When Big Sur campsites go on sale

How to book

Booking Big Sur, start to finish

Where

Recreation.gov. National park campgrounds are not bookable by phone during the reservation season.

When

Kirk Creek and Plaskett Creek open on a short rolling window. A new arrival date becomes bookable each morning, only a few days out rather than six months ahead. That short lead time is why cancellations matter more here than almost anywhere else.

Be ready

Sign in, save a card and settle your dates and party size before the window opens. Popular weekends go in minutes, and the checkout you prepared in advance is the one that completes.

Which campground

Kirk Creek sits on the bluff and is what most people picture when they picture Big Sur camping, which is why it goes first. Plaskett Creek is a few miles south, larger, and far more likely to still have space.

Check the road

Big Sur access depends on Highway 1 being open in the direction you are approaching from. A campground can be bookable and still be unreachable from your side.

If you miss it

Cancellations are the realistic second chance. They appear at any hour, cluster in the last two weeks before arrival, and are usually taken within minutes.

Backup plans

Fernwood and Riverside are private options in the Big Sur valley, and Plaskett Creek is the closest public fallback if Kirk Creek is gone.