What Does California’s Curfew Mean for Camping?

As California Governor Gavin Newsom announced sweeping curfew for state residents, adventurers have wondered what that means in the great outdoors. The curfew, which has already been denounced by sheriff’s around Northern California, calls for people to stay at home from 10 pm until 5 am, and will last through December 21.

Not named in the curfew is the parks of California, which have mostly reopened following months of closures during the initial stages of the Covid-19 quarantine. To address the the question of what the curfew means for parks and camping, California State Parks had a brief answer.

“As of right now, there are no operational changes to camping,” said Jorge Moreno, a spokesman for California State Parks.

It’s that simple. Camping and outdoor recreation will remain open in California, a sigh of relief for those looking to escape the crowds of towns and cities and retreat into the wilderness. As of Friday, no State or National Park closures have been announced in Northern California.

The announcement by Newsom called for “all activities conducted outside the residence, lodging, or temporary accommodation with members of other households cease between 10 p.m. PST and 5 a.m. PST.” With that said, hotels are to remain open and people are ordered to stay inside during the curfew timeframe.

That being said, multiple sheriff’s have said they will not enforce the curfew, including in Shasta and Butte counties.

“As both Sheriff and a citizen of Butte County, the thought of law enforcement officers peeking into the windows of homes, or stopping and questioning residents regarding their destination and family relationships, merely for being outside of their homes, or visiting the home of another during the nighttime hours, all solely due to the suspicion of violating the ‘Limited Stay at Home Order,’ is very troubling,” said Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea.

“I am directing my staff to not use a suspected violation of the newly-enacted ‘Limited Stay at Home Order’ as the basis for arrest, citation, detention or stop.”

While residents attempt to understand and process new developments in the Covid pandemic, one thing currently remains safe – The Great Outdoors.