Campgrounds awaiting flood of Labor Day weekend business

Falling gas prices and temperatures will combine to make Labor Day weekend travel that much more enjoyable for area drivers.

According to AAA, drivers looking to hit the road for the holiday weekend will find the lowest prices for that period since 2004. Nationally, the average price for regular unleaded gasoline has fallen 20 cents over the past two weeks, down to $2.46 per gallon.

In California, which is one of the most expensive places in the country for gas, the average price as of Tuesday was $3.33, AAA said. The travel company put the average in Modesto at $2.97 per gallon Monday, down 9 cents from a week ago and 75 cents from a year ago.

But The Modesto Bee found several stations charging significantly less, including the Modesto Truck Plaza on South Seventh Street. There, drivers on Monday were filling up for less than $2.69 per gallon. By Tuesday, the price there had dropped to $2.65.

Statewide, around 4 million people are expected to take a trip for the holiday weekend, and 3.2 million of them will drive. The numbers represent only a 1 percent increase from last year. When Labor Day occurs as late as it is this year, there is often less travel. “People have settled into their school routines already. They have been going back since mid-August, so there seems to be more reluctance to do a weekend getaway the later you go into September,” Automobile Club of Southern California spokeswoman Marie Montgomery told the Orange County Register.

Still, the Valley and foothills camping and recreation areas always so popular during the last blast of summer will be hopping. There even may be a boost because Saturday is a free fishing day in California. Campgrounds in the area that take reservations are booked, though the sites at the Stanislaus County-run Modesto and Woodward reservoirs are first come, first served.

Temperaturewise, the weekend will be sunny, with a Modesto-area high Friday of near 83, rising over the weekend to a high near 93 on Labor Day. Here’s a look at what to expect this weekend at some of the area’s outdoor hot spots:

Pinecrest Lake

According to the reservation site Recreation.gov, the Pinecrest Lake campground is booked for the weekend.

But staff at the U.S. Forest Service’s Summit Ranger District don’t expect the up-country campgrounds along Highway 108 north of the lake to reach capacity. They’re available on a first-come basis.

Those campsites have fewer amenities than the basin sites, said program lead Jennifer Sorensen. “They don’t have the lake right there, but they’re close to trails” and creeks and the Stanislaus River.

As for Pinecrest Lake itself, Sorensen, said, “It’s beautiful.” Temperatures lately have been in the mid- to high 70s, she said, and the National Weather Service forecast calls for a high of just 68 Friday, climbing to 79 Sunday and Monday.

“The water level is not as high as it could be,” she said, “But being down a little is kind of a benefit to day users because it exposes a little more of the beach.”

There’s still plenty of swimming area, Sorensen said, and boats can get in through the marina as usual. “Some people also launch off the beach for kayaks and whatnot.”

Turlock Lake State Recreation Area

The reservation website ReserveAmerica shows that campsites at Turlock Lake State Recreation Area in La Grange are all booked for the holiday weekend, but area manager Debbie Williams doesn’t want that to discourage anyone.

“We’re hoping people will come out and have a great time,” she said. “There are cancellations all the time, and on their site, you can ask for a call or text if there is one. Also, there are several sites here that are strictly walk-in.”

For day use, the recreation area opens at 5 a.m. and closes at 7:30 p.m. because of sunset. “We’re able to launch boats and jet skis – we have full water activities going on,” Williams said. “Unfortunately, the water is lower than we want it to be, but boaters just need to use the same precautions they always would.”

She’s told the fish – the lake has striped bass, large-mouth bass, trout, catfish and more, she said – is good eating, and she pointed out that on Labor Day itself, active-duty military personnel and veterans get in free for day use by showing proof of service.

Caswell Memorial State Park

Like Turlock Lake, Caswell also is booked, according to ReserveAmerica. “We do get booked most every weekend, and it’s not likely this weekend will be the exception,” said visitor service/park aide Lorena Velazquez. Cancellations are rare at the Ripon park along the Stanislaus River, she added.

“The river is low – nothing near what it was three, four years ago – but still flowing,” she said. In most spots, it’s knee-deep and warm.

Folks still come to fish, but she had no idea how successful they are. “Since it’s lower, you have to walk along and find the deep spots,” Velazquez said. “But if you come in the morning when the water is still, you can see the fish.”

Modesto and Woodward reservoirs

Off Highway 132 a few miles east of Waterford, Modesto Reservoir has about 150 campsites with hook-up amenities and other camping areas with limited amenities. Woodward Reservoir, off Highway 120 a few miles north of Oakdale, has 115 developed campsites, 40 full hook-up campsites and undeveloped camping areas. All camping at the Stanislaus County-run reservoirs are first come, first served.

On holiday weekends, both reservoirs typically are busy, said Jami Aggers, the county’s director of environmental resources, and the sites will full hook-ups are especially popular. But this weekend, there should be undeveloped campsites available, she said, and all sites have easy access to the water.

Recreation opportunities at the reservoirs include swimming, fishing, boating, water skiing and jet skiing. Both bodies also are stocked with rainbow trout, red-ear sunfish, large-mouth bass, channel catfish and blue gill.

Aggers warned that the water level at Modesto Reservoir does fluctuate and the level is posted on the Modesto Irrigation District website. She also noted that dogs and gasoline containers are prohibited at Modesto Reservoir, but gas is sold there.

This story was originally published September 1, 2015 at 3:03 PM with the headline "Campgrounds awaiting flood of Labor Day weekend business."