Bureau of Reclamation · California
New Melones Dam and Reservoir are part of the Central Valley Project - New Melones Unit operated by the Bureau of Reclamation. Located 60 miles upstream on the Stanislaus River from the confluence of the San Joaquin River. The reservoir has a capacity of 2.
Reservations for New Melones Lake are made through Recreation.gov. In peak season, the most popular campgrounds are typically claimed within minutes of each release — which is why the park reads as "sold out" for most of the year.
Sold out is not final, though. People book far ahead and plans change, so cancellations return to the official calendar throughout the season — with no announcement, at any hour. A cancelled site is bookable by whoever sees it first.
| Managed by | Bureau of Reclamation |
|---|---|
| Book through | Recreation.gov |
| Location | Sonora, CA |
| Campgrounds | 2 |
| Official listing | Recreation.gov |
Set a watch on the whole park, or go straight to the campground you want — each one has its own availability and cancellation pattern:
| Tuttletown Recreation Area | 164 sites |
|---|---|
| Glory Hole Recreation Area | 144 sites |
We scan the official Recreation.gov calendar for New Melones Lake around the clock. The second a site that matches your dates and equipment opens up, you get a text with a direct link to that exact site. You book it yourself, in your own account, at the normal price. We never book, hold, or resell anything — monitoring is all we do, and it's what your fee pays for. Openings are first-come, so a text beats an email every time.
Page data refreshed 2026-10-29. Availability facts come from the official directory listing for New Melones Lake; cancellation statistics come from our own scanning logs.