OK, California campers: Ready, set, reserve

Wildcat Camp, a hike-in backpacker's camp at Point Reyes National Seashore within close range of a wilderness beach, is one of the Bay Area's most popular campgrounds, with all campsites booked full all weekends from late summer and into fall and a sprinkling of available dates on weekdays Wildcat camping site No. 4 less Wildcat Camp, a hike-in backpacker's camp at Point Reyes National Seashore within close range of a wilderness beach, is one of the Bay Area's most popular campgrounds, with all campsites booked full all ... more Photo: Tom Stienstra / The Chronicle Photo: Tom Stienstra / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 33 Caption Close OK, California campers: Ready, set, reserve 1 / 33 Back to Gallery

If you snooze Tuesday morning, you will lose.

A series of target moments arrive at 7, 8 and 9 a.m. on March 1 for campsite reservations at state parks across California — including Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin, trail camps in the Santa Cruz Mountains and national forests in the Sierra Nevada — with other key dates imminent for Yosemite National Park.

At many sites across California, Labor Day Weekend is in play starting Tuesday, as well as all dates throughout summer.

The sites at marquee destinations for Saturday nights go fast, and in some cases, entire campgrounds can get booked in a few hours once the door is opened.

In past years on March 1, for instance, the nine camping cabins at Rocky Point on the Marin coast have been reserved for every day of September within 10 or 11 minutes. That’s the hottest camping ticket in California, according to the state Department of Parks and Recreation.

So if this is your passion, don’t be snoozing the morning away Tuesday. Here are the key times, locations and best strategies:

State parks

Target moment: 8 a.m. Tuesday

Outlook: On Tuesday morning, campsites at state parks across California will become available for reservations for Labor Day Weekend, as well as for all dates in September (and any open dates throughout summer).

The highest demand is for Saturday nights at New Brighton, Seacliff and Sunset state beaches on Monterey Bay as well as the walk-in sites at Angel Island State Park and D.L. Bliss at Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe.

For the best chance to reserve a camping cabin at Rocky Point, get online with the reservation system well ahead of time, go to Mount Tamalpais State Park, and then click on cabins. Have your forms completed 10 minutes prior to the target moment, so all you have to do is click a button when reservations first become available. Do not attempt to phone in a reservation; it takes too long.

Insider’s note: For this summer, reservations are still available on weekdays at most parks. In addition, state parks in the Redwood Empire, Sierra foothills, Sacramento Valley and north state rarely get booked full in advance.

Contact: Reserve at www.reserveamerica.com or (800) 444-7275 (not advised).

Point Reyes National Seashore

Target moment: 7 a.m. Tuesday

Outlook: For the four trail camps at Point Reyes National Seashore, you can book a campsite six months out, but not for the entire month (as with state parks). But there’s a little-known exception that can provide an edge.

For Labor Day Weekend, for instance, the rules mean your first chance to book for Friday, Sept. 2 is Wednesday, March 2. The trick is to instead call at 7 a.m. Tuesday, March 1, and book an extra day, Thursday, Sept. 1, as well as the rest of the weekend, and you can get your site ahead of everybody who doesn’t know about this loophole.

Insider’s note: Wildcat Camp always fills first, then Coast and Sky Camps, and Glen fills last. For this summer, Sundays through Thursdays, you can still have your pick. For Saturday nights, the only available dates left for this summer are July 16, July 30 and Aug. 13 at Glen.

Contact: Reserve at www.recreation.gov or (877) 444-6777.

Santa Cruz Mountains

Target moment: 9 a.m. Tuesday

Outlook: Reservations open Tuesday at Big Basin Redwoods State Park for the premium trail camps in the Santa Cruz Mountains. If you get a busy signal, keep trying; there is just one line. Sites will be available for Sunset, Alder, Twin Redwoods and Waterman Gap for dates starting May 1. Four trail camps are now open with reduced services: Lane and Jay near Rancho del Oso at Big Basin Redwoods, Slate Creek in Portola Redwoods, and Trail Camp at Castle Rock.

Insider’s note: From Castle Rock State Park, it’s a 9.6-mile hike to Waterman Gap Trail Camp (opens May 1), the ideal first night’s location on the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail, followed by the next night at Jay Camp near park headquarters on the region’s best one-way backpack trek, 34 miles.

Contact: Reserve at Big Basin Redwoods at (831) 338-8861.

Yosemite National Park

Target moment: 7 a.m. March 15 and April 15

Outlook: You’re competing with the rest of the world, so for summer, you’ve got to have your plans wired to get a campground reserved in Yosemite. The way it works is weird (of course): 7 a.m. on March 15 is the first chance to reserve a campsite from July 15 through Aug. 14, and then at 7 a.m. April 15, for Aug. 15 through Sept. 15. Right now, you can try to book a site in summer up to mid-July, but you’ve missed out on the mid-month free-for-all when the best sites go quickly.

Insider’s note: The Forest Service and other agencies operate roughly 20 campgrounds around the perimeter of Yosemite National Park. Many of these can also be reserved. As with state parks, Saturday nights are booked fast. Midweek dates are wide open.

Contact: Reserve at www.recreation.gov or (877) 444-6777.

Forest Service

Target moment: 7 a.m. Tuesday

Outlook: Of the 750 campgrounds in national forests in California, several hundred at mountain lakes are on the reservation grid, including Lower Sardine Lake at the foot of the Sierra Buttes, French Meadows Reservoir in Tahoe National Forest, Silver Lake in Eldorado National Forest, and many others. You can book six months out, which makes Tuesday the day to pull the trigger for Labor Day, and any day prior to that over summer.

Insider’s note: National forest campgrounds (along with sites in the Redwood Empire, and Bureau of Land Management and county-run sites) provide the best availability throughout summer, especially on weekdays. Roughly 350 to 400 do not take reservations. You can always salvage a trip, though not always at a marquee-level site.

Contact: Reserve at www.recreation.gov or (877) 444-6777.

All campgrounds detailed: Moon California Camping travel guide.