Brannan Island State Recreation Area - California

Brannan Island State Recreation Area is implementing a service reduction plan in order to meet budget reductions the Department is facing this fiscal year. In order to realize significant savings to help meet this budget reduction while limiting impacts to the many visitors who enjoy our State Parks, park days of operation will be reduced starting November 1, 2009. We sincerely regret any inconvenience.

Effective November 1, 2009 the park will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays

Camping will not be available on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights.

Park will be open Wednesday – Sunday from Sunrise to Sunset

Windy Cove and Delta Meadows parking areas and restrooms will be closed until further notice.

Brannan Island State Recreation Area is a maze of waterways through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This park northeast of San Francisco Bay, has countless islands and marshes with many wildlife habitats and many opportunities for recreation, including boating, windsurfing and swimming.

One of the outstanding water-oriented recreation areas in the world, the area offers great fishing, including striped bass, sturgeon, catfish, bluegill, perch and bullhead. Frank’s Tract, a protected wetland marsh, is home to beaver, muskrat, river otter, mink and 76 species of birds.

Location - Directions

The park is on Highway 160 a few miles south of the city of Rio Vista in Sacramento County. The park is located on the lower peninsular extension of Brannan Island, and is surrounded by the Sacramento River on the west, Three Mile Slough on the southeast, and Seven Mile Slough on the northeast.

Facilities

The park has a six lane launch ramp, over 140 campsites and areas for picnicking and swimming.

Visitor Center

The Visitor Center is open Saturday and Sunday and can open by arrangement with the park staff. Inside are displays on the cultural and natural history of the Delta. A large interactive map of the bay area and Delta is the most fascinating attraction. A small sales area in the Visitor Center offers brochures, maps and unique gift items.

Day Use Areas

Day use areas include the Windy Cove windsurfing access, the group picnic area located at the Ramadas, and Seven Mile Slough picnic area. The group picnic facility and Seven Mile Slough day use area close at sunset. Windy Cove closes at the hour posted at the entrance road to Windy Cove.

Seven Mile Slough picnic area includes picnic tables, barbecues and drinking water. New restroom facilities were completed late in 1997 and include flush toilets and outdoor cold showers. Seven Mile Slough's swim beach has lifeguards from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Ample parking is close to the beach.

The Ramadas have shaded picnic structures with large barbecues, picnic tables, water and trash receptacles. A large open grassy area is adjacent to the site for games. The closest restroom to the Ramadas is located north of the swim beach along Seven Mile Slough.

Alcohol

In all of these day use areas possession and consumption of alcoholic beverages are prohibited.

Dogs

At Seven Mile Slough and Windy Cove, beaches are off limits to dogs. Dogs are allowed in the picnic area north of the restrooms, along Seven Mile Slough. Dogs must be on leash and in the owners control at all times.

When to Visit

The park is a high use recreation area which receives heavy use from May through October. The late fall, winter and early spring months are much slower paced at the park and offer some of the best fishing opportunities of the year.

Seasons/Climate Recommended Clothing

The climate in the Delta is mild, with winter temperatures usually ranging between 45 and 55 degrees and summer temperatures between 75 and 95. An occasional heat wave will push the temperatures in summer to 100 degrees or more but the Delta breeze is never far away.

Wi-Fi Service

Brannan Island Recreation Area now offers ATandT Wi-Fi Service! Thisservice enables park visitors with wireless enabled laptop computers or personal digital assistants (PDAs) to access the Internet. You can access this service if you are within a 150 foot range base of the Sector Office. For more information about this service please see January 19, 2005, News Release.