Visit California State Historic Parks for Free with Special Pass

Folks who have been wanting to visit one of California’s State Historic Parks but haven’t found the time to do so may be in luck, as Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state will be offering a free pass to residents in celebration of Juneteenth and America’s 250th anniversary.

California State Parks will offer a special free version of its Historian Passport, which normally costs $50 and allows guests to visit historic parks an unlimited number of times. The pass will grant admission for up to four guests.

Californians can download the free pass on the California State Parks’ website. The pass is a limited-time offer granting admission from June 17 through July 6.

The History Behind the Celebration

Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the day news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached enslaved people in Texas, officially marks the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger informed the city of Galveston, Texas, that President Abraham Lincoln had freed slaves in southern states two and a half years earlier.

The day was not officially recognized as a federal holiday until 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. However, last year, President Donald Trump removed Juneteenth from a list of free admission days to national parks.

Newsom noted that in addition to celebrating the day, California would be embracing it and learning from it.

“California doesn’t hide from hard truths and uncomfortable history,” Newsom said. “While Trump ignores and tries to rewrite the past, California is marking these celebrations of freedom by inviting everyone to learn our country’s history – our real history – for free in our state parks.”

Which Parks Are Included?

The Historian Passport does not provide access to all of California’s 280 state parks but rather the 52 Historic Park Sites spread across the state.

The special edition passport was supported by donations from the California State Parks Foundation and the California State Railroad Museum Foundation, with the goal of offering Californians the opportunity to explore the state’s rich and complex history.

One park highlighted for visitors is Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park, considered one of the most significant sites representing Black history in California.

“California’s state historic parks preserve some of our nation’s most powerful and meaningful stories, and I’m proud to live in a state that celebrates diversity to connect more people with those stories through this limited-time free pass,” California State Parks Director Armando Quintero said.

“I hope the free Historian Passport introduces more Californians to the state’s historic gems and sparks a curiosity, thirst for knowledge and sense of belonging that leads to many return visits.”

Reporting by Noe Padilla, USA TODAY.