Yosemite Campsite Guaranteed!*

*We in fact cannot promise you a Yosemite campsite, but we do guarantee that this blog will help you in your efforts to reserve a campsite this year! … Sorry for the clickbait.

Camping in Yosemite National Park offers visitors a unique and memorable way to experience the park — falling asleep to the sounds of nature, embarking on adventures directly from your campsite, and fully immersing oneself in Yosemite. The beauty of camping is why Yosemite’s 13 campgrounds are EXTREMELY popular. Yosemite camping reservations are available at different times depending on the campground and are often booked up within minutes of being released to the public. For this reason, it’s important to plan ahead for camping in Yosemite National Park — we’re talking 5–6 months ahead. 

Use this blog as a guide to figure out the where, when, and how of camping in Yosemite! 

• Where … you can camp in Yosemite 
• When … to reserve your Yosemite camping spot 
• How … to make a Yosemite campground reservation 
• Why … you shouldn’t lose hope for a last-minute Yosemite trip 
• What … are the Dos and Don’ts of Yosemite camping 

No time to read?! Get a quick overview with this reservation table. 

 

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Where … you can camp in Yosemite 

There are 13 campgrounds within the Yosemite National Park boundary; four in Yosemite Valley, two in the southern part of the park, and seven in the northwestern and High Sierra areas. While some are more popular than others, each Yosemite campground offers unique experiences and access points to different parts of the park. 

If you are looking to backpack and camp in Yosemite’s wilderness, please see our Wilderness Hub for more information on that permitting process.  

Below you’ll find brief descriptions of each Yosemite campground and what they have to offer. Already know where you’re hoping to camp? Pop down to the When to Reserve Your Camping Spot section to take the next step. 

 

YOSEMITE VALLEY. These centrally located campgrounds boast views of and proximity to Yosemite’s most iconic features — from Half Dome to Yosemite Falls and Mirror Lake. Find reservation details in the next section.

• Upper Pines. Open year-round. As one of the most popular and centrally located campgrounds in Yosemite, Upper Pines is within biking and walking distance of many services and trailheads — including the well-known Mist Trail. This large campground hosts 235 sites suitable for RVs and tents.
• Lower Pines. Open seasonally. Centrally located and less crowded than Upper Pines, Lower Pines campground offers easy access to Curry Village via the Stoneman Meadow boardwalk, and other iconic park landmarks. The campground’s 73 RV and tent sites are tucked among trees, adding to the peaceful atmosphere.
• North Pines. Open seasonally. Just across the Merced River, the North Pines campground is well-located for easy access to hiking, biking, and scenic Yosemite viewpoints. The 80 RV and tent sites at North Pines offer quick access to the river, with a handful having direct views of the water.
• Camp 4. Open year-round. Near Yosemite Falls, Camp 4 is known for its historic significance as the birthplace of modern rock climbing in Yosemite. This walk-in only campground is perfect if you’re hoping to be close to the park’s legendary rock climbing history or are simply looking for a more communal and informal feel.

 

SOUTH OF THE VALLEY. The areas of Glacier Point and Wawona have limited lodging options compared to the rest of Yosemite, and the Wawona and Bridalveil Creek campgrounds offer visitors unique and easy access to the southern parts of the park. Find reservation details in the next section.

• Wawona. Open year-round. Just 11 miles from the South Entrance of the park, the Wawona campground is perfect for visitors hoping to explore the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias and nearby attractions in the southern part of Yosemite. This campground has nearly 100 sites — some of which are suitable for RVs — and is approximately an hour from Yosemite Valley.
• Bridalveil Creek. Open seasonally. Located off Glacier Point Road, Bridalveil Creek offers a peaceful, secluded camping experience. At 7200 ft/2200m in elevation, this campground will stay cooler than Valley campgrounds during the summer months with great access to Glacier Point Road trailheads and vistas. Surrounded by a beautiful forest of red fir and lodgepole pine, the campground’s 115 sites are perfect for tent camping.

 

NORTH OF THE VALLEY: Big Oak Flat Gateway and Tioga Road. These campgrounds are located at higher elevation than Yosemite Valley. The higher the elevation, the cooler the evenings will be throughout the season. Find reservation details in the next section.

