Breathtaking doesn’t even begin to describe Yosemite National Park. In reality it is simply an overload for the senses – lakes, rivers, meadows, soaring cliffs, mountains, glaciers, waterfalls, oak and giant sequoia forests, deer, badgers, coyotes, bears, birds and more.
Some people head here to escape the world for a while – to sit back and breathe in nature; others challenge themselves to hike its many trails. Some come with friends and family to camp, feast, drink and bond; yet others come for the watersports.
Whatever the reason for your trip, we’ve picked out a selection of campgrounds to suit all budgets and tastes – from really rustic to “pull-in, hookup and sit back with a beer.”
Know that you are far from the only one with the idea of discovering Yosemite, though. Yosemite National Park gets millions of visitors a year, and campsites tend to book up months in advance, so we advise you to plan ahead as far as possible. The campgrounds in Yosemite Valley tend to be the busiest, while the further away you go, the more chance you’ll get of finding a space for your stay.
And if you can’t find a campground with an opening, there are numerous lodging options in the area, including hotels and motels, cabin rentals and bed and breakfasts.
Check out our guide to campgrounds in and around Yosemite, whether you’re packing a tent, a hammock or are comfy-cozy in your own RV.
Good To Know Before You Go Camping In Yosemite
Expect wildlife! This is bear country, and most campsites have bear-proof food lockers set up. It is your responsibility to protect yourself and the bears (from consuming food which could harm them). If you see a bear, deer, coyote or other animal, keep back and do not attempt to approach or feed them. When hiking, keep your ears and eyes open for rattlesnakes.
Be ready for bugs! There will be mosquitoes, ticks and plenty of spiders around. Take spray to protect yourself from bugs with wings, and tread with care if you’re hiking.
Most campgrounds have little to no cell-service. Be prepared to disconnect and unwind!
Some campgrounds do not allow campfires; others provide fire pits. Check before you light up!
Where To Camp In Yosemite?
Now it’s time to find out where to head to for your Yosemite adventure. We’ve divided the article into five distinct areas – Yosemite Valley, Northern Yosemite, Southern Yosemite, Northern Maricopa County and Central Maricopa County. Each of them is a gem in their own right! We’ll start with the most popular destination- Yosemite Valley.
Yosemite Valley
Curry Village (Half Dome Village, Camp Curry)
Curry Village (also known as Half Dome Village or Camp Curry) is a literal village right in the heart of Yosemite Valley, and it has been going since its foundation in 1889! Eat, tour, rent bikes, swim in their pool and set off from one of the many trailheads there. Set in a stunning location below Half Dome and Glacier Point, it makes a great family overnight destination when you’re visiting Yosemite National Park, though it can get noisy, especially in summer and on the weekends!
There are 46 cabins with private bathrooms, 14 cabins with shared bathrooms, 403 heated and unheated tents, and The Stoneman’s 18 double- or single-bed motel rooms.
Hungry? Curry Village has five restaurants to choose from.
This is a popular destination, so be sure to book well in advance.
There is a free shuttle bus, which will take you throughout Yosemite Valley.
Where: In Yosemite Valley. Get there via Highways 41, 140, and 120, then follow the signs.
Cost: From $159/night.
Upper Pines Campground
At 4,000 ft., Upper Pines Campground is a large and popular choice for those seeking accessibility and a busy vibe while camping.
The year-round Upper Pines campground has 238 closely-packed sites for tents, RVs (up to 35 feet), and trailers (up to 24 feet), of which only 50 are open December to mid-February.
From spring to fall, Lower Pines has 60 sites for tents, RVs (up to 40 feet), and trailers (up to 35 feet), plus three group sites for up to 12 campers each, while North Pines offers 81 sites with space for tents, and RVs and trailers of the same maximum length.
There are no hookups, though each campsite offers a fire ring, picnic table, a food locker, and is near a bathroom with drinking water and flushing toilets. North Pines sites 101, 103, 105, 107, 109, 111, 113, and 119 have larger food lockers.
The nearest showers are at Curry Village and Housekeeping Camp.
There is a dump station on-site.
The bathrooms are wheelchair accessible.
Note: Wood fires are permitted all year, but from May through September, campfires in Yosemite Valley are only allowed between 5pm and 10pm (at any time from October through April). Charcoal fires are allowed at any time.
Nearest stores: Yosemite Valley – Yosemite Village Store, Curry Village Store.
There is a free shuttle bus, which will take you throughout Yosemite Valley.
