Highlights the discovery and creation of California's state parks system and profiles the individuals and groups whose passion helped preserve and protect them for future generations, including John Muir. The episode takes viewers on a scenic, cultural and historical tour of California's state parks, highlighting key events and historic places that are crucial chapters of the California story, including Spanish colonists at Old Monterey, fortune seekers in Gold Country, the ill-fated Donner Party, and native tribes on the North Coast.