California State Parks’ new cancellation policy officially takes effect this week, and it’s going to change how campers approach booking on ReserveCalifornia.
What’s Changing on July 1
Campers who cancel a reservation less than two days before arrival — or simply don’t show up — will forfeit all fees paid, including the cost of the campsite itself. No-show three times in a calendar year, and you’ll be blocked from making new reservations for a full year.
Why California State Parks Made This Change
California has about 15,000 campsites across 280 state park units, and demand is intense, especially for coastal parks, redwood campgrounds, and mountain destinations. More than 1.4 million campsite bookings were made at California state parks and beaches in 2023, according to a San Francisco Chronicle analysis. Reservations open six months out, and popular weekends can vanish within seconds.
But six months is a long runway. Plans change, people forget, and some simply never bother canceling — which means campgrounds can show as fully booked online while sites sit empty in real life.
New Refund Schedule for California State Park Reservations
- 7+ days before arrival: Full refund, minus the non-refundable $8.25 reservation fee
- 2–6 days before arrival: Lose the first night’s site fee
- Less than 2 days, or a no-show: Lose everything
California State Parks also plans to increase email reminders ahead of reservations and will begin formally tracking no-shows and late cancellations going forward.
The real test will be whether the penalties actually work, and whether those canceled sites actually make it back into the hands of people who can use them. For RVers who don’t always want to plan six months ahead, it could mean a few more last-minute openings — a choice that has been harder and harder to come by in the state park system due to little to no cancellation consequences.
