June 10, 2025A year ago, California opened its first new state park in more than 10 years—right in the middle of the Central Valley, where wildlands, public access, and outdoor recreation that boosts community health and well-being are in short supply.
“We were looking for opportunities to identify parks in the Central Valley of California next to big rivers and close to park-starved communities,” says California State Parks Director Armando Quintero. “We wanted to create an opportunity locally for people to enjoy where they live.” For years, State Parks was considering restoring an area on their own to turn into a park—that is, until they found River Partners’ Dos Rios Ranch.
For more than a decade, River Partners worked to transform former farmland at Dos Rios Ranch near Modesto into the largest public-private floodplain project in California history. “We are so excited to have launched the first new state park in over a decade at one of our flagship projects, located at the confluence of the Tuolumne and San Joaquin rivers,” says River Partners President Julie Rentner.
Now, one year since opening, Dos Rios is proving to be more than a park: it’s a model for how California can restore rivers, protect communities from flooding, recharge groundwater, and create green space in underserved areas—all at once.
In celebration of the past year, we asked our partners to share what Dos Rios means to them.
“Dos Rios is not just a park. It’s a community treasure that offers peace, adventure, and a vital connection to nature.”
–Julian Morin, California State Parks Interpreter at Dos Rios
“Grayson is a small farming community. There was nothing here before the One-Stop & the United Community Center. Now, with Dos Rios at our backyard, we have a place to gather, to relax, to connect and to learn about nature. We’ve never had that before. The restoration makes us feel safer too, knowing there’s a much lower risk of flooding.”
– Lilia Lomeli-Gil, Grayson community resident and United Community Foundation Co-founder
“This park actually shows people how water can be managed in California. What’s happening here is a 1,600-acre floodplain that is being reconnected to the floodwaters of the San Joaquin and Tuolumne rivers. When water goes into a floodplain and sits, it goes down into the groundwater basin—so it’s literally filling an aquifer that’s beneath your feet and it’s invisible. Dos Rios offers us a concrete example of an abstract idea.”
– Armando Quintero, California State Parks Director
“River Partners, being restoration specialists, looks at places that have been degraded ecologically as places where we can make the most impact—like at the confluence of the San Joaquin and Tuolumne rivers. These places in the Central Valley, where we’re rejuvenating the river and its floodplains and bringing wildlife back, once hosted such an incredible biodiversity of species. Dos Rios is part of the giant Pacific Flyway—hosting arctic birds that fly to the Central Valley in the winter, and a whole host of songbirds that come from Central and South America to nest in the summertime. And most of those species are nearly extinct, but we see them come back to Dos Rios year after year.”
– Julie Rentner, River Partners, President
“For so long, it was illegal for us to practice our culture. But we’re still here, we’re still practicing. With River Partners, we’ve created a Native Use Garden at Dos Rios, a 3-acre space with plants used for Indigenous basketry and other cultural uses. It started small but has come to represent so much more. It’s changing the way people see these landscapes. Restoration isn’t just ecological—it rejuvenates Indigenous culture, and they go hand in hand.”
—Austin Stevenot, Northern Sierra Mewuk & River Partners Director of Tribal Engagement
“Dos Rios opened one year ago in June and has steadily increased public access to the approximately 1,600-acre Dos Rios property. The first two trails at Dos Rios opened November 2024 while work continued to allow for additional recreation opportunities. As growth continues, planning for expanded access for camping, angling, boating, hiking, bicycling, water sports, and other outdoor recreation activities will involve a public-engagement process that includes consultation with area Tribes. We’re inviting the public to help shape the future at Dos Rios and participate in the planning process.”
—Paige Haller, Dos Rios General Manger
“Let’s dream together of what this park will mean for our Central Valley—access, opportunity, exposing our young people to careers in State Parks, partnerships with Modesto Junior College, Stanislaus State, K-12 field trips. No hay fin. Think of all the unsaid healing that this park will bring to our communities, the healing that comes from time spent admiring the awe of mother nature, the healing that comes from simply existing– even if it’s in silence– with loved ones.”
—Diana Avalos, Modesto native and former Senior Program Manager for the First Partner of California
Visit Dos Rios
Since opening in June 2024, nearly 10,000 people have visited Dos Rios. California State Parks is steadily increasing access to the approximately 1,600-acre restored property, and announced this month the opening of five new hiking trails. Combined with the previously-opened trails, there are now more than 16 miles of trails now open for exploring!
Dos Rios is open Friday to Sunday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on select holidays. For trail maps, event details, and planning updates, visit parks.ca.gov/DosRios.
Address: 3559 Shiloh Road, Modesto, CA 95358
In June, Dos Rios will host a slate of special events as part of California State Parks Week, including:
- A guided kayak paddle on the oxbow pond with Tuolumne River Trust (June 11)
- Registration required. Register here.
- A festive celebration of Latino heritage and culture (June 14)
- A community Floodplain Fun Walk or Run to promote mental health and wellness (June 15)
Additional Information:
- California State Parks Press Release: “Dos Rios Opens Additional Trails and Expands Outdoor Recreation Opportunities Beginning Friday, June 6“
Recent Dos Rios News:
What A Single Plant Reveals about Healing Land and Culture
