Is it possible to get into CA state parks without a reservation? I am new to the RV world, and have been camping my first few times at private parks. I usually do an online reservation a day or so before I leave. I have been looking at some nice CA state parks, and some county parks. But, the online reservations want 2 to 5 days advance booking. Is it possible to just show up and get a campsite? Does that vary by park? Is this a bad idea?

The short answer yes and it depends! :B It varies by park and if you are talking a coastal park on the weekend from Easter through Thanksgiving you better have a backup plan. The coastal fill fast even early spring and late fall for the weekends. Mid week except during prime school vacation time good chance you can get at least 1 night spot.

if you camp inland, you might be able to get a site without reservations.but if it's in the summertime or a coastal park anytime, you can forget about just showing up and expecting that you can get a campsite.that's why we only camp during the week or the spring and fall. no summer, weekend or holiday camping for us. one is because you have to make reservations 6 months in advance to even get one and two because of all the crowds during those times.we're lucky in California that we can camp year-round without having to only camp in the summer like a lot of areas of the U.S.without an idea of when you want to camp and where, it's hard to give a definite answer.

Inland, and less frequented parks; maybe. Sure, Death Valley in July shouldn't be too much of a problem. The Coast, Wine Country, Major lakes, forget it. In some of the Coastal parks where reservations are not accepted groups have gotten together and exchanged cell phone number and e-mails, and they exchange sites between each other (I'm leaving tomorrow at 10am so get here at 9:30am and pull in when I pull out). Really. The State Park system is broken, but I neither an answer or the interest to make suggestions. I just head for the Private campgrounds, which along the Coast are still difficult to get unless you are real flexible with dates.

What is key is what you said; "I have been looking at some nice CA State Parks"; if they're nice, what in the worls makes you think others don't think so, too? Don't be disappointed, make reservations. The only time you don't need reservations is when it doesn't matter where you stay!

I don't know how the CA state park reservation system is set up, but here in Florida, I was able to score near last minute reservations at two state parks and one national park just by checking ReserveAmerica and Recreation.gov several times each day for cancellations.

camping without reservations | Good Sam Community

bikendan
Explorer
Mar 01, 2014
if you camp inland, you might be able to get a site without reservations.
but if it's in the summertime or a coastal park anytime, you can forget about just showing up and expecting that you can get a campsite.

that's why we only camp during the week or the spring and fall. no summer, weekend or holiday camping for us. one is because you have to make reservations 6 months in advance to even get one and two because of all the crowds during those times.
we're lucky in California that we can camp year-round without having to only camp in the summer like a lot of areas of the U.S.

without an idea of when you want to camp and where, it's hard to give a definite answer.
tahiti16
Explorer
Mar 01, 2014
The short answer yes and it depends! :B It varies by park and if you are talking a coastal park on the weekend from Easter through Thanksgiving you better have a backup plan. The coastal fill fast even early spring and late fall for the weekends. Mid week except during prime school vacation time good chance you can get at least 1 night spot.

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