… One day, according to a master plan, green spaces that straddle the water and form the 22-mile San Joaquin River Parkway will be connected with trails and offer visitors more ways to safely, legally and comfortably get to the water. The San Joaquin River Conservancy, formed in the early 1990s to create the parkway, has acquired some of the properties it needs to make that possible. But today, many of the conservancy-owned lands are tagged with “Closed” signs and closed to the public. … Still, there are a number of spaces today that provide true public access to people seeking opportunities for outdoors fun, exercise, education and more along the river. These spaces — some of them already connected by trails and offering popular fishing, biking and hiking spots — signal what could be for the 22-mile stretch of water that many consider to be the Fresno-Madera region’s hidden gem.