Fresno County’s San Joaquin River Parkway grows into 22-mile corridor

The San Joaquin River Parkway is being built as a 22-mile system of parks, trails and open space from Friant Dam to State Highway 99, with more than 4,000 acres already assembled and more than five miles of multi-purpose trail on the ground. For Fresno County, it is a public access corridor, a habitat project and a long-term land-use buffer all at once, backed by more than $175 million committed to the Parkway itself and another $350 million committed to the broader river restoration effort.

What the 22-mile corridor covers

The Parkway is not one single park with one gate. It is a stitched-together corridor along the San Joaquin River, built site by site since the mid-1980s to connect river access, open space and trail travel between Friant and the edge of Fresno. The riverfront has been under pressure from growth for decades, especially in the Fresno and Madera areas where development was moving toward the floodplain. Residents use the corridor for walking, biking, fishing, paddling and school programming.

Where to enter the Parkway

Access is spread across multiple sites. Some entries are focused on fishing and paddling, others on education and trail connection, and some on habitat and quiet river use.

• Friant Cove, in the town of Friant, is the most straightforward public entry point. It is free, open daily, and functions as a park-and-ride and fishing access point. The site includes a hand-carried canoe launch, picnic tables and restrooms, and it is owned by the San Joaquin River Conservancy and managed by California State Parks and Millerton Lake State Recreation Area.

• River Center serves as a community-facing hub. It was deeded to the community by Vulcan Materials Company in April 2001 and now offers cultural and natural history exhibits, programs, gardens and links to pedestrian and bike trails.

• K'uik'ui Ranch, pronounced Kwik-kwee, formerly known as Ball Ranch, is a 358-acre natural area with pond access next to Running River Ranch along the river. It is operated by the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust in agreement with the State of California San Joaquin River Conservancy.

• The Lewis S. Eaton Trail is an access route on the city side of the Parkway. A 2.4-mile extension, along with parking access, is part of a $5.55 million City of Fresno project that pushes the river connection farther into the urban edge and makes the Parkway easier to reach from neighborhoods north of the city.

How the Parkway grew out of development pressure

Its history begins with pressure from development in the Fresno and Madera areas in the mid-1980s, when poorly planned subdivisions were moving toward the river’s floodplain. In 1986, concerned citizens formed the San Joaquin River Committee to push for protection and long-term planning, creating the civic base that later helped shape the Parkway.

The California Legislature created the San Joaquin River Conservancy in 1992 through the San Joaquin River Conservancy Act, giving the region a state-backed body to create the Parkway and protect the river’s biological diversity and natural and cultural resources.

The San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust's mission is to preserve and restore San Joaquin River lands of ecological, scenic or historic significance, educate the public about stewardship, research issues affecting the river and promote educational, recreational and agricultural uses of the river bottom that protect river resources.

Who governs it and why the politics matter

The Conservancy board is a 16-member body created under state law. The board includes a vacant Tribal Representative position, and the City of Fresno has two members appointed to it.

Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula secured $15 million in operations funding for the Parkway in 2021, and in 2024 he criticized how those funds were being spent. More recently, the City of Fresno received a $5.55 million grant for the Lewis S. Eaton Trail extension project, and the city and the Conservancy secured $2 million in federal funding for improvements along the river.

What daily use looks like

Families, school groups and volunteers already use the Parkway. In 2020, the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust stewarded 4,716 acres and recorded 26,243 visitors to Trust properties. Its River Camp has served Valley children for more than 30 years with counselors, lifeguards, canoeing, wildlife exploration and swimming.