Where: 9024 Southside Drive. Once in Yosemite Valley, follow Southside Drive and signs for the campgrounds.
Cost: From $36/night.
Yosemite Housekeeping Camp
If you love the outdoors but don’t like wrestling with tent poles and the like, the riverside, valley-central, wheelchair accessible Housekeeping Camp is for you- offering 266 three-sided concrete structures with canvas roofs and outdoor covered patios.
Each unit can sleep up to six guests on a bunk bed and double bed (two cots can be added on request), and has a table, chairs, mirror, electrical lights and outlets (though you are encouraged to disconnect while here!) Take your own sleeping bag and pillow or rent them by the night. No space heaters.
For a real treat, pick the River Unit which is right on the river.
There is a shared shower house – get a shower voucher at the office (a thin towel is included), and a large and well-equipped laundry room.
Make use of the on-site fire pit, food lockers, free parking, and shop for essentials in the on-site store.
During the day and early evening, you can relax by the Merced River on sandy beaches and enjoy views of the Yosemite Falls and Half Dome.
There is a free shuttle bus, which will take you throughout Yosemite Valley.
Where: Southside Drive. Once in Yosemite Valley, follow Southside Drive and signs for the campgrounds.
Cost: From $100/night.
Northern Yosemite
May Lake High Sierra Camp
May Lake was among the first High Sierra Camps (constructed in 1938), and is among the easiest to get to, requiring just a one-mile hike from the parking area off Tioga Road. Leave your pets at home – they are not allowed here or on the trail.
May Lake Camp is among the most beautiful of the campgrounds on this list. Enjoy a walk through the conifer forest to May Lake, where (cameras at the ready!), you’ll have stunning views of Half Dome and Mount Hoffmann (the geographic center of Yosemite National Park) reflected in the lake.
May Lake Camp offers unbeatable serenity to relax in, though it is a very popular site with party-goers due to its accessibility, so be warned! If you have the legs for it, head up the ridge behind the camp for a view of the southern end of Yosemite and a breathtaking sunset. If not, swim in the lake or laze on the beach!
The eight canvas tent cabins at May Lake Camp can accommodate 36 guests. Each has dormitory-style steel frame beds with mattresses, pillows, and blankets or comforters. Bring your own sleeping bags, sheets and towels.
Hungry? Enjoy dinner and breakfast family-style in the main dining tent, giving you a chance to socialize with other guests. Ask in advance regarding your dietary restrictions or food allergies. Pack lunches are available if ordered the night before.
This is a backpackers campground. Backpackers campgrounds are available seasonally for wilderness permit holders to spend one night before and one night after a wilderness trip. Reservations are neither necessary nor required. However, a valid wilderness permit is required for backpackers to stay at the campground. Backpackers may not camp in backpackers campgrounds when they are closed. Visitors arriving in Yosemite by bicycle, public transportation (YARTS), or foot may also spend one night in each backpackers campground.
Where: On Tioga Road, one mile off the Tioga Pass.
Cost: $8/night.
Crane Flat Campground
At 6,200 ft, this popular campsite is open July through mid-October.
There are 166 sites for tents, RVs (some for up to 35 feet) and trailers (a few for up to 27 feet). No hookups. Sites 423 and 427 are wheelchair accessible. Avoid weekends if you don’t like noise or crowds.
Each closely-packed site comes with its own fire ring (wood and charcoal allowed), picnic table, and small food locker. Individual sites are pet friendly, but the 13-30 person group sites and horse sites are not.
There are bathrooms with drinking water and flushing toilets. The nearest showers (read: hot water) are at Yosemite Valley – Curry Village and Housekeeping Camp.
Nearest dump station: Upper Pines Campground in Yosemite Valley (year-round) Tuolumne Meadows Campground (summer only).
Nearest stores: Yosemite Valley – Yosemite Village Store, Curry Village Store, Yosemite Valley Lodge Store, and a small grocery store at Crane Flat.
Where: 717 Big Oak Flat Road (Hwy 120)
Cost: $36/night.
Sunrise High Sierra Camp
The last camp on the 50-mile High Sierra Camp Loop, (or a 15.9-km roundtrip trail), this campsite is named for its most famous feature – the chance to watch unimaginably beautiful and colorful sunrises. The camp faces Mt. Florence and Mt. Clark, and is close to a variety of trails to hike. This camp offers some of the best hiking, as you’ll be starting from 9,400 feet above sea level.
