More than 85,000 acres of magnificent desert are open for off-highway exploration and recreation within the boundaries of Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area. Ocotillo Wells SVRA is operated by California State Parks. To the south and east large tracts of BLM land (U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management) are also open to off-highway vehicles. The western boundary and part of the northern boundary of Ocotillo connect with the half-million acre Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, which is closed to off-highway recreation, but open to exploration by highway-legal vehicles along established primitive roads.
Category Archives: State Parks
From the California State Parks Foundation:
Give thanks for your favorite state parks by volunteering with Park Champions. Help us repair popular hiking trails at Chino Hills or Wildwood Canyon, improve habitat by removing invasive plants at Silver Strand, or help with general park maintainence and CAMP FOR FREE at Palomar Mountain.
Chino Hills State Park
Saturday, November 16, 9:00am to 1:00pm
Help us make improvements to the Easy Street Trail. Teens 14 and up welcome with a legal guardian. See a map here.
Silver Strand State Beach
Saturday, December 7, 9:00am to 1:00pm
This family friendly workday is part of an ongoing project to restore valuable beach dune habitat at Silver Strand. Kids 10 and up welcome with a legal guardian. See a map here.
Palomar Mountain State Park
Sunday, December 8, 9:00am to 1:00pm
This workday will focus on general park maintenance. Teens 14 and up welcome with a legal guardian. FREE CAMPING available Saturday night. See a map here.
The State Park and Recreation Commission, in conjunction with the Parks Forward Initiative, is conducting public workshops throughout the state during September and October 2013. The workshops are being conducted to gather new ideas on how to improve efficiency, create financial sustainability, and better leverage partnerships within California State Parks. All of the meetings are webcast live on www.cal-span.org and archived on that site as well.
The California State Parks Foundation continues to push for better policies and legislation that will protect California’s park system. If you haven’t read through their Park Excellence Project, you really should.
From the CSPF website:
California’s state park system is at a crossroads. As a system, California’s state parks have persisted even in the face of challenging and shifting political, social, and environmental priorities. Yet, after more than a century of leading the way in preserving and protecting precious resources, today’s pressures – including proposals for wholesale shutdowns, current and indefinite closures, a $1.2 billion deferred maintenance backlog, and more – are the most challenging the system has ever seen.
CSPF’s Discretionary Grants Committee met September 11 and awarded 10 grants totaling $49,743 to benefit a number of California’s state parks. The organizations that received grants include:
- Anza-Borrego Foundation, $6,000 to support an expanded outreach campaign to increase visitation to the park, participation in park programs and activities, and park stewardship.
- Benicia State Parks Association, $800 to support a Volunteer Appreciation Event.
- California State Railroad Museum Foundation, $5,000 to support upgrades and enhancements to its website to increase park visitorship and engagement in park programs, activities, and stewardship.
- Coastside State Parks Association, $5,000 to expand and repair the boardwalk at Año Nuevo State Park to make the park and viewing of the elephant seals more accessible to all visitors. Continue reading