Travel As You Go | Pacheco State Park | One of most visited State Parks

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Pacheco State Park

pacheco state park is the last remaining portion of the mexican land grant, el rancho san luis gonzaga. francisco pacheco and his son juan were granted the property and built the first house in merced county on this land in 1843. the land remained in the pacheco family through five generations until paula fatjo, the great-great granddaughter of francisco pacheco, donated the land in 1992 to be a park for future generations who share her love of animals, horse back riding, history, and unspoiled land. this land has been a horse and a cattle ranch since 1843 and has breath taking views of the central valley to the east and the santa clara valley to the west.among the historic features of the park are an old line shack used by henry miller?s cattle company in the 1800s, part of the old butterfield stage line route, and the remains of the original pacheco adobe. there is also a wind turbine farm which generates enough clean electrical power for 3,500 homes.although the total park area is 6,890 acres only the western 2,600 acres are open for public use at this time.

Wikipedia Summary
Pacheco State Park is a California State Park to the south of Pacheco Pass in the Diablo Range, located mostly in western Merced County, California but extending into southeastern Santa Clara County and near Hollister in San Benito County. Located 24 miles (39 km) west of Los Banos, California and 20 miles (32 km) east of Gilroy, the park entrance is on Dinosaur Point Road, a short distance from California State Route 152 near Pacheco Pass. The park contains 6,890 acres (2,790 ha), though only the western 2,600 acres (1,100 ha) to the west are open to the public. The eastern two-thirds of the park are closed due to an underdeveloped trail system and safety concerns over the numerous wind turbines that are located in the Gonzaga Wind Farm that occupies the area. In 2018, it was announced that the 1980s-era turbines would be replaced with more efficient models, which would increase power production capacity from the original 16.5 megawatts (MW) to as much as 80 MW.

Direction
Pacheco State Park is located 24 miles west of Los Banos or 20 miles east of Gilroy off Highway 152 on Dinosaur Point Road.