The nine canvas tent cabins can accommodate 34 guests. Each has dormitory-style steel frame beds with mattresses, pillows, and blankets or comforters. Bring your own sleeping bags, sheets and towels.
Hungry? Enjoy dinner and breakfast family-style in the main dining tent, giving you a chance to socialize with other guests. Ask in advance regarding your dietary restrictions or food allergies. Pack lunches available if ordered the night before.
This is a backpackers campground. Backpackers campgrounds are available seasonally for wilderness permit holders to spend one night before and one night after a wilderness trip. Reservations are neither necessary nor required. However, a valid wilderness permit is required for backpackers to stay at the campground. Backpackers may not camp in backpackers campgrounds when they are closed. Visitors arriving in Yosemite by bicycle, public transportation (YARTS), or foot may also spend one night in each backpackers campground.
Where: The hike to get there starts in the back country at Merced High Sierra Camp and climbs 2000 feet into Sunrise High Sierra Camp.
Cost: $8/night.
Other Sites Worth Staying At Nearby:
- Merced Lake, the first of the High Sierra Camps set up at Yosemite (in 1916). 14 miles of steep hiking are required, and most campers stop for a night on the way at Vogelsang or Sunrise.
- The year-round Hodgdon Meadow Campground off Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120), with 105 no-hookup tent and RV sites.
- White Wolf Campground, with 74 tent and RV sites (up to 27 feet) and trailers (up to 24 feet)
Southern Yosemite
Wawona Campground
The year-round Wawona Campground is at 4,000 ft elevation and offers three looped areas of around 20 sites each under the shade of trees among boulders, and a grassy area next to the river with access for swimming and a spot of sunbathing.
The restrooms are clean and have a drinking water faucet outside.
Campsites come with fire rings – you can buy wood bundles at the nearby store.
There is also an amphitheater where they hold talks on local wildlife and other Yosemite-related topics on select summer evenings.
Book online in summer; available first come-first served in winter.
Where: On the left, one mile north of Wawona on Hwy 41/Wawona Road.
Cost: $36/night.
Summerdale Campground
Friendly and knowledgeable staff will welcome you to Summerdale Campground from June through September. This is a beautiful and very popular accommodation choice set up in a seasonally wildflower-filled meadow bordered by fir, cottonwood and cedar.
Each clean, spacious, pet-friendly campsite has a paved parking area, a grill, a picnic table and a campfire ring (wood and charcoal).
There are vault toilets available on-site as well as drinking water.
Keep your eyes open for the wildlife – there’s plenty of nature to appreciate here – from fish, deer and birds to meadow butterflies in summer!
Nature begs your appreciation here – the giant sequoias at Nelder Grove, the eager beaver community of the Big Creek, which runs by the campground, the 3.7-mile Lewis Creek National Recreation Trail, and the oak-and-alpine scenery of the Sierra Nevada. Don’t miss a ride on the logging train at Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad for a fun diversion, or the Miami Motorcycle Trails Area.
Where: 1.5 miles before the entrance to Yosemite National Park on Hwy 41, just past the town of Fish Camp.
Cost: $34/night.
Bridalveil Creek Group And Horse Campground
At 7,200 ft, Bridalveil Creek is a wonderful, rustic campground in Yosemite’s red fir and lodgepole pine woods near Glacier Point, a 45 minute drive from Yosemite Valley. It is typically open from mid-July through early September and makes the perfect escape from the world – there’s absolutely zero cell reception!
A fire in 2018 permanently knocked out this campground’s water supply – so you’ll need to bring your own drinking water and be content with porta potties and handwashing stations you pump with your feet. It goes without saying that there are no showers here, and no electricity. The nearest showers are in Yosemite Valley at Curry Village and Housekeeping Camp.
The campground is first come, first served, unless you stay at one of the group campsites (which are reservation only).
There are 110 sites for tents, RVs (some for up to 35 feet) and trailers (some for up to 24 feet). No hookups.
Each site comes with its own fire ring (wood and charcoal allowed), picnic table, and food locker.
Individual sites are leashed-pet friendly, but the two 13-30 person group sites and 3 horse sites are not, and no RVs are allowed on either of the latter options. There are rangers on site during the open season.
Nearest dump station: Upper Pines Campground in Yosemite Valley (year-round), on Forest Drive east of the Pioneer Gift & Grocery (formerly Wawona Store) (summer only).
Where: Off the Glacier Point Road, just over 8 miles east of its intersection of the Wawona Road (Hwy 41).
Cost: $36/night.
