California State Parks and the Sempervirens Fund, California's first land trust, announced permanent additions to expand Castle Rock State Park in Los Gatos, Calif. The $4.21 million in acquisitions for six properties by State Parks are the first for the agency in the Santa Cruz Park District since 2011 and the first anywhere in the state since 2021. The 222 acres of properties include the Robert C. Kirkwood entrance, which Sempervirens Fund built on land it purchased from a private landowner and opened to the public in 2019, leading to an increase in visitation to the park.

“We are thrilled to be able to work with the Sempervirens Fund in order to expand what’s already an amazing park and make even more of this beautiful redwood forest available to the people of California,” said California State Parks Director Armando Quintero. “California State Parks will continue to protect and preserve these incredible landscapes for the benefit of future generations and the health of the natural systems that sustain us.”

“The purchase of the properties and the permanent expansion of Castle Rock State Park is a testament to the power and commitment of our conservation community in sustaining a vision for natural resource protection and recreation in the Santa Cruz mountains,” said Sempervirens FundExecutive Director Sara Barth. “Castle Rock is a spectacular state park, and we are proud to have been instrumental in its conservation, now and into the future, since we helped established it in 1968.”

Since 1993, Sempervirens Fund has acquired six properties—more than 222 acres of land—along and within the park’s borders to bolster the park’s important habitats and expand its trails and recreational experiences for all to enjoy. These properties range from the land that is home to the park’s new Robert C. Kirkwood entrance on the eastern edge, to a remarkable old-growth redwood forest at the park’s southwest corner near the junction of California Highways 236 and 9.

“Expanding the permanent footprint of Castle Rock State Park is another exciting development for our state park system,” said California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot. “Thanks to the Sempervirens Fund, it’s another great example of how conservation groups and government are partnering to conserve more land and expand recreation for all Californians.”

The full press release can be viewed here.