State Park and Recreation Commission formally classifies Wildwood Canyon State Park; the Yucaipa day-use area — open since 2003 — now moves into long-range planning with California State Parks.
Wildwood Canyon was formally classified and named Wildwood Canyon State Park by the State Park and Recreation Commission at its regular meeting on Dec. 17. The designation folds the Yucaipa day-use area — open to hikers, equestrians, and mountain bikers since 2003 — into California State Parks’ portfolio with new planning and stewardship responsibilities attached. The change won’t close trails or alter views from a ridge, but it does set the stage for long-range decisions on access, conservation, and historic resources within the state agency’s authority.
Located about 75 miles east of Los Angeles and roughly 25 miles east of San Bernardino and Riverside, the park is a patchwork of scrub oaks, manzanita, yucca, and chamise with broad views over the surrounding valleys. It sits along the Pacific Flyway and supports more than 100 species of birds across the seasons; terrestrial inhabitants include mule deer, black-tailed jackrabbits, rattlesnakes, and occasional mountain lions, so visitors should treat the place like real country — keep dogs leashed, stay on maintained trails, and be aware at dawn and dusk. The property already serves trail users of multiple kinds and will continue to do so while planners and community partners work through the next phase.
State Parks’ Inland Empire District staff have signaled gratitude for local support and emphasized that the agency will coordinate planning with the public, California Native American tribes, and other stakeholders. That process will produce a cornerstone document and a general plan to guide decisions about recreation, resource protection, and potential restoration projects. There are nine buildings on site, and two of them have been flagged as candidates for nomination to the California Register of Historical Resources. This factor could influence restoration priorities and public access over time.
For anyone who rides or hikes in Wildwood Canyon, the practical bottom line is simple: the trails you know remain, but the park is now entering an era of formal planning backed by the state. Expect public outreach, the posting of planning documents on the park website, and a measured effort to balance visitor access with habitat protection and historic preservation. If you haven’t been, bring water, mind the wildlife, and follow the park’s updates as California State Parks shapes how this landscape will be managed for the years ahead.
You can find out more about our newest park on the California State Parks website HERE.
This month, Grant Grove in Kings Canyon will host the 100th Annual Trek to the Nation’s Christmas Tree. On December 14, assembling at 2 p.m. with the official ceremony beginning at 2:30 p.m. The event honors the General Grant Tree, the long-lived, enormous, and officially recognized “Nation’s Christmas Tree.” December 14 is also a free entrance day at Sequoia and Kings Canyon, so Grant Grove will see heavier foot traffic and limited parking. 
On June 21, 2008 a lightning strike ignited the Basin Complex Fire, a wildfire that swept through 162,818 acres near Big Sur, forcing evacuations, and burning most of the Ventana Wilderness area. The fire destroyed much of the Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park located the western slope of the Santa Lucia Mountains, and severely damaged the Pfeiffer Falls Trail, an easy 1.5 mile out-and-back trail with views of redwoods and Pfeiffer Falls.
2020 was a difficult year for travelers, wanderers, adventurers, and explorers here in California. I did get out – sometimes with groups, sometimes furtively by myself – and was rewarded with solitude, silence, and freedom within the great cathedrals of nature that California offers from the deserts to the beaches, to the mountains and deep forests.
I’m not an introvert. I don’t suffer from Anthropophobia. In fact, I’m quite the social person. I just don’t like people.