Starting this August, Californians will make their state parks camping and tour reservations through a new, faster, easier to use reservation system that features more open access to data.
ReserveCalifornia will go live for all parks on August 1. A variety of features will be phased in between then and March 1, 2018. Below is a breakdown of the features:
Starting August 1, the new reservation system will provide more user-friendly and intuitive web services, including:
* Additional self-service options
* More campsites available for online reservation
* Interactive campsite maps with more detailed views of campsites.
As additional features of the new service are phased in through March 2018, visitors and staff will enjoy:
* The ability to view the real-time reservation inventory
* Expanded tender/ payment options
* Website trip planning.
The new reservation system includes state-of-the-art, computerized point-of-sale and fee collection equipment that will allow debit and credit card payments at more locations. This equipment will be installed in phases across the state, beginning with Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument (Hearst Castle) and Año Nuevo State Park on August 1 and continuing at other state parks through March 2018. Day-use locations at Bolsa Chica and Huntington state beaches will launch new point-of-sale equipment in fall 2017, with installation at South Carlsbad and San Elijo camping facilities shortly thereafter.
The California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks) will continue to inform and engage the public on www.ReserveCalifornia.com as implementation of the new reservations system approaches. Information also will be shared on the department’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
State Parks’ reservations have been handled for the past decade by ReserveAmerica. The department is grateful for the service of this vendor and appreciates their continued support during this transition period. Through July 31, 2017, parks visitors may continue to make reservations through ReserveAmerica.com.
In the last two years, the department has strengthened policies, procedures, guidelines, and organizational structures to support a sustainable entrepreneurial, service-oriented, creative and collaborative culture. Part of this effort included awarding a new comprehensive reservation system contract to support field operations and enhance the experience of visitors with a modern platform. For more information on State Parks’ Transformation effort, please visit www.parks.ca.gov/TransformationTeam.
State Parks protects and preserves the state’s most significant natural and cultural resources while delivering public spaces to bring families and friends together and providing a wide array of recreational opportunities for the benefit and enjoyment of all people. Off-highway motor vehicle recreation, boating activities, horseback riding, on and off-road cycling, hiking, camping, and rock climbing are some of the recreational activities enjoyed in 280 state parks organized into 22 field districts throughout the state. Subscribe to California State Parks News via e-mail at info@parks.ca.gov or via RSS feed.
California State Parks provides for the health, inspiration and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high quality outdoor recreation. Learn more at www.parks.ca.gov.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
Tweet This
Facebook
Digg This
Bookmark
Stumble
RSS
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.
7 Comments
This sucks
This site is VERY frustrating to use. It has complicated the reservation process by requiring more information from customers. It has reduced week views of sites to 4 days, making it more difficult to plan trips. And it doesn’t list any campsites in Sonoma! They also isolated California from other states who were utilizing Reserve America! Mailing it harder for other states (as well as Californians) from visiting this beautiful state. If you’d like to see what I’m referring to, Try it out yourself and see! Please tell me…Why in the world would you change something when it was working just fine!??
Horrible, horrible, horrible. Worst site ever. Does not work on an Android, iPhone and constant errors on a laptop.
And good lord, if you call their number, expect your ears to be assaulted by the most irritating voice ever. I am sorry, a person with a lisp should not be the voice of your organization.
This new system and the lack of being able to reserve your site at the beginning of the month like before allows others to reserve prior to you and take up some the days you want. It is not a fair system. I have camped in the same place for 20+ years and now I cannot.
I agree. We have been trying to book our spring break camping trip for the last 3 days. This new system is horrible. It makes it impossible to get book the actual days you want. You have to book days for before you want to be there before someone else gets your site.
The “rolling” reservation window is going to eliminate any opportunity for most regular working folk to get weekend campsites. Those that have more flexibility will start booking their reservations for a Mon or Tues arrival and book it through the weekend, and you will have no chance. And if you have a job, you can’t get there on Tuesday to check in. Time to find non-state run campsites that don’t use this system. As with most things in life, like this and tax reform, there are winners and losers, and I am getting tired of being a loser.
Between their outrageous prices for run down sites with no water or electric, and now this reservation system that is impossible to use, I will just go to private or county campgrounds. The state clearly cannot manage their money or parks so I’ll spend my money elsewhere