State parks in and near Stanislaus have three ways to get in free. This one just expanded
California State Parks has expanded one of three programs that provide free admission.
It involves the Adventure Pass, available to fourth-grade students and teachers and their families. The program went from 19 to 54 eligible parks and now includes Calaveras Big Trees and Railtown 1897, both an easy drive east from Stanislaus County.
The department also offers free admission to 200-plus parks to low-income people and to anyone who picks up a pass at a county library.
The passes are for park entry only. Other activities, such as the train excursions from Railtown in Jamestown, have fees.
The Adventure Pass added parks just before the start of Thanksgiving weekend. It is open to students who are in the fourth grade between Sept. 1 of this year and next Aug. 31. Parents or guardians can obtain the passes at www.parks.ca.gov/adventurepass.
State Parks Director Armando Quintero explained the purpose in a news release: “The curriculum being taught in fourth grade about history, natural and social sciences make providing fourth-graders with free state park access a great supplement to the lessons being taught to them in school.”
Other free-admission programs
County library branches around the state have an average of 24 passes to lend. They require a library card.
The annual Golden Bear pass provides free entry for low-income residents. They include families in the CalWORKs assistance program, individuals getting Supplemental Security Income, and qualifying people 62 or older.
Details on obtaining the library and low-income passes, and on which parks accept them, are at www.reservecalifornia.com.
A dozen state parks are in or near Stanislaus. They include Turlock Lake State Recreation Area, which remains closed while a new operator is sought.
Another park is coming to Dos Rios Ranch, where the Tuolumne and San Joaquin rivers meet. It could have initial public services sometime in 2024.
Columbia has no entry fee
Columbia State Historic Park is the only nearby site without an entry fee. Visitors do pay for activities such as gold panning and stagecoach rides.
Other parks in the area:
Caswell: Along the Stanislaus River west of Ripon
Hatfield: Along the Merced River east of Newman
McConnell: Along the Merced near Livingston
Coe: Far up in the hills that straddle Stanislaus and Santa Clara counties
San Luis Reservoir: On Highway 152 west of Los Banos
Pacheco: Farther west on 152 after San Luis
Great Valley Grasslands: On Highway 165 south of Hilmar.
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