How to Car Camp in Yosemite National Park
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Want to know how to snag a campground at one of the most popular national parks in the United States?
I’ve been going car camping in Yosemite for years, but even I have to admit: it can be really dang hard to get campsites here, especially in Yosemite Valley!
Despite this, I’ve been able to go camping multiple times all over Yosemite National Park: In Camp 4, Wawona, Upper Pines, North Pines, and Tuolumne Meadows, and I’m going to share everything you need to know about how to car camp in Yosemite.
Keep reading to see how a little bit of advance planning (or, no planning whatsoever) can help you score a coveted campground.
Important! Tuolumne Meadows campground is slated to reopen sometime in 2025! Learn more about the renovation project.
Yosemite National Park Campground Locations
Yosemite has 13 different campgrounds to stay in and they are located all over the park, which means you can find unique adventures from any campground in the park!
- Yosemite Valley: Upper Pines, Lower Pines, North Pines ($36/night), Camp 4 ($10/person/night)
- North of Yosemite Valley: Hodgdon Meadow, Crane Flat, Tuolumne Meadows, White Wolf ($36/night), Tamarack Flat, Porcupine Flat, Yosemite Creek ($24/night)
- South of Yosemite Valley: Wawona, Bridalveil Creek ($36/night)
How To Get a Campsite in Yosemite National Park
1. Visit During the Off-Season
I know, I know, this is limiting. And while it is true that only 4 of 13 campgrounds are open, less people are coming to the park. For reference, the NPS considers November – early-April to be the “off-season”, though campground opening and closing dates can vary according to park conditions.
Campgrounds available during Yosemite’s off season:
- Upper Pines (Yosemite Valley)
- Camp 4 (Yosemite Valley)
- Hodgdon Meadow (Hwy 120 Entrance)
- Wawona (Hwy 41 entrance)
All of the above, except for Camp 4, are drive-in campsites and allow RVs, so you can have a classic car camping experience.
Camp 4 is walk-in only, which means you cannot drive your car up to your campsite. There is a parking area near the Camp 4 reservation booth, so you can still have access to your car, but you have to carry all of your gear to your campsite. I consider Camp 4 as more “front-country backpacking”. It’s best if you bring smaller tents, and more portable camp stoves.
Camp 4, Hodgdon Meadow, and Wawona are all first-come, first-served during this time (except during February, when the famed Horsetail Fall “firefall” happens).
At Hodgdon Meadow and Wawona, you’ll obtain a spot by driving to the campground, finding an open spot, and then by filling out a self-registration envelope (bring exact change). You can fill one envelope out for your whole stay. There’s no need to fill one out every day.
Camp 4 in the winter time is also self-registration based, however the campground operates on a per person quota. You may have to share a campsite with 5 other strangers, and group members can be split up among campsites. Rangers patrol the campground a few times per day checking for your registration, but the kiosk isn’t usually staffed during the winter.
What about Upper Pines?
Upper Pines is still reservation-only during the off season, on the normal 5 months in advance schedule. Read more below.
No matter which campground you choose, showing up early will always work better for you, especially in the shoulder months (November, March/April). Even though it’s the off-season, and campground check-out time is noon, Yosemite is still very popular, and you will have to put in a little effort to get a campsite. And getting up early is that effort.
2. Be a Planner: Reserve 5 months in advance
2024 note: Yosemite is requiring reservations to enter the park every day of the week during the height of summer of 2024. There are zero walk-in campsites available in Yosemite during the summer of 2024.
Ok, so you don’t want to visit during the off-season (you should, though, by the way – so many less people!). If you want to camp in Yosemite during the months of mid-April – October, your absolute best bet in getting a campsite is to reserve one in advance.
All campsites need to be reserved in advance. Most must be reserved 5 months in advance, but there are a few that release at 2 weeks before your planned camping trip!
Good news though! There are 13 campgrounds in the entirety of Yosemite National Park that are open at some point during the high season (aka, all of the campsites listed at the top of this post!).
