Reservation games

[Tomahawk]

Originally Posted by Ldubs

We just got back from one of our favorite state campgrounds in Santa Cruz CA. The site showed fully booked all the way up to when we left for our trip (I was watching with the hopes of getting one of the limited hook up sites). During our actual stay, the place was far from fully booked. There were all kinds of sites available for one or more nights, including one hookup site that was unused for 3 consecutive nights.

The empty sites weren't gaming the system, if they were, they would have modified there reservation before the day they needed to show up. These people just waited until the last minute to cancel or didn't even bother canceling, hopefully the later so they were saddled with the cost of there entire stay. Prior to covid, those sites would have been available to the public again once they missed the first 24 hours. I am not sure what the state parks , NF, or NP are doing now. I know last year at JTNP there were no walk ups even if someone canceled or didn't show.

How was the weather? Last year I went to SEKI in early June and it was in the 30s at night. People in tents would show up for one night of their reservation and then leave because they weren't prepared. Same thing a few years ago in JTNP, lows in the 30s, highs in the 50s. People were showing up with nothing but shorts and t-shirts. Middle of the night they'd go to there cars, first thing in the morning pack and leave.

I wonder if the price of fuel affected people showing up.

I have found the system to be workable this year. I have reservations at Anza Borrego SP, Yosemite, Sequoia, and Inyo national forest between now and September. No gaming required. I needed to be on top of things and be flexible with my dates and the sites. In ABSP I got my second or third choice for sites and second choice for dates. Yosemite was similar. Sequoia and Inyo I got my first choice for sites and 4 days in a 10 day window I was interested.

Hope you had a good trip and caught some fish.

[Donskiman]

The theory for gaming the system didn't work for us. All sites were already reserved. We made other plans and are going to a different area completely.

My guess is when some of you are seeing empty sites when the reservation system shows everything fully booked, is when people don't show up those sites are not being put back into the system as they should be. Because many of these places require reservations and don't allow walk-ins the sites stay empty. Since reservations are required and payment is made online, these places have no ability to handle on site transactions. Not sure who is responsible for putting the sites of no shows back in the reservation system. Online cancelations should be going back in the system so empty sites are probably almost entirely due to no shows. There is a failure somewhere.

[Tomahawk]

If you cancel online through Recreation.gov the site automatically goes back in to the system. I know because I have had to cancel in the past and was curious how long it would take for the site to disappear again. JTNP in April (canceled in March), it took less than 24 hours. There is an odd rule with the system where you can't make a reservation that starts in less than 24 hours. I think you end up with overlap where someone can cancel the day before but the site doesn't ever become available to be reserved for that night. Again, Pre-covid that night would become a walkup. For no shows, it used to be the camp host would make the site available after 24 hours for walk up. At least it worked that way JTNP and Stony Creek in Sequoia NF. I think having the camp host put the no shows back in the system is too much work.

[Ldubs]

Originally Posted by Tomahawk

The empty sites weren't gaming the system, if they were, they would have modified there reservation before the day they needed to show up. These people just waited until the last minute to cancel or didn't even bother canceling, hopefully the later so they were saddled with the cost of there entire stay. Prior to covid, those sites would have been available to the public again once they missed the first 24 hours. I am not sure what the state parks , NF, or NP are doing now. I know last year at JTNP there were no walk ups even if someone canceled or didn't show.

How was the weather? Last year I went to SEKI in early June and it was in the 30s at night. People in tents would show up for one night of their reservation and then leave because they weren't prepared. Same thing a few years ago in JTNP, lows in the 30s, highs in the 50s. People were showing up with nothing but shorts and t-shirts. Middle of the night they'd go to there cars, first thing in the morning pack and leave.

I wonder if the price of fuel affected people showing up.

I have found the system to be workable this year. I have reservations at Anza Borrego SP, Yosemite, Sequoia, and Inyo national forest between now and September. No gaming required. I needed to be on top of things and be flexible with my dates and the sites. In ABSP I got my second or third choice for sites and second choice for dates. Yosemite was similar. Sequoia and Inyo I got my first choice for sites and 4 days in a 10 day window I was interested.

Hope you had a good trip and caught some fish.

Thanks Tomahawk, that makes some sense. We lucked out on the weather during this trip. It rained the morning we left home and the day after we returned home. During the trip is was sunny in the high 60's. Lows at night about mid-40's I think. Not so lucky on the fishing, but did get a line in the water so that was good.

[Franey]

Originally Posted by Donskiman

We are wanting to reserve a space in a recreation.gov campground. Spaces can only be reserved for 14 days. Spaces are limited. The window for reservations is 6 months ahead. They allow booking forward starting from the time first day a space is open. Which potentially means if we want a spot we would have to book it 2 weeks ahead of when we intended to use it. Then try to cancel the days we don't want.

Booking for next year at this campground just opened today. We are already seeing sites get reserved for the full 2 weeks.

Seems like reserving weeks ahead to get a spot and partially canceling is a bit unethical, but it looks like this is the way the game is being played.

What happens if you they don't allow cancelations and you don't show up until the days you really wanted? Since you've already paid for the site it doesn't seem like they could rent it out to someone else.

What have people experienced with this?

I think most times if you don't show up by check-in time the second day you loose out, no refunds.

Quit playing the game and get a good Sam Park, or any other, close by. It's not worth it.

[Donskiman]

Originally Posted by Franey

I think most times if you don't show up by check-in time the second day you loose out, no refunds.

Quit playing the game and get a good Sam Park, or any other, close by. It's not worth it.

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f38/rese...ml#post6032016

We are going somewhere else.