush. It’s considered one of California’s most important historic sites.
Fort Ross State Historic Park. Credit: Brian Baer/California State Parks.
You’ll find this former Russian settlement and fort just two and a half hours up the California coast — the southernmost of the Russian colonies, dating back to 1812. With spectacular ocean views and unique historical artifacts not found elsewhere in the state.
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