About this permit
Plaskett Creek is a Los Padres National Forest campground on the Big Sur coast, bookable on Recreation.gov. Single campsite reservations are good for 6 people and 1 vehicle; the maximum is 8 people per single site, with a $10 per person per night charge above 6, and a maximum of 2 vehicles, with $10 per night for the second.
The booking rules are as much of a constraint as the demand. Recreation.gov records a minimum stay of 2 consecutive nights, a maximum consecutive stay of 14 days, and a reservation cut-off 3 days before arrival, so a last-minute booking is not possible here even when a site is empty.
Amenities listed include accessible campsites, accessible drinking water, accessible flush toilets, accessible grills and accessible pit toilets. The concessionaire notes water spigots throughout the campground; as with any seasonal coastal system, confirm the water is running with the operator before you rely on it. There is no cell service in the area and no public showers.
The route
This is a drive-in campground rather than a trip. What decides whether you get a night here is Highway 1, which has a long history of closures on this stretch. The Recreation.gov record's own directions begin by noting that Highway 1 is temporarily closed from the Monterey area and routing you north from San Luis Obispo for about 65 miles instead.
Check Caltrans for the live Highway 1 status before you commit to a reservation. The approach from the north and the approach from the south are not interchangeable on this coast, and the difference can be several hours.
Why it matters
Plaskett Creek is one of the few reservable campgrounds on the southern Big Sur coast, which is why it is the hardest one on this forest to get. The constraint that surprises people is not the demand. It is the rules: a minimum two-night stay, a hard cap of two vehicles per site, and a reservation cut-off three days before arrival.
The feeling
Open, grassy, wind-exposed ground with the Pacific right there and poison oak abundant in the surrounding brush. No cell service and no showers anywhere nearby.
