SAN DIEGO (KSWB) — A brand new mobile app, launched by the California State Parks Department on Tuesday, will bring augmented reality technology to visitors at some of the state’s most popular parks.
The app, called “Virtual Adventurer,” utilizes virtual reality technology to allow park visitors to interact with nine of the state’s most iconic places, exploring the deep history at each site and natural landscape.
Visitors will be able to journey through immersive stories about nine state parks, experiencing them through downloadable holograms, 3D images and reconstructions.
“We’re excited to launch the Virtual Adventurer app that further provides opportunities for Californians to access the cultural, historic and natural resources found across our beautiful state,” California State Parks Director Armando Quintero said in a press release. “The app also supports and enhances the department’s Reexamining Our Past Initiative by developing content for parks that tells a more complete, accurate and inclusive history of people and places.”
According to state park officials, visitors will be able to experience a range of histories at the touch of a button — from the voyage of an Afro-Latina woman, Maria Jacinta Bastida, who traveled through Anza-Borrego State Park with the Juan Bautista De Anza expedition to the reemergence of Chinatown from the sagebrush at Bodie State Historic Park.
Nine state parks are currently participating in the Virtual Adventurer app program:
- Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
- Bodie State Historic Park
- Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park
- Jack London State Historic Park
- Montaña de Oro State Park
- Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (Oso Flaco Lake)
- Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
- Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
- Sue-meg State Park
“Helping park visitors to create deeper and more meaningful experiences in state parks is vitally important to connecting us all to the rich history of these places,” Parks California Community Engagement Director Myrian Solis Coronel said in the release. “Through this app and emerging digital technology, we hope these tools will help all visitors see themselves as part of these special places and feel a sense of belonging.”
The Virtual Explorer app is now available for download in both the Apple and Android app stories. More experiences spanning the Golden State’s over 280 individual parks will be added in the coming months, according to officials.
