Great Valley Grasslands State Park, Nature reserve in Merced County, United States.
Great Valley Grasslands State Park is a nature reserve in Merced County featuring native grasslands, seasonal pools, and wetlands along the San Joaquin River. The park supports many bird and plant species adapted to these water and grassland habitats.
The reserve was created in 1982 by merging two earlier state recreation areas to protect the region's native grasslands. This combination established a larger protected space for the ecosystems that naturally occur here.
Birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts come here to observe migratory birds and rare species that depend on these wetlands and grasslands. The open landscape gives visitors a sense of the natural environment that once covered much of California's interior.
A loop trail of about 6 miles on levee roads allows visitors to explore the park, accessible via Highway 165. The best times to visit are spring and fall when bird migration is active and water levels are higher.
The park lies within the 160,000-acre Grasslands Ecological Area, a patchwork of federal, state and private land where controlled canals reproduce the winter and spring flooding of the old San Joaquin River watershed. It is one of the few remaining San Joaquin Valley sites for the giant garter snake, nearly gone from the valley since 1980.
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