{"id":377142,"date":"2026-06-27T10:49:30","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T10:49:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/377142\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T10:49:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T10:49:30","slug":"california-historic-parks-beckon-how-to-get-a-free-pass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/377142\/","title":{"rendered":"California historic parks beckon. How to get a free pass"},"content":{"rendered":"

An hour drive north from Berkeley, less than 30 miles from downtown, 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 to its historic building. It\u2019s one of dozens of California historic parks.<\/p>\n

In honor of the United States 250th anniversary and Juneteenth, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a special free annual pass to California\u2019s state historic parks. The Historian Passport, as it is known, will offer free admission to 33 California historic state parks<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The passport, which typically costs $50 a year, offers unlimited visits for up to four people per pass. It can be downloaded here<\/a>, after creating a state parks log-in, until July 6. The pass is good for a year.<\/p>\n

\u201cCalifornia doesn\u2019t hide from hard truths and uncomfortable history \u2013 in fact, we embrace it and learn from it,\u201d Newsom said in announcing the free pass. \u201cWhile Trump ignores and tries to rewrite the past, California is marking these celebrations of freedom by inviting everyone to learn our country\u2019s history \u2013 our real history \u2013 for free in our state parks.\u201d<\/p>\n

The comment appeared to be a swipe at President Donald Trump for his March 2025 executive order, \u201cRestoring Truth and Sanity to American History.\u201d That order required national parks to remove \u201cimproper ideology\u201d that might \u201cundermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFor generations, Black Americans were excluded from public spaces and denied access to the opportunities and experiences that others enjoyed,\u201d Senator Akilah Weber Pierson, chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus, said in a statement. \u201cBy widening access to California\u2019s historic state parks to more families, we help ensure that public lands are places where everyone can learn and benefit from.\u201d<\/p>\n

Day trips <\/p>\n

Among the 33 historic parks covered by the free pass are several within easy reach on a day trip from Berkeley.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jack London State Historic Park<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Jack London State Historic Park. Credit: Brian Baer\/California State Parks<\/p>\n

Just an hour from downtown Berkeley, on the way to Santa Rosa, you can take a tour of Jack London\u2019s ranch, visit his grave site, and peek into the cottage where \u201cThe Call of the Wild\u201d author wrote. Then take a one-mile walk to a dam, lake, and a bathhouse built by London. Other hikes lead up through fir and oak woodlands to views of the Valley of the Moon.<\/p>\n

Olompali State Park<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Olompali State Historic Park. Credit: Brian Baer\/California State Parks<\/p>\n

The Coast Miwok inhabited areas around this site off San Pablo Bay dating back as far as 6,000 BC through the early 1850s. A \u201ckitchen rock\u201d is still visible \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

Benicia Capital State Historic Park<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Benicia Capitol State Historic Park. Credit: Brian Baer\/California State Parks<\/p>\n

Just an hour north from the city, across the Benicia-Martinez Bridge, you can see the residence where a wealthy family lived from the mid-1800s through 1968. The building served as the state capitol for two years in the 1850s and is the only pre-Sacramento capitol that survives.<\/p>\n

Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park<\/a> <\/p>\n

\"\"Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park. Credit: Brian Baer\/California State Parks<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Weekend trips <\/p>\n

If you\u2019re ready for a longer day of driving or an overnight stay, a range of free-entrance options await.<\/p>\n

Indian Grinding Rock<\/a> State Historic Park<\/p>\n

\"\"Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park. Credit: Brian Baer\/California State Parks.<\/p>\n

This park, east of Sacramento, is home to North America\u2019s largest collection of bedrock mortars and California\u2019s largest roundhouse still used by Native Americans.<\/p>\n

Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park<\/a> <\/p>\n

\"\"Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park. Credit: Brian Baer\/California State Parks<\/p>\n

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\u2019s considered one of California\u2019s most important historic sites.<\/p>\n

Fort Ross State Historic Park<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Fort Ross State Historic Park. Credit: Brian Baer\/California State Parks. <\/p>\n

You\u2019ll find this former Russian settlement and fort just two and a half hours up the California coast \u2014 the southernmost of Russia\u2019s North American colonies, dating back to 1812. It has spectacular ocean views and unique historical artifacts not found elsewhere in the state.<\/p>\n

We know that most readers don’t get to the end of the article. But you did! To support our in-depth, rock-solid reporting, please consider making a donation to our nonprofit newsroom today. We rely on our readers \u2014 particularly the ones who read the whole story!<\/p>\n

“*” indicates required fields<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An hour drive north from Berkeley, less than 30 miles from downtown, nestled along the Carquinez Strait, you…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":377143,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8,2465,2466],"class_list":["post-377142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-home-highlight","tag-home-lead"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=377142"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377142\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/377143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=377142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=377142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=377142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}