New policies impacting reservations at California state park campgrounds roll out July 1.
To keep up with high demand and allow more visitors to camp in California State Parks, the agency is implementing tougher policies around reservation cancellations and fees, no-show penalties and early-out rules.
The California State Parks has about 15,000 campsites throughout the state. Made up of 280 park units and over 340 miles of coastline, the state park system is one of the most diverse in the country, making their campsites in demand by both Californians and visitors from outside the state.
Additionally, people are camping more than ever before. A 2024 report by KOA found that the number of active U.S. campers—those who have camped in the last year- has grown by 68% or 21.6 million additional households. Moreover, the number of households that camp three or more times annually has increased by 98% since 2014.
While camping has gained in popularity, the supply of camping sites has stagnated, with 56% of campers in 2024 reporting difficulty in booking a site, according to Dyrt.
Indeed, on the California State Parks website, they note that “sometimes the demand for camping and lodging sites exceeds our inventory” and advises planning in advance and to have “alternate parks in mind” in case a first choice is booked.
With the changes to its campsite reservation policies, California State Parks aims to increase campsite inventory by encouraging people to cancel their reservation well in advance if they need to and minimize no-shows.
Most cancelled sites become available for booking in the reservation system at 8 a.m. the day following a cancellation.
What are the new policies starting July 1?
California State Parks is amending its campground reservation policies beginning July 1.
Those who cancel their campground reservation will receive a full refund of their site fees, if cancelled seven or more days before their reserved stay. So, if a reservation starts on a Friday, it needs to be cancelled by the previous Friday, according to California State Parks website.
If they do not make that 7-day cut-off, they will be accessed a penalty of the first night’s site fee. If cancelled within 48 hours of arrival or the camper is a no-show, all fees paid will be forfeited. While cancelling within 48 hours will result in losing all fees paid, it will allow the campsite to be used by another visitor and avoid no-show penalties.
If a person has three no-shows in a year, they are banned from placing a reservation for a year. Individuals who do not show up for a reservation will have their account marked, and prior to being restricted, will be notified by ReserveCalifornia, the booking platform for California State Park campsites.
There is an additional fee of $8.25 to ReserveCalifornia for cancellations that is deducted from any refund due.
The policies impact all camping sites, including sites with and without hookups, equestrian camping, group camping, lodging (cabins, cottages, hotels, floating campsites, tent cabins, trailers, and yurts), and remote camping.
Late policy remains in place
A site will remain reserved until noon the day after the reservation start date, which is the current policy. However, if no one has arrived by that time, they will be marked as a no-show, forfeiting all fees and the site released for someone else to book. State Parks requests a call to the park at the number on the confirmation email to keep your site.
Campers are still able to modify their booking up to 48 hours before the reservation period begins, after that any changes need to be made with park staff.
Lottery for high-demand campsites
A lottery-style system has been implemented for reservations at certain high-demand campgrounds.
The Reservation Drawing program is employed at select campsites in Malibu Creek State Park, Morro Bay State Park and McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, as well as at Steep Ravine Cabins in Mount Tamalpais State Park.
Prospective campers must register for an account as usual on ReserveCalifornia—the Reservation Drawing is located directly under the main search results of the “Camping and Lodging” page. You can apply up to eight months in advance; drawings are held seven months ahead of reservation date.
Stay camp-safe with these tips from CalFire
Nearly all wildfires are caused by human activities, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). A recent 100′ by 50′ vegetation fire in grass and eucalyptus fields at Natural Bridges State Park was sparked by cooking, according to reporting by CBS.
To stay safe, CAL FIRE offers the following tips:
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Scoring a California campsite may get easier starting July 1
Reporting by Roseann Cattani, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Roseann Cattani, Palm Springs Desert Sun | USA TODAY Network
