Plan B
Sold out? What to do next
Cancellation alerts, second chances, and somewhere else to sleep.
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Yosemite Valley dates go within minutes of opening, and the coastal state beaches aren't far behind. Missing the release isn't the end: people cancel, and those sites go back on the booking system one at a time.
1. Set a cancellation alert
Start with Campflare, which is free and sends email or text alerts when a site opens up. If you want more frequent scans and text alerts, Campnab is a paid option.
2. Use the second chance
Half Dome has a daily lottery all cables season: apply two days before your hike, midnight to 4 p.m. Pacific. Mount Whitney's leftover dates go on sale April 22 at 7 a.m. Pacific and stay open all season. Yosemite's Camp 4 opens one week ahead, every day of its reservation season.
3. Try first-come season
Camp 4, Wawona and Hodgdon Meadow in Yosemite go first-come, first-served in winter, though they can fill on holidays and weekends. Camp 4's 2026 reservation period ended November 28.
4. Stay nearby instead
Each campground and permit page has a lodging map.
- Half Dome permit (Yosemite): Yosemite National Park, CA
- Mount Whitney permit (lottery): Inyo National Forest, Lone Pine, CA
- Muir Woods parking & shuttle reservations: Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, CA
- Pfeiffer Big Sur campground: Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, Big Sur, CA
- Doheny State Beach campground: Dana Point, CA
- Crystal Cove campground & beach cottages: Crystal Cove State Park, Newport Coast, CA
- Upper Pines Campground (Yosemite): Yosemite Valley, CA
- Lower Pines Campground (Yosemite): Yosemite Valley, CA
- North Pines Campground (Yosemite): Yosemite Valley, CA
- Camp 4 (Yosemite): Yosemite Valley, CA
What never works
Booking bots and resellers. California State Parks bans resale and has no approved resellers; Mount Whitney and Half Dome permits can't be transferred. This site never books for you and never checks booking sites automatically.
Get the reminder by email
One email the week before the big California dates (the Mount Whitney lottery in February, the Half Dome lottery in March, and North Pines' early-access lottery once NPS announces it). Nothing else.
Before any reminder, you'll get one email asking you to confirm. It comes from New England Reservations (hello@newenglandreservations.com), our sister site. Unsubscribe anytime. See the privacy policy.