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State Park officials say they are unveiling lottery-style drawing systems for certain campsites at three campsites in California’s most popular state parks, including Malibu Creek, Morro Bay and McCarserny Falls.
The new system began this month in Malibu Creek, allowing campers to enter the lottery due to an opening that could be eight months away. In this case, it will be from March 1st to April 1st, 2026.
The drawings are held seven months before your stay and can be charged and paid for the winners with a 30-day reservation. There is a limit of one entry per visitor per drawing. Includes the ADA site. Malibu Creek has around 63 campsites.
The program will launch this summer at Morro Bay in San Luis Obispo County (over 140 campsites) and McCarserberny Falls in Shasta County (approximately 128 campsites and cabins). Campsite booking fees (including nightly fees and $8.25 booking fees) have not been changed and the lottery process is free, but you can add additional fees later.
Meanwhile, the Parks division is also streamlining its booking website, so campers can move more easily between the information site Parks.ca.gov and the booking site ReserveCalifornia.com and see new information about what’s available. When announcing future changes, Parks officials said travelers will be able to see “nearly real-time campsite status and availability at other nearby campsites.”
The move to the lottery system was expected from late 2023 when California legislature approved several measures designed to reduce no-shows and allow more people to access the most popular spots. Over the past few years, bookings at many campsites had disappeared within minutes of opening.
State Parks communications staff could not say exactly that many of the campsites in Malibu Creek, Morro Bay and McCarserny Falls would become part of the painting.
The system is based on the pilot project of the State Valley Cabin in Tamarpais State Park, which the Rangers began using the booking drawing system in 2023. The system is still in place.
To level the arena among people who use campsite drawings repeatedly, the state has established a point system. “A failed applicant will receive one point that will be used in future drawings, which will increase the chances of victory until a reservation is awarded,” explains the system’s state FAQ. “If a visitor wins a booking, the points will be removed and the balance will be zero.”
The California campground system across the state continues to open on a rolling basis for most of its 15,000 campsites for online bookings at 8am, six months prior to the booking date. (In other words, at 8am on August 3, the state will begin bookings for stays on the evening of February 3.) Telephone reservations are still available at (800) 444-Park (7275).
In May, a state park spokesperson said that for the past two years the most sought after campgrounds in the state are Pismo Beach, Crystal Cove State Park, Refugio State Beach, Half Moon Bay State Beach, Dohny State Beach, Borsatica Beach, San Clemente State Beach, New Brighton State Beach, San Erillo State Beach and Morro Bay State Park.
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