Best Campsites at Yosemite

Best Yosemite campsites

North Pines Campground: Smaller and quieter than its larger neighbor Upper Pines, North Pines is a favored car campground in Yosemite Valley by those who prefer to be a bit out of the way. It features over 80 sites for tents and RVs, is open from April through September, and requires reservations. Rate - $20 per night.

Camp 4: A popular walk-in campground in Yosemite Valley which is open year-round and has 35 tent-only sites on. Cap 4 is mainly popular among the climbing fraternity and assigns up to six people per site so tends to be a tad noisy. Rate - $5 per person per night.

Bridalveil Creek, Glacier Pass: Bridalveil Creek is near to Glacier Point and is one of the best campsites at Yosemite. It is a quiet and out of the way campsite with more than 100 sites that are available on a first-come, first served basis. One of the best aspects about Bridalveil Creek campsite is that it is just off the main road so does not require a 4WD to get to. It is open July through September. Rate - $14 per night.

Curry Village and Housekeeping Camp are the two largest operators in Yosemite Valley, yet mainly have tent cabin hybrids and are fairly uninspiring from a camper’s point of view.

High Sierra campsites (Tioga Pass Road)

The campsites up in High Sierra country are only open during the summer months due to the altitude and cold and are generally first-com, first-served. Some are tough to get to and are often a day’s hike apart.

Tuolumne Meadows: Opens from July to September with a 50/50 split on reservation versus walk-in bookings, this place is the most popular and comes with over 300 sites for tents and RVs. Rate - $20 per night.

White Wolf: This place is also one of the best, yet is a lot smaller than Tuolumne, with 74 sites on a first-come, first-served. It is mainly for tents but also accepts small RVs. Rate - $14 per night.

Hodgdon Meadow, Crane Flat: A year-round campsite located near the main entrance with reservations-only April through September. There are 105 sites for tents and RVs and groups of four sites for up to people. Rate - $20 per night.

Tamarack Flat: located near Crane Flat and Hodgdon Meadow, Tamarack is only open in the summer and comes with 52 first-come, first-serve tent sites. It is one of the cheapest campsites in Yosemite and has Creek water only. Rate - $10 per night.

Yosemite Creek is one of the best campsites at Yosemite located just outside of the confines of the park on CA 120. It appeals mainly to the outdoors type as it is well off the beaten path, plus it’s cheap.

Backcountry camping

You can also camp independently off the beaten path in Yosemite although will have to first obtain a permit (which is free) as numbers on the various trails are limited. Permits can be reserved but are also available on a first-come first-served basis. Permits can be reserved by phoning, mail, or online, or by visiting one of the wilderness stations: Yosemite Village, Tuolumne Meadows, Badger Pass, Hetch Hetchy, Wawona, and Big Oak Flat.

Booking Yosemite campgrounds

The best campsites at Yosemite fill very quickly, as with the other types of accommodation here. Reservations must be made through the National Park Service (NPS) by calling 1 877 444 6777 (+1 518 885 3639 outside the US). In addition, a lottery system is in place for the High Sierra campgrounds followed by first-come, first-served.