By JASON CAMPBELL

Manteca (Calif.) Bulletin

Yosemite Park Ranger Scott Gediman would be anticipating the usual crush if Fourth of July fell on a weekend

But with Independence Day falling on a Wednesday this year, the usual three or four-day weekend doesn’t necessarily apply. That gives staff at one of the busiest national parks a chance to take a step back and breathe.

Not too deeply however.

Campgrounds in the always-busy Yosemite Valley fill-up months in advance, which put even more emphasis on the first-come, first-served sites in Tuolomne Meadows and at Camp Four – historically a climber’s campsite thanks to its proximity to El Capitan.

“We don’t anticipate a huge spike (today)  in terms of people coming into the park,” Gediman said. “The first-come sites will start to fill-up Tuesday and by Wednesday morning they’ll definitely be all gone.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean that camping is going to be completely full everywhere.

At Caswell State Memorial Park in Ripon, reservations are still available mid-week and on Saturday night.

It’s a place that Amy Flemming says that she loves to visit and might actually consider spending the night this weekend with friends that have a space reserved. She plans on spending her Saturday floating the Stanislaus River.

“I go out there quite a bit with friends who like to go floating and we have a lot of fun,” she said. “It’ll be fun to go out there this weekend. Kind of like an extended Fourth of July weekend.

“It’s weird the way that it falls this year.”

Other options are still on the table for those who want to spend the week – or weekend – outdoors without having to travel.

Woodward Reservoir’s numerous campsites – from the full hook-ups to the popular T-Island to the undeveloped sites around the lake – are all available on a first-come basis.

It’s the kind of place that Matt Eden looks forward to going simply because it affords the same recreational opportunities without all of the “pretentiousness.”

“It might not make a lot of sense to very many people to go spend the night in your backyard,” he said. “But at least you don’t have to drive back-and-forth when you want to spend more than just a day out on the water.

“It’s one of those things that as Northern California residents we’re lucky to have.”