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3d ago

California Makes Historian Passport Free for Limited Time

State officials say the move is meant to widen access to sites that interpret Indigenous, Black, immigrant, Gold Rush histories.

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Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park. California is offering free admission to more than 30 state historic parks through the end of the year under a limited-time promotion tied to Juneteenth and the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Indian Grinding Rock State Park. California is offering free admission to more than 30 state historic parks through the end of the year under a limited-time promotion tied to Juneteenth and the nation’s 250th anniversary.
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Overview

  • The special-edition Historian Passport, which Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday, is free to download through July 6 and grants entry from Juneteenth through Dec. 31, 2026.
  • Each downloadable pass covers admission for up to four people and allows unlimited visits to participating state historic parks for the remainder of 2026.
  • The pass applies only to designated state Historic Park sites — reported as roughly 52 locations statewide with more than 30 participating in the promotion — not to California’s full roster of about 280 state parks.
  • To obtain the free passport users must create an account and download the PDF from ReserveCalifornia.com, and the promotion was financed in part by the California State Parks Foundation and the California State Railroad Museum Foundation.
  • Officials frame the offer as a Juneteenth and U.S. 250th-anniversary initiative to broaden public engagement with California’s contested histories and to drive more visits and civic education at sites that interpret underrepresented stories.