Here’s How to Get Your Pass
If you’ve been putting off a visit to one of California’s state historic parks because of the entry fee, here’s some good news: for a limited time, you don’t have to pay it.
California State Parks is giving away a special edition of its Historian Passport — normally a $50 annual pass — completely free. The catch? You’ve got to grab it before Monday, July 6. Once you’ve downloaded it, you’re set for the rest of 2026, with unlimited admission for up to four people per vehicle at more than 30 state historic parks scattered across the state.
Summer’s here, the hills are dry, and the Angeles National Forest just elevated fire danger to HIGH. Effective June 12, 2026, a new forest order is in place covering the entire Angeles National Forest and San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, running through December 31, 2026.
It’s that time of year again. If you’ve been following along here, you know I love nothing more than loading up the rig and heading out to some of California’s wide-open BLM lands — but with the dry conditions we’re seeing across the state, the Bureau of Land Management has been rolling out seasonal fire restrictions one field office at a time. So before you plan your next trip, let’s run through what’s changed and where.
Spring and summer are prime time for getting out into California’s backcountry — and they’re also prime time for bears to be on the move. The Bureau of Land Management recently put out a reminder for public lands visitors to brush up on bear safety, and given how much time I spend out exploring (and how much time I hope you do too), it seemed worth passing along and bookmarking for the season.
Of course! Here’s what you need to know: