About & how we check
California campsites and permits book on different systems with different clocks: state parks open 6 months ahead at 8 a.m. one day at a time (Doheny only 3), Yosemite opens a month of dates at once on the 15th at 7 a.m., Camp 4 a week ahead, and Half Dome and Mount Whitney run once-a-year lotteries. This site puts the rules in one place, does the date math, and shows what opens this week.
How we check
- Every rule comes from the agency's own page (California State Parks, the National Park Service, the Forest Service), and each page names the source and the date we last read it.
- We re-read every source on a schedule and update the date only after reading it again.
- Where an agency doesn't publish something, like how far ahead Muir Woods parking opens or the exact day Half Dome results go out, we say so rather than guess.
- We never scrape or automatically check reservation systems, and we never book for anyone.
Who runs it
An independent site run from Reading, Massachusetts (sister site of New England Reservations). We also run guides to several California state beaches and parks, linked from the campgrounds page. Not affiliated with any state park agency or the National Park Service.
Sources we use
- California State Parks: Booking and Fees (checked 2026-11-02)
- California State Parks: Reservation Sale Dates (checked 2026-11-02)
- California State Parks: Camping Information & Reservations Policies (checked 2026-11-02)
- California State Parks: Reservation Drawing FAQs (checked 2026-11-02)
- California State Parks: Doheny Campground Climate Resilience & Modernization Project (checked 2026-11-02)
- California State Parks: Doheny State Beach (checked 2026-11-02)
- California State Parks: Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park (checked 2026-11-02)
- California State Parks: Crystal Cove State Park (checked 2026-11-02)
- California State Parks news release, October 9, 2026: Crystal Cove and San Onofre partial closures (checked 2026-11-02)
- NPS Yosemite: Campground Reservations (checked 2026-11-02)
- NPS Yosemite: Campgrounds (2026 dates and details) (checked 2026-11-02)
- NPS Yosemite: North Pines Campground Early Access Lottery (checked 2026-11-02)
- NPS Yosemite: Entrance Reservations (checked 2026-11-02)
- NPS Yosemite: Half Dome Permits for Day Hikers (checked 2026-11-02)
- Inyo National Forest: Mount Whitney (checked 2026-11-02)
- NPS Muir Woods: Frequently Asked Questions (checked 2026-11-02)
- NPS Muir Woods: Fees and Passes (checked 2026-11-02)
- NPS Muir Woods: Directions (checked 2026-11-02)