California State Parks

Reservation Booking Window

Website inventory for the "on-sale" dates are available at 8:00am the same time the inventory is made available over the telephone. After that time the data is available for reservations 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

• Reservations can be made six months to the day in advance of the arrival date (rolling window).

• Reservations can be made as late as two days prior to your planned arrival, subject to availability.

Seasonal Stay Limits

During the peak season, campers and their equipment are limited to seven consecutive nights and must vacate the park for 48 hours before they may return for additional nights.

During the nonpeak season, campers and their equipment are limited to 14 consecutive nights and must vacate the park for 48 hours before they may return for additional nights. 

The maximum stay is 30 days per year calendar year.

Vehicle Parking 

Camping fees include entry for 1 vehicle and 1 legally towed vehicle or trailer, additional vehicles will be charged per night at the park. Although a site may hold 2 or more vehicles, a reservation only covers 1 vehicle (except for group or specialty sites).  Max vehicle limit vary from park to park. For more information visit the Max Vehicle Guidelines tool available via Knowledge Base.

An extra vehicle fee will be charged per car per night at each site. Fee amount varies by park. Fees are due on arrival at the park and cannot be paid in advance through ReserveCalifornia™ or the Call Center.

A campsite cannot be used solely for the purpose of parking non self-contained vehicles. An RV must occupy a campsite. 

Tent Only Sites

A tent-only campsite requires you to park in a specific lot and walk to your tent-only campsite. 

• • Tent-only campsites have a designated lot for one vehicle to park nearby and there is an overflow lot if there are more than vehicles in a reservation. The lots designated for tent-only campers prohibits camping/sleeping in vehicles.

  • Tent only occupants must sleep in their tents, they cannot stay in the vehicles overnight.

Regular campsites do allow you to sleep in your car, camper van, etc. because there is a space for your vehicle at your selected campsite.

Senior Citizen Discounts and Passes

For persons 62 years of age or older. Proof of age based on valid state-issued driver license or other suitable photo identification. Permits year-round $1.00 discount for vehicle day use and a $2.00 discount for camping in most California State Park operated units regardless of income status without the need to purchase any pass.

The discount does not apply to fees under $2.00 or oversize vehicle fees, extra vehicle fees and is not valid at units operated by local government, private agencies or concessionaires. It is not valid for per-person entry or tour fees (such as museums), special events, group sites, commercial use, or for supplemental fees and cannot be used in conjunction with any other pass and/or discount.

Discount passes for seniors over the age of 62:

• • • Limited Use Golden Bear

    • Golden Bear

Click on the following links for info on the Disabled Discount (DDP) Lifetime Pass, Distinguished Veteran (DVP) Lifetime Pass, or Golden Bear discount. 

Electrical Hookup

Most hook-up sites have 30 amp electrical hook-ups. 50 amp hook-ups are available at select sites. An adapter is required for the electrical hook-up if the RV does not run 50 amps.

Cancellation Policy

The $8.25 reservation fee is non-refundable. 

Campsites: 

• • If you cancel your reservation before 6:00 p.m. on the day before your arrival date, you will be charged an $8.25 cancellation fee.

  • If you cancel your reservation after 6:00 p.m. on the day before your arrival date, you will be charged an $8.25 cancellation fee and the first night’s campsite fee.

Cabins & Alternative Camping: 

• • If a reservation is cancelled 7 days or more before the arrival date, an $8.25 cancellation fee will apply.

  • If a reservation is cancelled within 6 days of the arrival date, an $8.25 cancellation fee will apply, and the first night’s campsite fee will be charged.

Crystal Cove Beach Cottages: 

• • If you cancel your reservation 7 days or more before your arrival date, you will be charged an $8.25 cancellation fee.

  • If you cancel your reservation within 6 days of your arrival date, you will be charged an $8.25 cancellation fee and the first night’s fee.

San Clemente Holiday Vintage Trailers: 

• • If you cancel your reservation 15 days or more before your arrival date, you will be charged an $8.25 cancellation fee.

  • If you cancel your reservation between 14 and 8 days before your arrival date, you will be charged an $8.25 cancellation fee and the first night’s fee.

  • If you cancel your reservation 7 days or less before your arrival date, no refund will be issued.

Bothe-Napa Valley Cabins: 

• • If you cancel your reservation 15 days or more before your arrival date, you will be charged an $8.25 cancellation fee.

  • If you cancel your reservation between 14 and 8 days before your arrival date, you will be charged an $8.25 cancellation fee and 50% of the initial booking cost.

  • If you cancel your reservation 7 days or less before your arrival date, you will be charged an $8.25 cancellation fee and the first night’s fee.