Campgrounds to reserve 5 months in advance
- Hodgdon Meadow (Hwy 120 Entrance)
- Tuolumne Meadows (Hwy 120)
- Upper Pines (Yosemite Valley)
- Lower Pines (Yosemite Valley)
- North Pines (Yosemite Valley)
- Wawona (Hwy 41 Entrance/ Wawona)
Campgrounds to reserve 2 weeks in advance
- Camp 4 (Yosemite Valley)
- Crane Flat (Hwy 120)
- White Wolf (Hwy 120)
- Tamarack Flat (Hwy 120)
- Porcupine Flat (Hwy 120)
- Yosemite Creek (Hwy 120)
- Bridalveil Creek (Glacier Point Road)
3. Try To Arrive Mid-Week
No matter which campground you want or when you want it, you’re going to have a much better chance of actually getting a campground if you reserve a site Sunday – Wednesday than if you must be there Thursday – Saturday. So plan those vacation days accordingly!
4. Be Flexible
If you’re trying to get a last-minute campground reservation, be prepared to change plans if you can’t get one that you desire. And be prepared to change them enough that you would be willing to camp outside of the park.
Here’s a map document of Forest Service campgrounds that are North/ Northwest of Yosemite. And options for camping east of Yosemite. You also may want to look into dispersed camping on BLM or National Forest land, though this is more suited for backpackers. If you will try dispersed camping, remember to Leave No Trace.
How Do I Make Camping Reservations in Yosemite National Park?
Easy. Go to www.recreation.gov and search “Yosemite National Park”. The search results will yield all of the reservable campgrounds in Yosemite.
During the high season, it will be difficult to get a campground on any day of the week. If you want a campground, especially on the weekend, you’re going to have to pretend you’re trying to get Taylor Swift concert tickets, and get online at 7 AM (Pacific Time) in the morning, 4-5 months prior to when you want to camp.
Every month on the 15th at 7 AM PT is when the reservations get released for the 5 month in advance campgrounds.
For example, if you want to camp any time between July 15 – August 14, you should make a reservation on March 15.
And here’s a fun fact: These are for arrival dates only. If your first night camping is August 14 (or the last day of any reservation window), you can still reserve the nights after the 14th (like the 15th and 16th) on March 15th, even though those nights are technically in the next month’s registration. You need to keep it in the same reservation though.
If you are unable to get a reservation for the dates you want, you can either check recreation.gov every day and try to get a reservation, or you can attempt to get a spot at a 2-week out reservable campground.
Pro tip: Recreation.gov has an Availability Alert feature for campgrounds on the campsite list tab. This allows you to enter your desired dates, and they’ll email you if something opens up. You need to be ready to book ASAP though, as hundreds of other people could also have this alert set up.
2 Week in Advance Campgrounds
The reservation method is exactly the same as listed above.
However, dates are released daily, not only on the 15th of the month. For instance, on May 7th, you can book any date from 5/7 until 5/14. On May 8th, you can book any day from 5/8 to 5/15.
Campsite Cancellation Etiquette
Please cancel your reservation if you decide not to show up. If you’re a no-show, you get no money back. If you cancel appropriately, you can get some money back.
No-shows are another way last-minute campers can get a spot in a reservable campground. Check recreation.gov for up-to-date info. Campsites are put online once cancelled.
Yosemite Campground Open / Close Dates
Opening and closing dates vary drastically for the seasonal campsites. The best place to check online for the opening/ closing dates for the season is here. The best place online for current campground status is here. Or call this number: (209) 372-0266.
Generally, the pines campgrounds (except for upper) are open from early April – early November, and all the rest greatly depend on snowmelt.
Bridalveil Creek will open when the facilities have been deemed safe (aka potable water and safe plumbing) after Glacier Point Road opens, and the likewise for the rest, after Highway 120 opens for the season.
Tuolumne Meadows generally closes in late-September, and Porcupine and Tamarack Flat always close by October 15th since Tioga Road closes to overnight parking on October 15th.
Generally speaking, the Tioga Road campgrounds have a short operating period, especially if it is a heavy snowfall year.
