Local families facing challenges to go camping as restrictions lift

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A picture-perfect moment was captured of Fresno father Dustin MacDougall and his two boys camping, but getting there was a bit of a challenge.

"It was a scramble to figure out where we could possibly go. We went up the mountain to Huntington and we were able to book sites there, and then I got an email four days prior to the trip up there that they canceled our reservation as well," said Dustin MacDougall of Fresno.

Many families have been frustrated trying to find a camping spot. Across California. campsites were closed due to the shelter in place.

Restrictions are slowly lifting and Tuesday, many opened and were filled quickly.

Campgrounds are run by local, state and federal agencies.

The Sierra National Forest campgrounds have been closed, however, dispersed camping is allowed.

If you want to camp at a a California State Park, use reservecalifornia.com

Yosemite is open Thursday and you can enter if you get a day pass through recreation.gov.

Tuesday, high demand caused some technical issues.

If you can get a camp site, grab it quickly. Availability is open for the coming months.

The park population is being reduced to 50 percent to start off.

"We're going to be out there monitoring everything. If everything is good and people are social distancing and we can handle it operationally, we'll bring up the numbers and if there are challenges, we'll make adjustment," said Scott Gediman, Yosemite National Park Spokesperson.

Campgrounds will just be open in Yosemite Valley for now. Tioga road opens next Monday, June 15.

As for the MacDougall family, they were able to find a camping spot in Sequoia National Park and make memories during this pandemic.

While some camp sites are open, the California Park System and Sierra National Forest says we'll have to stay tuned to see what opens next.