It’s Friday. Here are state parks to visit this spring. Plus, why tuna crabs near San Diego are attracting so much attention.
For much of California, it’s shaping up to be a perfect spring weekend. If you’re looking for a way to enjoy the lovely weather, we’re here to help.
California has 280 state parks, beaches, preserves, museums and other sites covering more than a million acres, the largest state park system in the nation. The parks are amazingly diverse, and can be found anywhere from about 230 feet below sea level at the Salton Sea to more than 10,000 feet above at the snowy San Jacinto Peak.
Today we’re recommending five state parks to visit this spring, listed here from north to south:
Stand among the world’s tallest trees.
Near the Oregon border, Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park is home to some of the world’s oldest coastal redwoods, the tallest trees on earth. The park is managed by the state parks department and the National Park Service, and is part of the Redwood National and State Parks complex, a World Heritage Site that protects 45 percent of California’s remaining old-growth redwoods.
See Native American petroglyphs.
For centuries, the Miwok, a people indigenous to Northern California, relied on acorns as a central part of their diet. The Miwok who lived in the Sierra Nevada foothills would smash acorns against limestone, leaving holes in the rock over time. At Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park, about an hour’s drive east of Sacramento, you can see preserved bedrock mortars, as well as hundreds of petroglyphs that were carved into the limestone and are believed to be as much as 3,000 years old.
Enjoy some peace and quiet.
The largest state park in Northern California, Henry W. Coe State Park, is largely undeveloped and therefore perfect for “anyone seeking quiet solitude in a nearly untouched setting,” according to the parks department. In the Diablo Mountain Range southeast of San Jose, the park is a great place for backpackers, equestrians, cyclists and hikers.
Have a taste of California citrus.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, orange groves spread across Southern California in what has been called the state’s “second gold rush.” California Citrus State Historic Park in Riverside showcases the history of the state’s citrus industry and the people who made it possible. You can take free guided tours through groves of navel and Valencia orange, grapefruit and lemon trees.
Rent a historic beachfront cottage.
Along the Orange County coast, Crystal Cove State Park offers the sandy beaches and tide pools that typify a Southern California beach vacation. But the park also includes a charming historic district, originally a seaside colony built in the 1930s and ’40s for vacationers at what was then a private beach. In addition to a few restaurants, the district has 21 quaint beachfront cottages that the public can rent.
The rest of the news
Harvey Weinstein will remain in New York while a court works out whether he stays there to await his rape retrial or is extradited to California to serve out a sentence for a separate rape conviction, The Associated Press reports.
Colleges across the state are disciplining student protesters with penalties more commonly reserved for students who bring assault rifles to campus or assault their peers, The Los Angeles Times reports.
The California Coastal Commission ordered a surf competition to allow a transgender woman to compete in the women’s division, or be in violation of state law, the BBC reports.
Southern California
With fireworks, a marching band and a drone show, the University of Southern California held a hastily arranged hourlong party for graduating students on Thursday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. No direct mention was made of the protests and upheaval on campus that had led to the cancellation of the school’s traditional commencement.
The winner of the Orange County Marathon was disqualified after race officials said he was given water bottles during the race by two men on bicycles, including his father.
Tuna crabs, which are actually lobsters and not crabs or tuna fish, have been spotted on San Diego’s coast.
Northern California
San Francisco announced the next wave of its city-backed initiative to bring pop-up businesses into empty commercial spaces, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Here’s how parents and students reacted to the congressional hearing on antisemitism involving their school leaders in Berkeley, New York City and Montgomery County, Md.
The Sacramento City Unified School District has placed a high school journalism adviser on paid leave after a student newspaper published a quotation of someone praising Adolf Hitler as part of its “overheard on campus” column, The Sacramento Bee reports. The student journalists defended publishing the quotation but expressed regret over the wording of the column. A spokesperson for the union representing the adviser did not immediately comment.
And before you go, some good news
The 12th annual Manhattan Beach Tour de Pier is scheduled to be held on May 19, bringing spin cycling to the beach to raise money for three organizations that work to advance cancer research, Patch reports.
Instructors and celebrity guests will guide riders through five 50-minute sessions at the event. Single cyclists or teams can reserve bikes for an initial fee of $50 each, and are expected to raise at least $700 per bike in backing from contributions from friends and relatives.
The fitness fundraiser typically attracts 10,000 participants and attendees, and has raised more than $12 million, since 2013, officials said.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Soumya
P.S. Here’s today’s Mini Crossword.
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The post Five California State Parks to Visit This Spring appeared first on New York Times.