Booking top campsites for spring and summer ‘23
January through March is peak booking season, meaning it’s when you need to set calendar alerts to book top sites for the spring and summer, including Yosemite, Sequoia, Joshua Tree, Big Bear and beach sites.
Many of the top spots are released in the early months of the year and book out within seconds of being released. Each campground has different opening dates and a different release window.
It can be overwhelming, which is why we’ve put together this guide. With a little bit of planning you can experience some of the greatest campsites in the world right here in our backyard.
Note: These recommendations are popular front-country sites, designed to provide an entry-level car camping experience in the most iconic and impressive portions of the State and National Parks.
Check out our supplemental spreadsheet that offers a full list of sites and booking details we’ve gtathered.
What we like to book
We love getting at least two bigger National Park trips in over the summer with a smattering of weekend trips to closer National Forests and State Parks.
Here are our favorite parks for each time of year.
Bigger Trips (National Parks)
Joshua Tree is most predictably comfortable in March and April. The nights are usually temperate and the days warm, but not hot.
Sequoia / Kings Canyon has thawed by May- July and is green with magnificent scenes along the King River. You’re also most likely to avoid fire season, which can bring park closures.
Yosemite is magical in July and Early August when the Merced river is calm and the air is warm enough to enjoy tubing and afternoon swims.
Channel Islands is excellent in August and September when the days are long and the Pacific is as warm as it gets. Note: this trip is logistically more challenging.
Regional Trips (National Forests, State Parks)
Southern California has an array of amazing and much less known wilderness areas with excellent camping that is typically easier to book and less crowded.
Anza-Borrego is likely to have wildflower blooms February - Early April this year and the temperatures are still cool at this time. If there is a super bloom we recommend avoiding the park on the weekend.
The Idyllwild Area has a nice season May through October due to slightly milder mountain conditions.
Big Bear is best Late June through August when it’s warm enough to enjoy lake activities and to avoid cold overnight temperatures.
Beach Camping is great in July - September, just keep in mind these campgrounds are more crowded and less serene than some of the other parks.
What to know about booking
You need to be organized and plan ahead. Each campsite has a release date when peak season sites become available. The majority of the important releases happen between January and March. Often, campsites sell out within seconds of becoming available.
At peak season, this is how fast reservations typically go:
Yosemite - extremely fast (within seconds)
Joshua Tree - extremely fast (within minutes)
Sequoia - fast (within 1-2 days)
Channel Islands - fast (within 1-2 days)
Recommended steps
Identify where and when you want to camp
Set a calendar alert for the date and time campsites are released
Setup your account and payment details with recreation.gov or reservecalifornia.com
Login 10-15 minutes before the release is scheduled
Queue up the date and site(s) you want
The moment the sites come available try to book
If you’re unlucky please contact us. Sometimes we are able to find cancellations.
When and where to book
We’ve put together a helpful google doc detailing when and where to book some of our favorite sites, along with some of the most important upcoming dates below.
Note: This doc does not cover all campgrounds. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of campgrounds in Central and Southern California. This contains some of our favorites that we typically recommend to casual campers.
Yosemite National Park
For new or casual campers we highly recommend Lower, Upper and North Pines campgrounds in the Park. Feb 15 and March 15 are the most important booking dates if you want to pick up sites in July and August.
Reservations are made through recreation.gov
Sequoia National Park
They start releasing spring and summer sites on Jan 24th, 2023. If you’re organized you’ve got a really good chance of snagging a site for this summer.
Reservations are made through recreation.gov
More options on the King Rive will come available in February. Check our google sheet for details.
Beach Camping
Most of June and July has already sold out, but if you’re diligent you might be able to snag a spot in August or September when it’s still warm. The state beach parks sites are released every day at 8am with a 6-month lead time (e.g. on Jan 25th they will open up July 25th).
Reservations are made through reservecalifornia.com
Want us to reserve and plan for you?
If you don’t want to deal with reserving your own campsites we can help with that. Eagle Rock Camping provides concierge reservation services as well as full trip planning (including gear).
