High Sierra Topix

California may try to help...Check this out: ktla.com/news/california/california-campsite-reservation-bill-passes-state-assembly/

Credit if you cancel before seven days. And if you don't show on the first night, the whole reservation is cancelled and the site opened up.

Sooooo necessary! Also, it's astonishing that this requires a bill in congress.

c9h13no3 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 05, 2023 9:33 am Sooooo necessary! Also, it's astonishing that this requires a bill in congress.

State Assembly, but yes. Somebody ain't flying the plane.

Too bad there isn't anything like this policy for federally controlled lands.

Ed

I've been resorting to dispersed camping on forest roads because I can't reserve a campsite from Lake Isabella to Northern Yosemite. Be nice if the system was cleaned up a bit. It doesn't feel that long ago you simply drove up and got a site. Now it's a mission to go camping.

Mixed feelings about this, as I have done it myself.
A campground is close to us. We have made reservations for the day before and day after our planned stay so we can get there before the normal checkin time and leave after the checkout time.
OTOH -- I have seen 'Campground Full' signs with half the sites unoccupied, and stay unoccupied overnight.

So many campsites now, especially the popular areas, accept reservations 6 months in advance, and are booked up by 2am.

Yeah, boondocking is the way to go. Unfortunately, we travel with pets in our RV, and in hot weather we need to keep the AC running. So we need a campsite with electric hookups, or run the generator. I am hesitant to leave the generator running while we are gone for the day. This leaves us with needing electric sites, and do our boondocking in cooler weather.

This is good. Look forward to seeing things get a bit better - the system as it is now just encourages hoarding reservations.

I don’t think “better” is in the short-term forecast. Next phase will be campers taking over reserved (but empty) campsites as a protest again the system. The angst is brewing…

RoguePhotonic wrote: ↑Thu Jun 08, 2023 7:42 pm I've been resorting to dispersed camping on forest roads because I can't reserve a campsite from Lake Isabella to Northern Yosemite. Be nice if the system was cleaned up a bit. It doesn't feel that long ago you simply drove up and got a site. Now it's a mission to go camping.

its still pretty easy to get a first come first served site mid-morning mid-week...but otherwise yeah no more heading up on a friday and finding something

rayfound wrote: ↑Mon Jun 12, 2023 10:57 am This is good. Look forward to seeing things get a bit better - the system as it is now just encourages hoarding reservations.

Having to pay a fee to Booz Allen for the privilege of obtaining access to public land seriously pisses me off. It is on the same moral plane as the corner crossing issue in MT and WY.