Best Campgrounds in Yosemite National Park
Ok, this is going to sound a little contrived – BUT – the best campground in Yosemite is the one you can actually get a spot at.
In reality, the best campground is going to differ based on your needs and experience.
Want a quiet experience and don’t mind treating your water? Then you’re going to like campgrounds like Tamarack Flat, Yosemite Creek, and Porcupine Flat the best.
On the other hand, if you aren’t a chef and want to be able to eat in park dining options and still camp, you’ll need to look at campgrounds in Yosemite Valley like Camp 4, and all the Pines campgrounds. The trade-off here is being in a more crowded campground.
If you are tired of Yosemite Valley and only want to experience the hikes and scenery in the high country, you’re going to want to book the Tioga Road campgrounds like Crane Flat, Hodgdon Meadow, Tuolumne Meadows, White Wolf, Tamarack Flat, Yosemite Creek, and Porcupine Flat.
My personal favorite campgrounds (so far!) are North Pines and Tuolumne Meadows. But I haven’t even stayed in half the campgrounds in the park – there’s just so many!
Car Camping in Yosemite National Park FAQs
Is there any first-come, first-served Camping in Yosemite National Park?
As of 2024, there are no first-come, first-served campgrounds available in the high season (mid-April – October).
In the past, 50% of the campsites at Tuolumne Meadows were FCFS. If you wanted to get a day-of campsite at Tuolumne Meadows, you needed to go to the reservation kiosk along Highway 120 that’s right in front of the campground. The rangers started assigning campgrounds around 8 or 9 am, though there may be a line of people earlier.
Tuolumne Meadows campground was closed in 2024 while repairs were completed, and nothing has been announced for 2025 and beyond about FCFS camping. Based on how Yosemite is becoming mostly reservation-based for all kinds of visits in the summer, I would assume Tuolumne Meadows will become 100% reservable when it re-opens, though maybe half will be 5 months in advance and the other half will be 2 weeks in advance. This is only a guess.
There is first come, first served camping during the winter season (November – mid April) in Camp 4, Hodgdon Meadow, and Wawona campgrounds except for the month of February. Reservations for February 2025 will be opened December 15th 2024.
Can I camp anywhere in Yosemite?
No. There is a difference between wilderness backpacking and camping in designated campgrounds. If you would like to traditionally camp with your car nearby, a picnic table, fire pit, toilets, etc., you are only able to do that in the 13 designated campgrounds listed above.
Can I sleep inside my car in Yosemite?
You can only sleep in your car if you are in a designated campground. You cannot sleep in your car in the Camp 4 parking lot, and you can’t sleep in your car on the side of the road or any parking lot inside the boundary of Yosemite National Park – even in a self-contained camper van.
Can I RV camp in Yosemite?
Yes, RVs are allowed at all campgrounds except for Camp 4 and Tamarack Creek. They’re not recommended at Yosemite Creek (clearance reasons), and there are only 4 sites at Porcupine Flat that allow RVs.
There are no utility hook-ups at any campground in Yosemite, and dump stations are located year-round at Upper Pines, and Tuolumne Meadows and Wawona in the summer only.
Where can I car camp near Yosemite if I can’t get a reservation in the park?
There are multiple campgrounds located in Stanislaus National Forest, Sierra National Forest, and Inyo National Forest. All have different rules for reservations. The campgrounds in Stanislaus and Sierra National Forests will have the best access to Yosemite.
Do I need a day use reservation for Yosemite if I have a campground reservation?
No! Your Yosemite campground reservation is a park entry reservation for each day you are staying in the park. If you don’t have a reservation for a campground inside Yosemite, you will need an entry reservation during the peak season.
Are dogs allowed in Yosemite campgrounds?
Dogs are allowed in all campgrounds in Yosemite except for Camp 4, backpacker’s campgrounds, and all wilderness camping areas. They must be on a leash and supervised at all times.
Have any questions, comments, or memories about car camping in Yosemite that you’d like to share? Let me know in the comments below!
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