Located 24 miles (39 km) west of Los Banos, California and 20 miles (32 km) east of Gilroy, the park entrance is on Dinosaur Point Road, a short distance from California State Route 152 near Pacheco Pass.

The park is named after Californio ranchero Don Francisco Pérez Pacheco and was created as the last piece of the Rancho San Luis Gonzaga in 1997, five years after it was bequeathed to the state by Paula M. Fatjó.

Historic features in the park include an old line shack used by a cattle company in the 1800s, part of the old Butterfield Stage route and the ruins of the original Pacheco adobe.

Wildlife in the park include tule elk, deer, bobcat, coyote, fox, several varieties of hawks, golden eagles and many smaller animals.

A large part of the park that is closed to the public is devoted to wind turbines that were installed in the 1980s and designed to produce 16.5 megawatts (MW) of electric power.