California Adventure 1.0 was a little confusing. There were big, clearly defined lands, like Paradise Pier and Sunshine Plaza. And then there were weird, little lands that were sometimes referred to as their own thing, and sometimes referred to as part of the larger “Golden State” region. Golden State was the most “California” part of California Adventure, focused on California’s natural resources and landscapes. The concept art for this area varies wildly; from quite realistic depictions to just imaginative art that looks nothing like a theme park. Let’s take a peek at some of it.
First, a bird’s eye view of the Grizzly Peak area.
 Source: Sasaki Time
I obviously don’t have a direct comparison shot from this angle, but if you take a look at some of my Grizzly Peak related posts, you’ll see this is a decent depiction of the end result. The waterway is obviously quite a big smaller, the mountain isn’t that far out in the distance, and the water spouts don’t jump quite that high. But the spirit of it is right on the money.
In the area that is now Avengers Campus, Golden State featured a farm space called Bountiful Valley Farm.
 Source: Insights and Sounds
The tractors, posters, and strung lights all appeared int he final product, but it wasn’t as cute and green as the concept art depicted. A lot of the land was fairly open space, and I doubt you’d ever have seen crowds like in the art, as the land was never very popular.
One of the really clear concept to final product transitions is within the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. In the concept art, you can see the swinging bridges, amphitheater area, slide, rock formations, and massive redwood you can walk through.
 Source: Pinterest
The style of the treehouses, rough scale of the natural elements, and surrounding rock features are dead ringers for the final product.
Over in the Pacific Wharf area, the waterway looks like a Norman Rockwell painting. The varied rooflines, rocky shore, and chimneys all came to fruition, but you won’t see nearly as much waterfront walking space in real life as you do in the concept art.
 Source: Pinterest
I do think Pacific Wharf would’ve benefitted from a little more waterfront accessibility, but the area definitely captures the spirit of cannery row and looks like a real street. Thankfully, you won’t get chased by a massive flock of seagulls like the concept art may suggest.
Across the park in the Condor Flats section, the concept art suggests a super industrial air field with a big plane, big hangars, and close contact with the Monorail. This concept art is probably the most far removed from the final product.
 Source: MiceChat
This isn’t a 1:1 angle, but it’s close. You’ll see there really are no large hangars, and the plane is quite small, off to the side, and not something you can climb into. The Monorail is also set back, so there’s no illusion that it’s cutting right through the buildings as you walk by.
And finally, back in the Grizzly Peak section, the concept art for the Grizzly River Run looks like something a cute cartoon bear family would live in. The central circular loading platform is spot on, with the wider buildings surrounding it to create what almost looks like a moat.
 Source: Disney and More
I never bring my phone or camera on this ride for fear of ruining them when I get soaked, so this is the closest angle I have to the loading area. You can see the buildings look similar to the concept art, and the river flows alongside the buildings leading up to the ride lift.
All in all, I’d say the Golden State concept art is a pretty good representation of the end result. I just found it really strange that the individual art varied so wildly in style, which is quite unusual for a single land. It makes sense that Golden State was chopped up into different parts that didn’t quite fit together, because it started that way on paper!