Feather River beach and floodplain to become Yuba County’s first state park
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- Feather River Park is planned as Yuba County’s first state park, nearly 2,000 acres.
- The proposed park includes Grays Beach and Star Bend boat launch on the Feather River.
- California officials announced the park as part of State Parks Forward on Earth Day.
A stretch of the Feather River known for its access to recreation and history of flooding has been slotted as the future site of the first state park in Yuba County.
Feather River Park, along the east bank of the river near Olivehurst, is one of three new state parks planned for the Central Valley that Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday through an initiative called State Parks Forward.
The nearly 2,000-acre park pitched for north of Sacramento was christened along with two more proposed parks: San Joaquin River Parkway in Fresno and Madera counties, and Dust Bowl Camp in Bakersfield.
The parks are in the early stages of planning and formation, with California State Parks working to acquire the land that will eventually become the new parks.
“We’re absolutely thrilled about what this is going to bring to the system of state parks in California,” California State Parks director Armando Quintero said of Feather River Park.
The riverside land designated for Feather River Park covers a swath of floodplain, which takes on water when the river swells, and riverfront trails south of Marysville.
The proposed park includes Grays Beach and Star Bend boat launch, each of which lies along the east bank of the river west of Olivehurst and Plumas Lake.
Expanding state parks
The initiative, announced on Earth Day as a state-level counter to Trump administration cuts to the National Park Service, also includes the expansion of some existing parks by 30,000 acres by 2030.
South Yuba River State Park in Nevada County — far upstream of the juncture between the Feather and Yuba rivers north of the planned Feather River Park — recently added 218 acres of adjacent land. That acquisition includes Independence Trail, part of the Rush Creek property donated by the Bear Yuba Land Trust.
“As an organization rooted in this community, we’re proud to see this land permanently protected as part of South Yuba River State Park,” said Erin Tarr, executive director, Bear Yuba Land Trust, in a news release.
“This transfer reflects years of partnership and a shared commitment to conserving critical habitat while ensuring that iconic places like the Independence Trail remain accessible to all, now and into the future.”
Acquiring new parks
State officials targeted the three chosen parks for their locations in the Central Valley, an area lacking proximity to state parks on par with other parts of the state. The sites would offer access to natural features, such as the Feather River and San Joaquin River, not accessible through the existing 280 state parks.
Dust Bowl Camp, currently not open to the public, carries history from Great Depression migrant farming camps, and inspired John Steinbeck’s novel “The Grapes of Wrath.”
“I want to be clear that there’s still a lot of work to be done in bringing these parks and turning them into state park properties,” Quintaro said. “And when we are done with that, we’ll raise the total of state parks in California to 283 state parks. And we’re gonna move quickly.”
Through Senate Bill 630 and Assembly Bill 679, which Newsom signed into law last year, the state will acquire land to grow existing parks at “low to no” cost, said Wade Crowfoot, California Natural Resources Secretary.
“And also, low or no increase in management cost, because these are really, essentially, managing the same park system that existed,” he said.
This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 1:37 PM.