Northwest Mariposa County
Bagby Recreation Area
Bagby Recreation Area on the Merced River, at the inlet of Lake McClure, promises a great, quiet camping destination (where only snores and early morning birds might disturb you!), ideal for those wanting to escape urban stress and suck up some true nature vibes.
When the water is high, you can swim or simply relax by the water; when the inlet dries up, it gets even quieter, as the boaters go elsewhere for their fun!
There are 31 sites, some gravel, some wooded, and it’s always best to make a reservation in advance to guarantee your spot.
There are clean bathrooms with hot showers.
Some RV sites have water/electricity hookups. There are no dump stations.
Propane and charcoal grills are allowed, but no campfires.
There’s also some interesting history here – of a mining town buried beneath the lake!
Where: 8324 Hwy 49 N
Cost: $20/night.
Horseshoe Bend Recreational Area
Horseshoe Bend Recreational Area, near the historic town of Coulterville, offers a tranquil and very rustic site on the lake, great for swimming, hiking or simply relaxing under a tree. Note that swimming is discouraged when there is a lot of run-off wood in the water – judge for yourself and take care!
There are 97 reservation-required sites. RVs of up to 28 feet will be comfortable here and have access to full hookups and a dump station.
There are fire pits, picnic tables and shade in the form of man-made pavilions, and some trees.
The showers are cold-water, which is fine in summer.
Where: 4236 Highway 132 (3 miles west of Highway 49), Coulterville.
Cost: From $30/night.
Barrett Cove
Disconnect and unwind at Barrett Cove, which boasts 200+ campsites with picnic tables and lake views for perfect lakeside relaxation or water fun.
Hookups available.
There are bathrooms and two showers (expect cobwebs!).
Propane and charcoal grills are allowed but no campfires.
Wildlife you might see: deer, raccoons and tarantulas.
Nearby fun counts the Exchequer Bike Park – so be sure to bring your mountain bikes!
Where: 9090 Lake McClure Rd,. Snelling.
Cost: From $40/night.
Central Mariposa County
Dirt Flat Campground
The tranquil Dirt Flat Campground, on the north side of the Merced River, is a cute tents-only site where your peace will likely only be disturbed by the odd adventure-boater paddling past and the soothing roaring of the water.
Around you, if you choose to camp here, the Sierra National Forest promises oak-covered foothills and the beautiful alpine heights above.
The pet-friendly sites have grills, picnic tables, and fire rings. Vault toilets are available on-site and you can park nearby.
Where: Incline Rd., El Portal.
Cost: From $30/night.
McCabe Flat Campground
This Bureau of Land Management campground is also on the Merced River, with tent, RV and trailer sites that are beautifully shaded by oak and pine, and with a beach to enjoy some riverside recreation on.
The handicapped-accessible sites (11 tent 3 RV/vehicle) come with picnic tables and grills, but the nearest drinking water is at Briceburg Bridge. The maximum length for RVs/trailers is 18 feet due to the bridge. There is parking nearby.
There are vault toilets on-site.
No reservations required. Pay the $10/night fee in the on-site drop-box.
Where: 2.3 miles from the Briceburg Bridge.
Cost: From $10/night.
Willow Placer Campground
Despite having a smaller beach than McCabe, the pet friendly Willow Placer Campground is well-worth your camping consideration, with eight walk-in sites and one (max. 18 feet) drive-up group site for up to 25 guests, and a brilliant summer swimming hole nearby (best once the spring floods subside).
$10/night will get you a peaceful, rustic stay great for families and friends.
Note: There is no drinking water at Willow Placer – fill up near the Briceburg Bridge.
Where: 3.6 miles from the Briceburg suspension Bridge.
Cost: $10/night.
The Takeaway
Whether you want to go full-on rustic with the bare-essentials, or prefer comfort in your camp, Yosemite and its surroundings have something to offer you – just be sure to book well in advance and to follow the rules on site.
What Else Can I Do In The Area?
If you still have time and energy after exploring all the natural wonders of Yosemite, why not head along for a soothing natural soak in one of the state’s hot springs? Our favorites are Travertine Hot Springs in Bridgeport, Mono Hot Springs resort on the Kaiser Pass, Benton Hot Springs resort and the nearby Wild Willy’s desert hot spring pools. You can find more hot springs elsewhere on our site – just type “California” into the search bar!
Disclaimer
While we at Traxplorio do our very best to give you the most up-to-date information, we always recommend you do your own research before you travel to a particular locale, and check with official sites. Thanks for understanding, and enjoy your adventure!
