camping without reservations

[offroad_x]

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?

[offroad_x]

bikendan wrote:
offroad, since all the state park cutbacks, trying to talk to someone directly is hard, especially in the off-season. staffing is very thin, even in the summer.
you can try the district state park office, which is usually staffed or they'll get back to you if you leave a message.

you can also talk to a live person at Reserve America and see if they can help.

since you want a weekend site, all bets are off if you drive down there expecting to find something available.

Thanks for the advice bikendan. I will try giving ReserveAmerica a call next time I plan a last minute trip, and see if that works.

I better start making reservations now for the fall!

[bikendan]

offroad, since all the state park cutbacks, trying to talk to someone directly is hard, especially in the off-season. staffing is very thin, even in the summer.
you can try the district state park office, which is usually staffed or they'll get back to you if you leave a message.

you can also talk to a live person at Reserve America and see if they can help.

since you want a weekend site, all bets are off if you drive down there expecting to find something available.

[offroad_x]

Thanks everyone for all the informative replies. I was considering going to a state park this weekend, but I didn't have reservations.

Here is the situation: It is friday night, and I want to camp out sat and sun night at Half Moon Bay State Park. I go to online reservations: I can book sunday, not saturday (because 2 day advance is required). I call the park, I get recordings that say book online. So, if I drive down there on Sat, and they have sites available, is there someone there that will let me book one? Or do i have to book online only?

I had the same problem with a couple of county parks. One wanted a 5 day advance reservation. So, I decided to go to a private park in Cloverdale, CA instead, and it was great (I live near San Francisco). We had company flying in from Chicago that evening, and I didn't want to chance not getting a site. The park was mostly empty, and the owner even helped me back my trailer into a site (a first for me).

Now, a couple of you mentioned cancellations. How do you find out about those? Can you call the park? I haven't had any luck with that on weekends/holidays, as no one answers.

[Desert_Captain]

The bottom line wherever you go is the bigger your rig the more likely you will have trouble getting a site. A smaller RV will usually fit in every site in any given CG/Park. If they only have one you still get in. This is simply not the case with the larger RV's as most CG's have a limited number of large sites and the pull throughs, that so many seem to prefer or "need" are limited in number.

Being flexible as to when you are traveling helps a lot as well. As noted, arriving on Friday or even Thursday in many areas pretty much guarantee's the inn will be full. Not traveling on the weekends or holidays also works well in that you miss the worst of the traffic. We have found arriving on a Sunday or the Monday at the end of a three day weekend assures us a nice site and often with some leftover firewood thrown in. :B

If we are headed to a particularly popular spot we will often make reservations ahead of time to insure that we not only get a site but one of the nicer ones we have selected. Another common occurrence is even though a popular spot, Like Watchman in Zion, is booked up, they can have last minute cancelations or no shows. Nice sites are often available late in the day though it might just be for a night or two. The Rangers at Watchman encourage folks to check with them for last minute availability before giving up altogether. :C

[IAMICHABOD]

It is always a good idea to go the reservation route for our State Parks here in the Southern part of the state and if you want anything during the summer ya gotta be on line 6 months before and then it is a******shoot. Like today, the first of March you can start reserving for September.

The winter and fall not so much but still a good idea.

[bikendan]

we've been camping in Calif. state parks for over 25 years.
yes, the system is broken but there are too many people competing for a limited amount of campsites.
the growing population here has overwhelmed the park systems' number of campsites. then you add the huge amount of out of state visitors also wanting campsites and you have a broken system.

Calif. State Parks system has added very few new parks and campsites, over the past several decades, even though the population has skyrocketed.

so, you have to play the reservation game with everyone else. last year we wanted two campsites on one of the coastal campgrounds.
i started the millisecond they became available. i got skunked and quickly tried alternate campgrounds.
within 5 minutes, all the coastal state campsites between Orange County and San Diego were completely gone, for that week.

that's why we don't even try to camp here, during the summer months.:M

[ScottG]

Here in Wa State if you want any of the more desirable spots in any state CG then you better make reservations 9 mos. in advance. And for the best sites you better know how to work the system!

[Dutch_12078]

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.

[soricobob]

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!

[kalynzoo]

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.

[bikendan]

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]

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.