If the cold weather has you down and wondering when it will be warm enough to get out of the house again, then the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation is offering a light at the end of that long winter tunnel.

In a sure sign that spring is just around the corner, DCR has announced it will begin taking reservations for camping at state parks as of March 6, at 9 a.m., with reservations accepted up to four months in advance of a planned stay at one of the Bay State’s 25 campgrounds.

“One of our goals at DCR is to get more families outside and exploring our state’s beautiful natural resources,” DCR Commissioner Brian Arrigo said with the announcement. “We know fresh air and the outdoors play a critical role, not only for our physical health but our mental health. Camping in our DCR parks is a fantastic opportunity for people to experience nature, and we hope to see some new faces during the 2024 camping season.”

Camping will be open from April through October, and the department says it has spent the last year making major improvements at campgrounds across the state.

For example, the Mohawk Trail State Forest campground, where algae was found in the bath house water source last year, received $1.4 million in upgrades, “including installing a new water system, repaving the campground’s roads, replacing roofs on the cabins and administrative buildings, upgrading the bathroom facilities, and repairing and restoring the chimneys in the Civilian Conservation Corps-era (CCC) cabins,” according to DCR.

The department has also invested $250,000 on new picnic tables, fire rings, and grills.

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Reservations for DCR campsites can be made at reserveamerica.com. Same day reservations are available until 2 p.m. each day. Walk up reservations cannot be accommodated, DCR said, and campsites will not allow visitors this year.

Camping at Beartown State Forest, in Monterey, and at Mount Greylock State Reservation, in Berkshire County, will not be available this season. According to the Department, “fans of the campsites can email dcr.campinginfo@mass.gov for updates on their reopening.”

DCR oversees 450,000 acres of the Commonwealth’s beaches, bike trails, dams, forests, parks, and watersheds. Last year over 50,000 reservations were made at state properties, according to DCR.