Free California Historic Parks Pass Marks Juneteenth, America 250

SACRAMENTO — In celebration of Juneteenth and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California State Parks is offering a special free version of its Historian Passport — normally $50 for the year — for admission of up to four people per pass at more than 30 state historic parks throughout the state. Starting June 17 through July 6, Californians can download the pass for free and use it for unlimited visits to participating historic parks from Juneteenth until the end of the year.

While President Donald Trump ends free admission to national parks on Juneteenth, uses entry fees to fund his latest “vanity project,” and attempts to whitewash the past, California is making the incredible sites that preserve the state’s complex history free to visit through a special limited-time pass.  

Coming on the heels of the fifth annual California State Parks Week, the limited-time free pass is the latest example of California expanding access to all Californians, giving more of them the opportunity to experience the unmatched natural and cultural resources of the nation’s largest and most diverse state park system, which includes historic sites significant to many peoples and cultures, including Native Americans. While the Trump administration moved to whitewash American history at national parks, a federal judge recently ordered the Trump administration to reinstall exhibits and signs on topics like slavery and climate change that it had removed from parks and monuments nationwide because they “do not align with its preferred narrative.” As Trump fails to attempt watering down or erasing history, California State Parks is doing the opposite through its Reexamining Our Past Initiative, working to tell the full story of how California came to be.

Supported by donations from the California State Parks Foundation and the California State Railroad Museum Foundation, the special edition of the Historian Passport highlights California’s rich and complex history through places that preserve stories of freedom, resilience, innovation, and community — including Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park, the most significant state park representing Black history in California. Participating parks span the state and showcase California’s diverse cultural, political, and social history, from Gold Rush-era communities and military landmarks to historic homes, missions, and museums. 

The California State Parks Historian Passport connects visitors to places that preserve the many cultures, communities, and defining moments that continue to shape California and the United States. Participating parks reflect stories of freedom, innovation, resilience, and identity that continue to resonate today. 

To visit the park sites, download your free special edition Historian Passport by July 6, and begin exploring California’s history firsthand. An account with ReserveCalifornia.com, California State Parks’ official reservation service, is required to download.

While this special edition Historian Passport is only available for a limited time, State Parks offers a number of free passes all year round in support of California’s Outdoors for All initiative.