Back to Wilderness Hub | Dispersed Camping | Designated Wilderness Campgrounds

Our trailhead quota system dictates where and when you start your hike, and in some cases, where you can camp on your first night.

Explore examples of where you can camp and how to indicate this on your reservation.

All trailheads have a direction of travel and minimum distance you must hike from your starting point before looking for a place to camp. The wilderness camping boundary is four miles from Yosemite Valley, Glacier Point, Hetch Hetchy, Tuolumne Meadows, and Wawona; and one-air mile from any road.



Dispersed Camping

Go the (minimum) distance!

For dispersed camping, once you hike the minimum distance, you can look for a place to camp, subject to wilderness regulations. (add link)

The Wilderness Trailheads Map (add link) shows the location of each entry point and the direction and distance you must hike before finding allowable camping.

In this example, Chilnualna Falls trail is indicated by a red arrow following the trail to the wilderness camping boundary. Once you make it past the arrow, you can look for a place to camp.

Click here to view the full map.

 

No-camping zone

The Camping Area Map shows the no-camping zone in Yosemite National Park.

It’s divided into different camping regions that correlate with the camp area selection menu on Recreation.gov.

Use this map to make sure your desired camping location is outside of the no camping zone before making your reservation.

The no camping zone is shown as the red shaded area. Some areas are in the no camping zone, but have designated wilderness campgrounds.

Click here to view the full map.

Jump to: Designated Wilderness Campgrounds

Let’s continue with the Chilnualna Falls example from ‘Where do I begin?’ 

You want to start at the Chilnualna Falls trailhead because the trail descriptions page says Wawona has less crowds, and you can hike near a waterfall. But where specifically are you going to camp?

After looking at a topographic map, you decide to hike the Buena Vista Lake Loop over four days.

For trip planning purposes, you can use an online topographic map. Online topographic maps like CalTopo or Gaia GPS are excellent resources.

You decide you just want to hike the minimum distance required on the first day. In this example, just beyond the top of Chilnualna Falls* is outside the no-camping zone, and this first place you can camp on this route.

*This is precisely what you should type on your reservation in the “Comments” section.

Source: National Geographic

Carrying a paper topographic map is essential for backpacking, as technology often fails. You can purchase topographic maps like the one pictured from our shop!

You are required to select a first night’s camping area on your reservation.

In this example, you would need to select Chilnualna Falls from the drop-down menu on Recreation.gov.

 

Designated Wilderness Campgrounds

Some trailheads require you to camp at designated wilderness campgrounds on your first night. Camping restrictions are in place around these designated areas.

 

Little Yosemite Valley

Little Yosemite Valley has a designated campground with composting toilets and bear-resistant food lockers to protect wildlife and reduce impacts for the surrounding wilderness areas.

If your entry trailhead is Happy Isles > Little Yosemite Valley or Glacier Point > Little Yosemite Valley, you must camp at the designated campground on your first night.

If your trailhead is not one of these, you must spend your first night at least two miles from Little Yosemite Valley. After your first night, you may camp at LYV if you want to.

Happy Isles > Little Yosemite Valley is indicated by the 1B and a green line that ends at a point in Little Yosemite valley, meaning you must stop there on night one.

The same is true for Glacier Point > Little Yosemite Valley, indicated by 3A and a blue line that ends at the same point.

Little Yosemite Valley (LYV) is a popular area utilized by backpackers going to Half Dome, Clouds Rest, the John Muir Trail, and more. Because of it’s popularity, there is a two-mile no-camping zone along all trails out of Little Yosemite Valley.

 

High Sierra Camps

Glen Aulin, Merced Lake, Sunrise, Vogelsang, and May Lake are High Sierra Camps located in Yosemite Wilderness. These popular areas are located along the High Sierra Loop and are utilized by many wilderness users. There is a roughly a one-mile no-camping zone surrounding each camp.

Each High Sierra Camp has a designated backpackers campground nearby with bear-resistant food lockers Water and toilet availability varies.

If you are camping near these areas, make sure you are within the established campground boundaries, or at least a mile away.

If your entry trailhead is Glen Aulin, you must camp at the established backpackers area at Glen Aulin on your first night. After that, you can camp beyond Glen Aulin.

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