State parks provide essential resources for outdoor recreation in California.

• According to research from 2008, the average adult Californian participates in some type of outdoor activity during at least 96 days per year.
• California’s state parks support these activities with important recreational resources, including 7,647 picnic sites, 15,000 campsites, and 709 overnight units in an array of tent cabins, rustic cabins, shelters, yurts and bark houses, lodges, motels, and hostels.
• The California Department of Parks and Recreation found in the Survey on Public Opinions and Attitudes on Outdoor Recreation in California that 80% of responders agree/strongly agree that recreation programs help improve health.

Recreation and park facilities help promote social bonds by uniting families, encouraging cultural sensitivity, and supporting seniors and individuals with disabilities.

• Recreation provides us with family and community bonds that last a lifetime.
• Seventy percent of Americans feel that “creating shared experiences that family and friends can bond over” is a major reason to participate in outdoor recreation.

What’s more, Californians agree that outdoor recreation improves quality of life.

• Over 95% of California’s mayors and chambers of commerce believe recreation areas and facilities improve the quality of life in their cities and communities.
• The California Department of Parks and Recreation surveys show that over 65% of Californians felt outdoor recreation was important or very important to the quality of their lives.