• Hodgdon Meadow. Open year-round, elevation of 4900 ft/1500 m. This campground is wonderful for visitors who want to explore both Tuolumne Meadows and Yosemite Valley. Located just inside the northwest park entrance, this 100+ site campground is close to the trailheads for both the Merced Grove and Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias and is only 45 minutes from Yosemite Valley.
• Crane Flat. Open seasonally, elevation of 6200 ft/1900 m. Farther into the park than Hodgdon, Crane Flat offers even easier access to Tuolumne Meadows and Yosemite Valley. Located along Big Oak Flat Road, Crane Flat is also just a short drive to Merced Grove and Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias and is only 30 minutes to Yosemite Valley.
• Tamarack Flat. Open seasonally, elevation of 6300 ft/1900 m. Nestled within a pine forest 3 miles off Tioga Road, Tamarack Flat campground is great for those looking for access to hiking along Tioga Road. An important note: the only water source is the nearby creek, which must be filtered, treated, or boiled. Tamarack Flat campground has 80 tent sites.
• White Wolf. Open seasonally, elevation of 8000 ft/ 2400 m. White Wolf Campground is located off Tioga Road between Tuolumne Meadows and Crane Flat, approximately one hour from Yosemite Valley. The 74-site campground is close to popular wilderness trailheads, including Yosemite Creek and Lukens Lake trails.
• Yosemite Creek. Open seasonally, elevation of 7700 ft/ 2300 m. Tucked in the forest along Yosemite Creek, this campground is ideal for visitors who want to be away from it all. Similar to Tamarack Flat, the only water source is Yosemite Creek. The campground is located five rough and rugged miles off Tioga Road. Due to the condition of the road, the park does not recommend RVs and Trailers try to access the 75 creek-side sites.
• Porcupine Flat. Open seasonally, elevation of 8100 ft/2500 m. Located off Tioga Road, Porcupine Flat campground is aptly named for the trailheads and landmarks nearby. Porcupine Creek is the campground’s only water source and the closest trailhead is also Porcupine Creek, from which you can hike to Indian Arch and North Dome. Only 4 out of the 52 sites are accessible for 24 ft RVs and trailers.
• Tuolumne Meadows. Open seasonally, elevation of 8600 ft/2600 m. Yosemite’s largest campground — hosting 300+ sites — is located along Tioga Road near the Tuolumne River and popular wilderness hikes, lakes, and prominent viewpoints. Perfect for high-country exploring, the campground is approximately 1.5 hours from Yosemite Valley. In 2024, Tuolumne Meadows Campground closed for a major rehabilitation project, and the campground is expected to reopen in mid-2025.

 

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When … to reserve your Yosemite camping spot 

Just like the variety in experiences at different Yosemite campgrounds, there is also variety in reservation booking windows. From approximately April to October, reservations are required for all campgrounds. In the late fall, winter, and early spring, a handful of the campgrounds switch to first-come, first-served campgrounds. Even without a reservation system, these sites often fill, especially on weekends and holidays.

Scroll down to learn about the different reservation options, opening dates and seasons, and when you need to reserve your site if interested!

Five Months in Advance: Upper Pines, Lower Pines, North Pines, Wawona, and Hodgdon Meadow campgrounds release reservations five months in advance, one month at a time. In other words, one-month camping windows beginning on the 15th of each month — for example, June 15 to July 14 — are released five months before the first day of that window at 7 am PST. In this same example, that would mean that reservations for June 15 to July 14 become available at 7 am PST on February 15 — because February 15 is six months before June 15. Still confused? Look at the table below to see the exact reservation dates for each camping window.

Two Weeks in Advance: Bridalveil Creek, Crane Flat, Tamarack Flat, White Wolf, Yosemite Creek, and Porcupine Flat campground reservations are released two weeks in advance on a rolling daily window. This means that 14 days before the first day of your camping trip, be sure to head to Recreation.gov at 7 am PST to book your camping trip.

One Week in Advance: From April 13–October 27, Camp 4 reservations are released one week in advance on a rolling daily window. In other words, seven days before the first day of your camping trip, you’ll be able to reserve your campsite on Recreation.gov at 7 am PST.

First-Come, First-Served: Wintery weather in Yosemite from November to mid-April closes many of the park’s campgrounds — except Upper Pines, Camp 4, Hodgdon Meadow, and Wawona campgrounds. During this offseason, Camp 4, Hodgdon Meadow, and Wawona switch from reservation booking systems to a first-come, first-serve system. During the first-come, first-serve period the first people to claim an available spot in the campground get to stay there. These sites can fill up early, especially during holidays and weekends. From spring through fall, there are no first-come, first-serve Yosemite National Park campgrounds. During this time, do not arrive at Yosemite without a reservation — you’ll likely have to leave the park to sleep. See the Why … you shouldn’t lose hope section for more last-minute Yosemite camping trip planning advice.

Early Access Lottery: This year, a portion of campsites at North Pines will be released early through a lottery system, open November 25–December 14, 2025. Successful lottery applicants will have the chance to reserve North Pines campsites during a less competitive early access period. The remaining campsites will be released on the five-month schedule beginning February 15. To enter the lottery, go to the North Pines page on Recreation.gov. On this page, you’ll see this box, click the blue “Enter Lottery” button, and follow the steps to enter.

 

Opening Dates & Campground Seasons

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How … to make a Yosemite campground reservation 

The easiest, and most efficient way to make camping reservations at Yosemite is through www.recreation.gov. In the busy season of May–October, campsite reservations are released at 7 am PST in certain intervals, and are often fully booked within minutes — unfortunately, there’s no time to peruse once reservations are released.

