USFS CG with "must reserve" requirement
Recently stopped at the USFS Sycamore Grove CG near Red Bluff, CA, where I was last in June 2016. First thing I noticed was this sign. Drove around the CG and many spots had an "open" sign...
Forum Discussion
Some states are doing a similar thing; if you arrive after the person is gone from the entrance shack, you must call a reservation number (or use a hotline phone) and make a reservation for a site before driving in and occupying it. I don't care for the system. I guess it does make for easier checking up by the rangers as they can always have an up-to-date list of what sites are in use and who claimed them.
To me, the biggest annoyance is that you have to select a site without having the benefit of seeing what they look like, usually assisted by some call center employee who knows nothing more about it than the basic facts available in the online reservation system such as stated maximum length and whether it's right next to the washrooms. They usually don't have any idea if there is a nicer view from one, or if it's a wider site than most, etc.
To me, the biggest annoyance is that you have to select a site without having the benefit of seeing what they look like, usually assisted by some call center employee who knows nothing more about it than the basic facts available in the online reservation system such as stated maximum length and whether it's right next to the washrooms. They usually don't have any idea if there is a nicer view from one, or if it's a wider site than most, etc.