No Show & Early Departures

A campsite will be held for you until 12 p.m. the day after your arrival date. If you have not called the park before that time, you will be considered a "no show" and the park will cancel your reservation. You will be refunded the amount paid for the campsite, less the non-refundable $8.25 reservation fee, the $8.25 cancellation fee, and one night use fee. If you miss your first day but plan to arrive later, you must call the park each day to hold the remainder of your reservation.

If you must leave the park one or more days early, a cancellation fee of $8.25 and reservation fee of $8.25 will be assessed per reservation; you must check out before 12 p.m. Retain your camping confirmation letter until you have received your refund or your charge card has been credited. Allow at least 30 days to receive your refund.

Modification Policy

If you need to change your arrival/departure date and/or site, you must call ReserveCalifornia at 1-800-444-PARK or log into ReserveCalifornia.com by 6 p.m. the day before arrival. 

Visitors will be charged a $8.25 modification fee per reserved campsite for change in dates, sites, parks, extending or shortening stay requests. 

Two Modifications may be made to an existing reservation with the exception of Crystal Cove Cottages & San Clemente Holiday Vintage Trailers. 

No modifications will be accepted for Crystal Cove Cottages & San Clemente Holiday Vintage Trailers.

• • • If California State Parks closes a campground due to an emergency or disaster, our reservation provider will make every effort to notify you. In the event of an evacuation or park closure, you will receive a refund for nights the park was evacuated and/or closed.

    • In cases of inclement weather, when the campground remains open, but you choose to leave, refunds will be issued based on the early out policy.

Family Camping

Family campsites accommodate up to eight (8) people. They are developed campsites with amenities that vary from park to park, and may include fire pits or fire rings, picnic tables, showers, a water supply, and a cleared area for your tent.

• • • Each campground has a limit on the consecutive number of nights a camper may stay. Once this consecutive night limit has been reached, the campground must be vacated, and no one in the party may return to camp in the same park for 48 hours.

    • A parent or guardian must accompany youths under 18 years of age. The Supervising Ranger may approve the stay of a youth that presents written consent from the parent or guardian that states the dates of the authorized stay and the park name.

    • Fees include entry for 1 vehicle and 1 legally towed vehicle or trailer, additional vehicles will be charged per night at the park. Although your site may hold 2 or more vehicles, your reservation only covers 1 vehicle (except for group or specialty sites).

    • A maximum of two (2) licensed vehicles/autos, travel, boat, and utility trailers-may be parked at most campsites.

    • You may make two reservations per park and camping start date.

    • Campers may stay in the same park up to 30 nights in a calendar year.

Group Camping

Group campsites accommodate groups as small as nine (9) or as large as 100, depending on the park. At some campgrounds, group sites can be combined for larger groups.

• Youth groups (under 18 years of age) must be accompanied by at least one (1) adult for every 15 youths.

• Stays are limited to seven (7) nights.

Walk-In Rentals  "First Come First Served (FCFS) 

Only reservable at the park.

Applicable Inventory: 

• Camping – Family & Environmental (Primitive, campsites, hook-up sites) 

•  Alternative Camping – Cottages, Rustic Cabins, Loding, Tent Cabins, Yurts, & Floating) 

• Hike and Bike 

• En Route (must check out at 8am the following day)

• Admin/Camp Host sites

Walk-In Rentals not permitted for Group Camping "

Pet Policy

For the protection of our wildlife, natural resources and for the comfort and enjoyment of all our park visitors, please be aware of the following laws and rules:

• • • Dogs must be on a maximum 6-foot leash at ALL times and physically under your control.

    • Vicious or unusually noisy dogs will not be allowed in the park.

    • Dogs must not be left unattended. Overnight campers must keep their dog in a tent or vehicle.

    • Do not take your dog (unless your dog is a service animal *) into buildings or undeveloped areas, or on trails, unless specifically designated as being open to dogs on leash. (In general, dogs are not allowed on trails, near rivers or creeks, in the open forest and meadows, or in the environmental campsites.)

    • Dogs are not permitted on most beaches. Before taking your dog to a state beach, check table below.

    • Remember to clean up after your dog.

    • Service animals* are allowed in areas open to the public; however, misrepresenting a dog as a service animal is considered a misdemeanor. 

    • Proof of appropriate immunizations and valid licenses may be required for any animal brought onto state park property. All 58 California counties require dog licenses; contact your local jurisdiction for further details on obtaining a dog license.
      
      

For more detailed information, including Park Specific details, please visit our Dogs in the Parks page. 

RV Dump Stations

California State Parks wants to thank our park visitors for helping us keep our parks and environment clean. In 2018, State Parks installed new RV dump station collection systems at ten state park units as part of a pilot program to help us protect the environment and are added amenities for our visitors.

