Some California campsites still available for the Fourth

Still waiting to make Fourth of July camping plans? Here’s the skinny on state parks:

If you want to make an online reservation for a California State Park campsite, you had better book today at ReserveAmerica (or by phone at [800] 444-7275) if you plan to arrive Thursday and stay for the holiday weekend.

Places with vacancies as of 1:30 p.m. today are Crystal Cove State Park (pictured at top) near Laguna Beach (not the cottages; those sell out in mere seconds), Cuyamaca Rancho State Park in northern San Diego County, Mt. San Jacinto State Park and places such as Henry W. Coe and Big Basin Redwood state parks in Northern California. Click here to check on parks with available sites.

Of 15,000 state park campsites, about 10,000 are available through online/phone reservations; the remaining 5,000 are first come, first served. If you hope to get the latter, “go a little early like Wednesday night or Thursday noon at the latest,” says state parks spokesman Roy Stearns.

But wait, aren’t skyrocketing gas prices forcing us all to stay home? Stearns says state parks have had very few cancellations this year.

Note too: State parks closed due to the Big Sur fires include Julia Pfeiffer Burns, Andrew Molera, Pfeiffer Big Sur and Limekiln will be added to the list as of 5 p.m. today. Stearns said it’s unlikely that Andrew Molera (which is a staging area for firefighters) or Pfeiffer Big Sur campsites will be open in time for the weekend holiday; those with reservations should inquire about refunds.

For those who don’t want to be caught without plans for future holidays: Campsites also go on sale today for reservations starting Jan. 1, 2009. So think about where you want to welcome in the New Year.

– Mary Forgione, Los Angeles Times staff writer

[Photos: Crystal Cove State Park, top, by Al Schaben / Los Angeles Times. Big Basin State Park, above, by Mark Barnes of the Santa Cruz County CVC]

Permalink | E-mail | Print | Add to My Trips

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at 5:01 pm by Mary Forgione and is filed under California, Family & Kids, Last Minute, Outdoors & Adventure. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.