For this reason, it’s important to do your research and make a Recreation.gov account BEFORE reservations are released.

We recommend knowing the exact dates and campgrounds that you hope to reserve in advance, as this raises your chances of securing a reservation. Look below for detailed steps on reserving a site when you know your preferred dates and campground. If you’d rather take a bit more time and check all sites, follow these steps from the National Park Service.

Reservations … when you know the date and campground

1. Visit www.recreation.gov.

2. Log in to your Recreation.gov account by clicking “Sign Up / Log in” in the top right corner. (P.S. No need to fear if you don’t see this snowy mountain image, the picture changes each time the page is refreshed).

 

3. Enter your login credentials and click the blue “Log In” button. Haven’t made an account yet, click “Create an account.” 

 

4. You will be redirected back to the initial, Recreation.gov home page. Here, search for your desired Yosemite campground in the search bar. For example, if you’re hoping to stay at Upper Pines, start typing the campground name and you should see it pop up below the search bar. Click the pop-up text and it will take you to the campground’s page. 

 

5. Now scroll down until you see the table of campsite availability. If a square is blue with the letter “A,” that campsite is available. A gray box with an “R” means the campsite is already reserved. If you are searching for future dates and see tan boxes with “NR” this means not yet released and you should refer back to the table above for when reservations open.

6. Enter your preferred dates for camping, and watch the table automatically refresh. Then, pick your campsite from the table by clicking first on the square of the day you hope to arrive, and then on the day you plan to leave. When the correct stay is selected, click the blue “Add to Cart” button in the bottom right corner of the table. 

 

7. You will then be redirected to a new page where you’ll need to fill in a couple of details about your trip — number of cars, people, etc. — that can be edited later if needed. Make sure you hit the blue “Proceed to Cart” button before 15 minutes pass, otherwise, your session ends and the campsite re-releases to the public.

 

8. Hooray! You’ve made it to the final step! Review your order, click “Proceed to Payment,” to enter your credit card details, and finally, click “Confirm.” You should receive an email shortly with your reservation details.

 

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Why … you shouldn’t lose hope for a last-minute Yosemite trip

It can sometimes feel impossible to get campground reservations during the busy season, and that’s because just like you, so many people are interested in Yosemite campsites. But it’s important to remember that if you check Recreation.gov and don’t see any Yosemite campsites for your trip dates, all hope is not lost — you still have options!

Still a Chance to Camp: The good news is that people cancel reservations frequently. Recreation.gov has an alert system built into the site that can notify you if a space becomes available. You’ll notice that the site only lets you set three alerts. If that’s not enough, remember that you can still persistently check Recreation.gov, and you may find a cancellation before someone else does. To set an alert, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to www.recreation.gov, log-in, and search for your preferred campground, for example, Upper Pines Campground. This should direct you to the campground’s specific webpage.
2. Scroll down to the Yosemite campsite availability table and look for the blue and white bell icon.
3. Clicking this icon will bring up a pop-up window. Here, you can set an email alert to notify you if your preferred camping dates become available. 

First-Come, First-Served Camping: If you’re willing and able to come in the off-season — November-ish through April-ish — you might be able to score a Yosemite campsite at a first-come, first-served campground. Reservations are not required for Camp 4, Hodgdon Meadow, and Wawona campgrounds in the off-season, meaning that the first people to arrive at a campground and claim an available spot get to stay there. Please keep in mind that these sites are still likely to fill on weekends and holidays.

Look to Yosemite’s Gateway Communities: There are plenty of camping and lodging options available outside all three of Yosemite National Park’s entrances — including, National Forest Service campgrounds, privately run campgrounds, glamping, hotels, lodges, and more. It is important to note that when the park requires a peak-hours reservation, camping or lodging reservations outside of the park will not provide park-entry. You will need to reserve a separate day-use reservation.

Book a Yosemite Conservancy Program: Yosemite Conservancy offers a variety of programs throughout the year — many of which include a group campsite (or an option to upgrade to lodging). Outdoor Adventure programs pair you with Conservancy naturalist guides for educational hikes and outings. Art retreats give you an opportunity to spend a weekend with a professional artist, learning how to capture Yosemite’s beauty in your own style.

 

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What … are the Dos and Don’ts of Yosemite camping 

Here are some of the major camping regulations that apply in Yosemite National Park. Additional regulations may apply at each campground. Violation of these regulations may result in a fine and/or revocation of your camping permit. For the full list of regulations, please visit the National Park Service website.

 

Securing Yosemite campsite reservations can be a daunting task, but it is possible and well worth it. We hope that you can use this blog to pick your perfect Yosemite campsite and jump online at the perfect time to reserve your spot. See you in the park soon!