Recreation sites in California at the click of a button

California State Parks and GreenInfo Network have created a web portal that makes it dramatically easier for the public to find and get to any kind of open-space and recreational lands in the Golden State.

The FindRecreation website contains data on everything from federal wilderness areas to neighborhood tot lots, with interactive maps and searching.

“We designed FindRecreation to enable people to find parks near home,” Ruth Coleman, director of California State Parks, said in a press release. “We hope Californians will discover the natural wonders of this state, have fun, get some exercise and feel better.”

Here’s how it works. Click here. Enter a home address, city or ZIP code and the site will display a detailed street map or aerial image of every recreational opportunity in the area. By clicking on a particular site, the user can learn more, and get transit or driving directions directly to it.

View any site in an interactive 3D map, using Google Earth technology and high-resolution imagery from Microsoft Bing maps.

For many areas, the site will show available trails (a forthcoming version will also show parking sites, restrooms and viewpoint outlooks). After that, it is all up to the user to get packed and get going.

In addition to parks, Find Recreation also shows the detailed location of more than 1,300 public campgrounds in California. Hikers and backpackers can combine FindRecreation’s 3D map views with camp locations and trails to help plan simple walks or multi-day outings.

The park and open space areas shown in FindRecreation are part of the California Protected Areas Database (CPAD), a GIS inventory created by GreenInfo Network. CPAD has data on more than 15,000 named parks in the state, totaling more than 49 million acres and owned by 860 different public agencies and non-governmental organizations.