Try to nab an online reservation at a popular State Park campsite and you might be discouraged to see all the spots are gobbled up.
Or so it seems. Often, the reserved spots end up empty, with no-shows leaving the coveted sites unused. But starting next year, a slew of changes by State Parks could make nabbing a campsite easier.
Changes recently signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom will add heftier penalties for people who book campsites in advance, but don’t bother to cancel them, as well as penalties for people who don’t cancel well in advance to allow others to stay and play.
“There’s a bunch of dynamic changes, making it easier and more accessible,” said State Parks Superintendent Kevin Pearsall.
Since the pandemic, getting outdoors and camping have become even more popular pastimes throughout the state. A campsite and park in Humboldt County that was typically getting 100,000 visitors a year, for example, now gets 600,000 people visiting, he said.
The State Parks offers reservations in 279 parks with some 15,000 camping sites and lodgings available.
The biggest frustration is when people book a spot and don’t bother to cancel if they can’t make it.
“You have people who make double and triple reservations to invite friends, then they don’t come and they don’t cancel and we’re stuck,” Pearsall said. “A lot of parks, that’s affecting their overall gross sales receipts.”
Although the bill goes into effect on Jan. 1, the changes will be implemented when a new reservation system contract goes into place at the end of summer.
A reservation holder who cancels a reservation within two to six days before the reservation start date will have to forfeit the cost of the reservation for the first night, plus any reservation fees.
Currently, campers can cancel their reservation up to 5 p.m. the night before their reservation and only incur a processing fee penalty of $7.99. Under the new rules, a reservation holder can cancel seven…
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