How to Get a Castle Rock Camp Permit
Twenty campsites on one of the highest ridges in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and the only one of the four Santa Cruz trail camps that still keeps five sites for walk-ups.
Check Castle Rock Camp permit availability$15 per site, per night, which includes overnight parking for one vehicle. Each additional vehicle is $10 per night. There is a $8 non-refundable reservation fee. Vehicle day use at Castle Rock is $10.
Permit Cost
1-2 nights
Duration
moderate
Difficulty
About Castle Rock Camp
Castle Rock Trail Camp sits on one of the highest ridges in the Santa Cruz Mountains and is the largest of the four backcountry trail camps still operating in the Santa Cruz Mountains state parks. It has trash receptacles, bathrooms, and 20 campsites with picnic tables and fire rings. Reservations do not run through ReserveCalifornia. The Santa Cruz Mountains backcountry trail camps use their own system: you submit a Backcountry Trail Camp Request Form online up to 60 days in advance, staff process requests Monday through Friday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and an approved request is held only until 5 p.m. the following business day pending payment. You pay by phone on (831) 338-8867 and the permit is emailed to you. Sending a request is not a reservation - it becomes one when it is paid. Castle Rock is also the only one of the four camps with a first-come pool. Five of its sites stay available first-come, registered and paid for in person at the Robert C. Kirkwood Parking Lot on Highway 35. State Parks is explicit that you should not hike to the camp and look for a site before registering there. Fees are $15 per site per night, including overnight parking for one vehicle, with each additional vehicle at $10 per night, plus an $8 non-refundable reservation fee. Each campsite takes a maximum of six people and you may reserve up to two campsites per reservation.
Castle Rock is the head of the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail and the last trail camp system left intact after the CZU Lightning Complex fires. Every trail camp inside Big Basin Redwoods State Park is closed due to extensive fire damage, which pushed the whole Bay Area backpacking demand onto four remaining camps: Castle Rock, Waterman Gap, Butano and Slate Creek. Castle Rock is the biggest of the four and the only one with a first-come pool.
The Experience
Sandstone that looks eaten from the inside, lush forest, and views west across ridge after ridge toward the ocean. It is close enough to San Jose that you can be at camp within an hour of leaving work, and far enough into the woods that mobile coverage stops being a thing. State Parks says outright that it is unlikely your mobile phone will have coverage in the backcountry.
Castle Rock Trail Camp has trash receptacles, bathrooms, and 20 campsites with picnic tables and fire rings. Fifteen of those sites are reservable through the Santa Cruz Mountains backcountry trail camp system, and five stay available first-come. For the first-come sites you register and pay with staff at the Robert C. Kirkwood Parking Lot on Highway 35 - do not hike to camp and try to find a site before registering. From here the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail runs west, open from Castle Rock State Park to the Big Basin Redwoods day-use area, with Waterman Gap the next trail camp along it.
What to Expect
20 campsites with picnic tables and fire rings, plus bathrooms and trash receptacles
15 sites reservable through the trail camp request system and 5 held first-come
A maximum of six people per site, and up to two sites per reservation
A 60-day booking horizon, with requests processed weekdays 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
No mobile coverage - State Parks says it is unlikely your phone will work in the backcountry
Fires permitted in the designated metal fire rings during the rainy season only, never during fire season
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Permit Requirements
Trail camps are open by reservation only and no dispersed camping is allowed; camp only in your assigned trail camp
A maximum of six people per site, and you may reserve up to two campsites per reservation
Group reservations for 13 or more are allowed Sunday through Thursday only, not on weekends, and are arranged by calling (831) 338-8867
Overnight parking for backpackers is only in designated trailhead parking lots - do not park along highways or in undesignated areas
Hikers must be off trails by sunset; arriving after sunset means you will not be permitted to start your trip
Castle Rock is the one exception to the no-ground-fires rule: fires are permitted in the designated metal fire rings during the rainy season, never during fire season, and signs are posted either way. Do not gather wood - firewood is sold when fires are allowed at $15 per bundle, cash and exact change
No dogs are allowed in the trail camps or on the trails, and no horses are allowed in the trail camps
No bikes on single-track; bikes are permitted on fire roads only
No smoking on any trail or in any trail camp
Do not wash dishes or clothing in creeks, and do not bathe in creeks
Hammocks may be used with tree straps only and must not be attached to any redwood trees
Campers under 18 must provide written permission from a guardian or be accompanied by one
Campers must display permits when parking and carry their backcountry permit at all times
Gear & Preparation
Required Gear
- •All your drinking water. State Parks says the trail camps are primitive and to bring your own - surface water must be treated before drinking
- •A backpacking stove, which may be used in all trail camps except in cases of extreme fire danger
- •A headlamp, because you have to be off the trails by sunset and camp chores happen after
- •Warm layers - the ridge is high enough in the Santa Cruz Mountains to be much colder than the valley below
- •Cash in exact change if you want firewood during the rainy season, at $15 per bundle
- •Tree straps if you are hanging a hammock
Hazards & Safety
No mobile coverage: in an emergency, call 911 from a pay phone near a ranger station or a call box on Highway 1 or Highway 9 and a ranger will be dispatched
Fire danger. Ground fires are banned outright and even the Castle Rock fire rings close during fire season
A sunset deadline that is genuinely enforced - late arrivals are turned back at the trailhead
Poison oak, which is widespread in Santa Cruz Mountains understory
Steep, exposed sandstone formations near the trail
Best Time to Visit
Spring and autumn. Winter brings the rainy season, which is the only time fires are allowed in the Castle Rock rings, but also the mud and the short days. Summer is dry, busy and under fire restrictions. The camp is open year-round and the 60-day request window means you are planning about two months out, not six.
Pro Tips
Submit the request form the day your date comes inside 60 days, and remember a request is not a reservation until you have paid by phone.
Requests are only processed weekdays between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., so a Friday-night submission sits until Monday.
If your dates are gone, the five first-come sites at the Kirkwood lot are a real second chance - but register there, do not walk in.
Plan your arrival well before sunset. Hikers must be off trails by sunset, and a late arrival is turned back.
Carry all your water. The camps are primitive and any surface water has to be treated.
Bring cash in exact change if you want firewood, and check the posted signs - fires are rainy-season only.
Groups of 13 or more can only book Sunday through Thursday, so plan a midweek trip rather than fighting for a Saturday.
100+ wilderness permits, extensive backcountry experience
This guide is based on personal experience obtaining wilderness permits and is regularly updated to reflect current policies and strategies.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a Castle Rock Camp permit?
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Castle Rock Camp permits require advance reservations. Book online as soon as reservations open for your desired dates.
When is the best time to visit Castle Rock Camp?
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Spring and autumn. Winter brings the rainy season, which is the only time fires are allowed in the Castle Rock rings, but also the mud and the short days. Summer is dry, busy and under fire restrictions. The camp is open year-round and the 60-day request window means you are planning about two months out, not six.
How difficult is Castle Rock Camp?
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Bay Area backpackers wanting a first overnight, and anyone starting or finishing the open section of the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail.
What gear do I need for Castle Rock Camp?
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Essential gear includes: All your drinking water. State Parks says the trail camps are primitive and to bring your own - surface water must be treated before drinking, A backpacking stove, which may be used in all trail camps except in cases of extreme fire danger, A headlamp, because you have to be off the trails by sunset and camp chores happen after, Warm layers - the ridge is high enough in the Santa Cruz Mountains to be much colder than the valley below, Cash in exact change if you want firewood during the rainy season, at $15 per bundle. Additional specialized gear may be required based on conditions.
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