Question about 'first come first serve' campsites at HVCG

Hey everyone, I'll be heading to J tree for the first time next weekend and I'm wondering how the process works for getting a campsite at HVCG.  Do you just show up and stake claim to a spot if it's open?  Do you have to check in at some sort of ranger station or something?  What is the likelihood of securing a spot if I show up super early on a Friday morning?

Thanks,

sincerely,  a J tree noob.

Wade Jespersen wrote: Hey everyone, I'll be heading to J tree for the first time next weekend and I'm wondering how the process works for getting a campsite at HVCG.  Do you just show up and stake claim to a spot if it's open?  Do you have to check in at some sort of ranger station or something?  What is the likelihood of securing a spot if I show up super early on a Friday morning?

Thanks,

sincerely,  a J tree noob

A occupied campsite has a (yellow?) tag on the post. If there is no tag you roll in then go pay for that spot and take your little tag and stick it on the post. Friday morning you may have a chance? I go down Thursday night most of the time.

The way it works is like this; you start driving or walking the loop at 7 am, looking for people that seem like they're packing up. Make intense eye contact with everyone you pass - the people who are staying will either avoid your stares, scowl at you, or laugh at you.  The people who are leaving will hopefully give you a heads up, and you can grab a tag and prepare to move in.  This is not the time to be shy; engage everyone you see and ask them (nicely) if they are leaving, and you will increase your odds of getting a site from zero to approximately one percent.

Jason Kim wrote: The way it works is like this; you start driving or walking the loop at 7 am, looking for people that seem like they're packing up. Make intense eye contact with everyone you pass - the people who are staying will either avoid your stares, scowl at you, or laugh at you.  The people who are leaving will hopefully give you a heads up, and you can grab a tag and prepare to move in.  This is not the time to be shy; engage everyone you see and ask them (nicely) if they are leaving, and you will increase your odds of getting a site from zero to approximately one percent.

Walk, don't drive. Much easier to communicate with people and find out who is leaving and who is staying.

What the above folks said.  Possible to get a site on Friday AM, but very unlikely, so have several back up plans.  If you nab a site at HVCG, immediately drive to town and buy a lottery ticket.

LOL.  Climbing crowds are just crazy now.  You used to be able to drive into the park on a Friday night at 1AM and still get a site in HVCG.  Oh how times have changed.

Ronnie Miller wrote: LOL.  Climbing crowds are just crazy now.  You used to be able to drive into the park on a Friday night at 1AM and still get a site in HVCG.  Oh how times have changed.

Yup.  The good old days.  We were lucky to have experienced them.

#OKBOOMERS

real beta: Just show up on Friday night, preferably before 9pm, and look for spots with one car and go talk to them and ask if you can share the site with them and offer to split the cost or offer beer or something.

So to you old hags out there, you can still do what you did BITD... and oh ya, because everyone who camps in HVCG is a climber [eyeroll]...

Hey now...I'm not that old Gumby.  I imagine Ryan CG is the same.  Roll in early to see who is leaving or ask someone to share the site.  And yes, since the park became a NP it has many more non-climber peeps.  

Ronnie Miller wrote: Hey now...I'm not that old Gumby.  I imagine Ryan CG is the same.  Roll in early to see who is leaving or ask someone to share the site.  And yes, since the park became a NP it has many more non-climber peeps.  

Ya unfortunately, the park is a shit show now. I saw some city boi's out there a few months back doing a Porsche commercial shoot right off the highway in front of intersection rock. LOL. Still laughing at that one.

I remember going out to JT as a kid and remember always getting a site and a somewhat empty park.... ohhh well. we can thank the whole #getoutside movement...

The other campgrounds are ok, but seems to be a higher concentration of climbers and stuff at HVCG. Ryan CG seems to be the "family" scene....

7 years ago I lived in Santa Barbara and I would drive out Friday night and always find a campsite. But I never camped at HVCG... That is where the noobs camp.

You're not OG unless you camped at The Pit bro.

Tradiban wrote: You're not OG unless you camped at The Pit bro.

I camped in peace and quiet with solid cell reception... If you know that campground. Also the most under rated area for climbing.

Some of us have gone so far as to stop frequenting JT because of this issue.  Just too insane... I've had trouble finding a campsite on every week day, not just weekends.  Another one sacrificed to the masses; RR getting close to that as well.  Some of us older f*%@#s still associate climbing with silence, solitude, wilderness; just too damn hard to change!

Bill Lundeen wrote: Some of us have gone so far as to stop frequenting JT because of this issue.  Just too insane... I've had trouble finding a campsite on every week day, not just weekends.  Another one sacrificed to the masses; RR getting close to that as well.  Some of us older f*%@#s still associate climbing with silence, solitude, wilderness; just too damn hard to change!

We’ve gone to the reservation system @ Jumbo Rocks, JTree.

Walking up to an occupied-with-single-car camp site at 9 pm might be ok if home is not far away ... but a full days drive, not so much.

Gumby the White wrote: #OKBOOMERS

real beta: Just show up on Friday night, preferably before 9pm, and look for spots with one car and go talk to them and ask if you can share the site with them and offer to split the cost or offer beer or something.

I’ve always found this to be rather hostile.  No one really wants to share their site with you.  You know it; they know it.  

Bill Lawry wrote:

We’ve gone to the reservation system @ Jumbo Rocks, JTree.

Walking up to an occupied-with-single-car camp site at 9 pm might be ok if home is not far away ... but a full days drive, not so much.

My homely local crags look better and better. :)

I was trying to reserve spots about 3 months in advance and was only able to reserve a Thursday night. Friday and Saturday I will still be out hustling looking for a walk up or driving to BLM.

I've never even bothered to get a site.
Just camp at BLM, make as big of a bonefire as you want and enter the park early. 

Fat Dad wrote:

I’ve always found this to be rather hostile.  No one really wants to share their site with you.  You know it; they know it.  

I gladly share my site with randos if there's an open spot. They get to enjoy the park and often pay me more than half the price of the site

Will K wrote:

I gladly share my site with randos if there's an open spot. They get to enjoy the park and often pay me more than half the price of the site

I'm probably biased after a couple of instances where I show up to my site after climbing all day and find someone else has already pitched their tent before asking if they can share it.  

Fat Dad wrote:

I'm probably biased after a couple of instances where I show up to my site after climbing all day and find someone else has already pitched their tent before asking if they can share it.  

Whoa.  Never had that happen.  What did you do?