Following the success of the initial pilot program in 2018, an additional eleven park units have been added to the program. The service is available for campers, day-use or transient visitors for $10-$20 per use, depending on the location. Please note that visitors with current reservations arriving on or after April 13, 2021, who are interested in using the RV dump stations may be required to pay the use fee. The price per campsite for these state parks does not include the use of a dump station.

Environmental Camping

Environmental campsites are located in relatively undisturbed natural settings. Each site has a table, a clearing for your tent, and a primitive toilet nearby. Environmental campsite fees and hike-in distances vary between parks.

• Plan ahead to arrive at your campsite before dark.

• No pets are allowed, except service animals.

• Stays are limited to seven (7) nights. 

Accessible Campsites

ADA Qualification: Visitors reserving accessible campsites are required to possess a valid Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) Disabled Placard or Disabled License Plate and corresponding Identification Card issued by DMV.  Disabled veterans possessing a valid Disabled Veteran's License Plate and corresponding identification card also meet the requirement.

• If you require an accessible campsite, you must specify this at the time of the reservation.

Whether use is subject to reservation or on a first-come, first-served basis, unoccupied accessible campsites shall be held for persons with disabilities until 5:00 pm each day. If an accessible campsite is not occupied by 5:00 pm the site may be occupied on a first-come, first-served basis to a person without a disability for one night only. This process repeats daily.

Alternative Camping

California State Parks also has alternative camping, such as rustic cabins, cottages, lodging, tent cabins, floating campsites, and yurts.  Please check the following parks and their websites for more information.

Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds
https://www.visitasilomar.com

Marconi Conference Center
(415) 663-9020

Mendocino Woodlands (Group Camps)
https://www.mendocinowoodlands.org/bookings-events

Pfeiffer Big Sur Lodge
http://www.bigsurlodge.com/

Pigeon Point Light Station Hostel
http://www.norcalhostels.org/pigeon

Point Cabrillo Light Station
http://pointcabrillo.org/rentals/

Links to the following alternative camping sites are coming soon. California State Parks moved to a new reservation system to make it easier for you to reserve camping and lodging sites. For more information, such as FAQs, please visit www.ReserveCalifornia.com.

Horse/Equestrian Overnight Camping

California State Parks provides overnight horse sites or group horse sites.  Campers must have a horse.  Please check the following parks for more information.  Reservations can be made at www.ReserveCalifornia.com.

• Anza-Borrego Desert SP (10 horse sites)

• Cuyamaca Rancho SP (Group Horse and 14 Horse Sites)

• Humboldt Redwoods SP (2 Group Horse and 4 Horse Sites)

• Lake Oroville SRA (15 Horse Sites)

• Lake Perris SRA (7 Horses Sites)

• Montana de Oro SP (2 Group Horse and 3 Horse Sites)

• Mount Tamalpais SP (Group Horse)

• Samuel P. Taylor SP (Group Horse)

Private RV Rentals

If a call comes in mentioning the use of an RV rental company, the agent should advise that only contracted concessionaires are permitted to deliver and collect RV rentals within the parks. If the visitor plans to use a non-concessionaire rental, they must pick up the RV off-premise and personally drive it in and out of the park.

If the visitor has additional questions, they should be referred directly to the park. Parks that have a contracted RV concessionaire typically note this information in the Additional Information section of the confirmation letter.

Reselling or Giving Away Campsites

Reservations that are made for California State Parks are for personal use only. Any resale, transfer, use for profit activity, or memberships that are not approved in advance by the State are strictly prohibited and will be subject to immediate cancellation without notice, refund, or reimbursement. If you attempt or participate in any prohibited or unlawful activities, your account may be blocked, terminated, and cancelled without notice, and you may not be allowed to make any reservations or open new accounts.

For most of our parks, there is a 30-night maximum stay limit per customer in a calendar year; please check individual park policy limits.

Creating Multiple User IDs

Creating multiple user IDs to bypass the 30-night rule is not acceptable. Reservations made under individual unique multiple user IDs will not be honored. If you attempt or participate in any prohibited or unlawful activities, your account may be blocked, terminated, and cancelled without notice, and you may not be allowed to make any reservations or open new accounts.

Reservations that are made for California State Parks are for personal use only. Any resale, transfer, use for profit activity, or memberships that are not approved in advance by the State are strictly prohibited and will be subject to immediate cancellation without notice, refund, or reimbursement. For most of our parks, there is a 30-night maximum stay limit per customer in a calendar year; please check individual park policy limits.

Reservation Per Transaction 

• Online: Max of 2 reservations at 1 park for the same date per online shopping cart.

• Contact Center: Max 2 reservations allowed per one call to contact center.

• [Exception] Oceano Dunes: Max of 2 reservations allowed per one call to the contact center, maximum of 10 reservations for the same date.

Method of Payment

• Amex

• Discover

• Mastercard

• Visa