Campsite Sniper
California · Recreation.gov

Pinecrest Day Use Area

38.1902° N / 119.9899° W · Data Sep 18 2026, checked hourly
Next open date Sep 18Next open weekend Sep 183 day-use units

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Reservable day-use dates, colored by availability. Tap a unit for its calendar.
Pinecrest Day Use Area

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Opening record
No detected openings in the last 90 days

No detected openings were recorded in the last 90 days. Campsite Sniper monitors Pinecrest Day Use Area continuously and will alert you if that changes.

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01 · Availability Outlook · Sep 18, 2026 – Mar 19, 2027 · of 3 monitored sites

Of the 549 tracked reservation dates (Sep 18, 2026 – Mar 19, 2027): 544 open for online reservation · 5 reserved.

Where the open windows are

0.9% of tracked reservation dates are not currently open for online reservation. 544 of 549 remain open; here is where they are.

Load status

Sep 18, 2026 – Mar 19, 2027
Not open online0.9%
Open reservation dates544 / 549
Reserved (of online inventory)5 / 549
Weekday openings312
Weekend openings232

Of the open reservation dates on mapped day-use units, 312 fall on weekdays and 232 on weekends (Fri–Sun).

Open dates by month

Sep 2026 – Mar 2027
025507510034939093938457SEPOCTNOVDECJANFEBMARSOLID = OPEN RESERVATION DATES · DASHED OUTLINE = TOTAL BOOKABLE

October holds the most room. 93 of 93 reservation dates are still open there.

Holiday windows — day use

Units open per date · of 3 day-use units
WindowDateUnits openStatus
Labor DaySAT Sep 50None open
SUN Sep 60None open
MON Sep 70None open
ThanksgivingTHU Nov 263Open
FRI Nov 273Open
SAT Nov 283Open
ChristmasTHU Dec 243Open
FRI Dec 253Open
New YearTHU Dec 313Open
FRI Jan 13Open

Labor Day: no online availability on any tracked date. Thanksgiving: 3 day-use units are available for all three dates. Christmas: 3 day-use units are available for both dates. New Year: 3 day-use units are available for both dates.

Availability by day-use unit

Most open reservation dates · tracked window
UnitOpen reservation dates
Cedar  182
Fir  181
Pine  181

The 3 day-use units with the most open reservation dates in the current snapshot. Pair a bookable date with a free alert to cover everything else.

Next windows

As of Sep 18, 2026 snapshot
Next open dateFri · Sep 18
Next open weekendFri · Sep 18

The next bookable date is Sep 18; the first open weekend starts Sep 18. Campsite Sniper can watch later dates for you.

Reservation dates

544 available reservation dates across 3 day-use units at Pinecrest Day Use Area, from the same hourly snapshot as everything above.
All 3 day-use units with current availability
UnitOpen reservation datesConsecutive datesDates
Cedar182181 datesSep 18, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30 +170 more
Fir181180 datesSep 18, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +169 more
Pine181180 datesSep 18, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +169 more

About Pinecrest Day Use Area

Overview

Pinecrest Lake is located 40 minutes east of Sonora, California, and is within a 3-hour drive from major metropolitan areas including San Francisco, Sacramento and many valley cities. The lake is located at 5,600 feet elevation and provides cool summer relief, spectacular scenery, and lake shore beaches for relaxing, swimming and picnics.

Recreation

Pinecrest Lake is popular for swimming, hiking, kayaking, fishing and sailing (small boats). A nearby resort offers boat rentals, lodging and groceries. Movies and interpretive programs are provided in the evenings at the amphitheater, also located in the day use area. Two campgrounds within the Pinecrest Basin offer opportunities at nearly 300 campsites within one mile from the Pinecrest Day Use Area. *Outdoor movie showings and interpretive programs typically end for the season by mid-October due to weather. Please check for availability.

Facilities

Group use sites are fully accessible and provide group size pedestal grills, food storage boxes, group picnic tables and food prep table. Water hydrants and recycle and garbage cans are also located within the sites. Flush toilets are located nearby.

* Water hydrants are not available during the winter months due to freezing. ** Group sites may be under snow during winter months. Please plan accordingly as accessibility may be limited after heavy snowfall.

Natural Features

The day use area is surrounded by mixed conifer, providing shade during warm summer days. The group picnic sites are located within sight of the lake offering easy access to the lake, beach and hiking trails.

Nearby Attractions

The Pinecrest National Recreation Trail traverses Pinecrest Lake for an easy four mile hike. Numerous opportunities for swimming, fishing, boating and lake play are within 100 feet from each group use picnic site.

3 monitored unitsDay use3 shadedWaterfrontLakefrontMax party 50

Getting there

Pinecrest Day Use area is located approximately 35 miles east of Sonora, CA on Highway 108. The day use area is located on Pinecrest Lake Road, 1 mile from the intersection with Highway 108.

#1 Pinecrest Lake Road, Pinecrest, CALIFORNIA 95364(209) 965-3434

View on Recreation.gov ↗   Get directions ↗

FAQ

How do I get a reservation at Pinecrest Day Use Area?

Reservations for Pinecrest Day Use Area are made through Recreation.gov. The current snapshot shows substantial availability: 544 of 549 tracked reservation dates are open (99.1%), though availability can change. Pick the unit on the map to see its reservation calendar, or set a free Campsite Sniper alert. You complete the reservation yourself on Recreation.gov.

Does Campsite Sniper book this facility for me?

No. Campsite Sniper sends alerts and direct Recreation.gov links. It never books, pays for, holds, hoards, or resells reservations.

How current is this availability data?

Campsite Sniper re-checks public Recreation.gov availability for this facility every hour and republishes whenever anything changes. This facility's data last changed at Sep 18, 2026 16:19 UTC; an older timestamp means nothing has changed since that time, not that checking stopped. Always confirm final availability on Recreation.gov when you book.

Which month has the most availability at Pinecrest Day Use Area?

October 2026, with 93 open reservation dates in the current snapshot of 93.

When is the next open date at Pinecrest Day Use Area?

As of the Sep 18, 2026 snapshot: the next open date is Fri, Sep 18 and the next open weekend starts Fri, Sep 18. Detected openings can add earlier dates at any time; a free Campsite Sniper alert catches those the moment they appear.

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