Valley residents expected to head to mountains, beach for the Fourth

Valley residents who plan to hit the road this July 4th weekend had better have their campsites booked and be ready for little lake water and no fireworks.

Most Sierra foothill reservoirs are well below normal for this time of year because of the drought, but operators say that visitors will still be able to boat and swim. Fireworks, though, are forbidden.

The Bass Lake Chamber of Commerce, which canceled its traditional fireworks show because of drought conditions, will instead put on a laser light water show at dusk on July 4 that will be choreographed to music. Shaver Lake, where the lake level is at about 50% of capacity, will set off fireworks on Sunday. (Note: The original version of this story incorrectly reported that the Bass Lake show is put on by Pines Resort.)

With July 4th landing on Saturday, and many employers recognizing the holiday on Friday, that will give many people a three-day weekend — and many of them are heading out of town for somewhere.

AAA is expecting 4.8 million Californians to get away over the holiday, the most since 2010.

“Californians are traveling in record numbers, driven by a stronger economy and rising income,” said Cynthia Harris, spokeswoman for AAA in Northern California.

Roughly 80% of Californians traveling for the weekend will drive, and they’ll get a break at the gas pump. Fuel prices have been on a downswing recently. In Fresno the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded has dropped nearly 20 cents since last month. Similar drops have been reported statewide, with some areas, including Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Orange County, reporting drops of over 30 cents per gallon.

Mother Nature is giving Valley residents a good reason to scoot somewhere — anywhere — cooler. Daytime highs in Fresno are expected to hover around 100 throughout the weekend. At Shaver Lake, the highs are expected to be in the low to mid-80s. At Pismo Beach, daytime temperatures will be in the mid to upper 60s.

Rochelle Bento, executive director of the Pismo Beach Chamber of Commerce, said she is expecting a large turnout this year for the city’s festivities, which will include beach vendors, art and live music in addition to fireworks at 9 p.m.

The city is a popular vacation destination for residents of the central San Joaquin Valley and, with Morro Bay and Paso Robles not having fireworks this Fourth, Bento expects Pismo Beach to draw people who would normally attend those shows. Peter Candela, CEO of the Pismo Beach Chamber of Commerce, said that last year the city drew 100,000 visitors. This year he is expecting about 120,000.

Closer to home, Millerton Lake campsites are almost all booked up. All sites with electrical and sewage hookups have been taken, according to Mark DeLeon, supervising state park ranger. Traditional campsites are still available, but are expected to be fully booked before the end of the week.

Millerton is at 30% capacity, but even with low water levels, visitors will still be able to go boating, wakeboarding and swimming. People will also be able to take advantage of the many trails around Millerton Lake to go hiking, running and cycling.

At Kaweah Lake, east of Visalia, manager Phil Deffenbaugh is predicting a turnout of “several thousand people.” Almost all of the campgrounds at the lake are already rented out for the holiday weekend. At Pine Flat Lake, water levels are lower than last year but not by much, according to manager Jeromy Caldwell. This year the lake is at 27% capacity. Last year it was at 35%. Even with low water levels, all boat ramps, campgrounds and facilities are open, said Caldwell.

The national parks east of Fresno and Merced will offer beautiful vistas and some relief from the heat, but park officials are warning visitors to leave the fireworks at home. They are strictly prohibited in national parks like Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Yosemite.

But if you’re planning to visit Yosemite, brace yourself for large crowds and long delays. Park spokesman Scott Gediman suggests that visitors arrive before 9 a.m. to avoid being stuck in traffic. Gediman is anticipating 20,000 visitors a day over the holiday, and said that during peak hours people can wait in traffic for up to two hours to get in.

Most campsites at Yosemite were booked months ago, but the park does keep a few sites free to be used on a first-come, first-served basis.

At Shaver Lake, a fireworks show will begin at sundown Sunday with a boat parade, where people decorate their boats and take them around the lake to show them off.

Last year Shaver and Huntington Lakes drew about 100,000 people over the Fourth, according to Keith Davis, president of the Shaver Lake Visitors Bureau. He is expecting a slightly smaller turnout this year since Shaver Lake’s fireworks fall on a Sunday. Although campsites around Shaver Lake are completely booked for the holiday, there are still some available around Huntington Lake. For campsite availability and booking, go to goshaver.com.

This story was originally published June 30, 2015 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Valley residents expected to head to mountains, beach for the Fourth."