Our Mission Fremont The mission of the Department of Parks and Recreation is to provide for the health, inspiration and education of the Peak people of California by helping to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and State Park cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation. t the peak, visitors A enjoy a 360-degree view during the day,

California State Parks supports equal access. and the night sky Prior to arrival, visitors with disabilities who need assistance should contact the park at provides a visual feast the phone number below. To receive this publication in an alternate format, write to for stargazers. the Communications Office at the following address.

CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS P. O. Box 942896 Sacramento, CA 94296-0001 For information call: (800) 777-0369 (916) 653-6995, outside the U.S. 711, TTY relay service www.parks.ca.gov

Discover the many states of California.™

Fremont Peak State Park P.O. Box 787 San Juan Bautista, CA 95045 (831)623-4526 • Observatory: 623-2465

© 2002 California State Parks (rev. 12/2007) Printed on Recycled Paper through canyons and over ridges; trailers or RECREATION vehicles should not exceed 25 feet in length. Visitors and campers can picnic and bird The weather here is changeable. Summer watch among the pine and oak woodlands, temperatures can reach 90 degrees during or walk along four miles of moderate trails. the day, and at night they can drop to as low Twenty oak-shaded primitive campsites as 50 degrees, depending on the fog layer. with views of are available Winter conditions may include dense fog, first-come, first-served, though they ice and occasional snow. It is advisable to can also be reserved. To make group dress in layers. campground reservations or to ensure the availability of a campsite PARK HISTORY at the primitive campground, call Native People 800-444-7275. Guided nature walks For thousands of years sometimes occur during spring, the Ohlone people (also summer and early fall. Be sure to known as “Costanoan”) bring plenty of drinking water. lived here. Ethnographers vary on their numbers, Why is it Called Fremont Peak? but it is known that there In 1846, while California was still were at least 50 villages, part of Mexico, Army Captain John C. John C. Frémont all speaking different dia- Frémont of the Topographic Engi- Poison oak leaves turn red in fall. lects of the Penutian language. neers led an expeditionary force into the In 1769 the people’s lives were disrupted and to the top of Gavilan by the arrival of Spanish missionaries and Peak. Ostensibly, they were there to ex- A t Fremont Peak State Park, spring and fall are the most colorful seasons. At soldiers who came to colonize the area and plore and survey the area, but the group its 3,169-foot peak the magnificent vistas bring the native people into the mission was clearly an armed force. The peak was of Monterey Bay and the Salinas and San system. The next several decades saw a a strategic location—Frémont could see Benito valleys are incomparable. Also drastic decline in the native population due anyone approaching for miles. Long suspi- visible from the peak are the Santa Cruz, to a combination of food shortages, crowded cious of Frémont’s motives, Mexican Com- Diablo and Gavilan Ranges, and the Santa conditions and epidemics of diseases to mandante General José Castro ordered him Lucia Mountains. On a clear day it is pos- which they had no immunity. By 1850 fewer to leave California immediately. In defiance, sible to spot the Sierra Nevada Range. At than ten percent of the Ohlone population Frémont hastily built a log stockade at the night, constellations and galaxies not visible remained. peak and raised a U.S. Interior live in light-polluted city skies dazzle the eye. In 2005 there were about 1,400 Ohlone military flag. oak leaves The 159-acre park is off State Highway 156, people on tribal membership rolls. By However, U.S. about 45 miles from San Jose, or 11 miles studying records of their spoken dialects, Consul Thomas south of San Juan Bautista. The approach on several groups are reviving their traditional O. Larkin in San Juan Canyon Road is paved, but it winds languages. Monterey sent Frémont a hand- delivered letter telling him that he had Mountain Range its Spanish name. The to obey Castro’s orders to leave. In the trees and brush are alive with birds, includ- middle of a windy night, after his flag had ing chickadees, finches, hummingbirds, blown over, Frémont gathered his troops thrushes, and woodpeckers. The lucky visi- and abandoned Gavilan Peak. tor may also see or hear coyotes, snakes, During the Mexican-American war, Fré- deer, bobcats, raccoons and an occasional mont led the California Battalion, but in fox. Contact the park to arrange guided 1847 U.S. General Stephen W. Kearny cen- nature hikes. sured him for his “conduct in California.” The Observatory Frémont was arrested, court-martialed and Although light pollution from urban areas found guilty of mutiny, disobedience and can reduce views of the night sky’s won- conduct to the prejudice of good order Oak trees provided acorns for the Ohlone. ders, on Fremont Peak a coastal marine lay- and military discipline. President James K. er of clouds often masks light from lower Accessible Features Polk later removed the charge of elevations, permitting a splendid Tent Camping: Campsite number 13 in Valley mutiny, and Frémont became view of stars and constellations. View Campground and campsites number a U.S. Senator represent- Volunteer astronomers began 17 and 19 in Oak Point Campground are ac- ing California’s Mariposa giving evening talks at Fre- cessible. A no-flush restroom is nearby (no area. In 1856, he ran mont Peak in 1986. Today, showers). Near the observatory building one unsuccessfully for visitors can enjoy a short accessible no-flush restroom and one parking president. program about the current space are available. A ramp permits entry to The Native Sons night sky and view its starry the main floor exhibits and telescope in the and Daughters of the wonders from the 30-inch observatory but access to the telescope is Golden West placed a observatory telescope. still in the planning stages. commemorative plaque The programs take place from on Fremont Peak in 1926, April through October on Satur- Please Remember and this area became a state day evenings without a full moon. • Operating hours are from 8 a.m. to park in 1936. Alligator lizard Contact the park for dates, times and 1/2 hour after sunset. Wildlife accessibility information. It is best to ar- • Parents are asked to supervise children The northern slopes of Fremont Peak State rive before sunset, because the brightness around the telescopes. Park are covered with manzanita, scrub of vehicle headlights or flashlights will limit • Do not touch any part of any telescope, oak, toyon and coyote brush. On southern observation and disrupt astronomers’ night especially glass optical surfaces, unless the exposures, open grasslands are green in vision. owner instructs you on proper methods. spring and golden brown in summer and The dedication and donations of mem- • If you use a flashlight, cover the end of it fall. bers of the Fremont Peak Observatory with a piece of red cellophane wrapped with a rubber band to hold it in place. Turkey vultures soar above the canyons, Association, in cooperation with California as do the hawks that give the Gavilan State Parks, make these programs possible. Nearby State Park • San Juan Bautista State Historic Park, in San Juan Bautista at 2nd and Washington Streets (831) 623-4881/4526

This park's astronomy program is supported in part through a nonprofit organization. For more information contact: Fremont Peak Observatory Assn. Box 1376 San Juan Bautista, CA 95045 (831) 623-2465 • www.fpoa.net