Yosemite National Park, one of the nation's oldest national parks, comprises more than 1,000 acres filled with majestic mountains and glorious waterfalls. If you enjoy the outdoors, there is no better way to enjoy Yosemite National Park than camping there for a few days. While the park's popularity can draw crowds, there are also places to camp where you can fee like you have the entire park to yourself.
Time Frame
Yosemite National Park is open year round, but some of its campgrounds are seasonal. For the best weather, visit Yosemite in May and June. The summer crowds have yet to invade the park and temperatures reach the upper 70s and lower 80s during the day. There are also less mosquitoes in the park during these times, which is definite bonus.
Yosemite Valley
Four of Yosemite's 13 campgrounds are in the heart of Yosemite Valley. Both Upper Pines and Sunnyside campgrounds are open year-round. Upper Pines is much larger with 238 sites, while Sunnyside offers 35 primitive, walk-in sites. Both sites have potable water and flush toilets.
Lower Pines and North Pines campgrounds are only open seasonally. Lower Pines, open from March to October, offers 60 sites and North Pines, open from May to October, has 85 sites. Both come with drinking water and flush toilets.
All of these sites cost $15 per night and reservations are required. However, Sunnyside costs only $3 per person.
Outside the Valley
Yosemite's 13 other campsites are spread out throughout the national park and vary greatly from site to site. For example, Porcupine Flat and Tamarack Flat campgrounds are only open for a few months during the summer and instead of running water, offer drinking water from a stream. The largest of the 9 sites outside of Yosemite Valley is Tuolumne Meadows, which offers 314 sites and flush toilets. Some of these sites are first come first served, so check with the National Park service when planning your trip.
Backcountry Camping
If you are interested in country camping, you will need to obtain a free permit from the park before setting out. However, the park keeps a daily quota of permits to prevent crowding. According to National-Park.com, 40 percent of these permits are given out on a daily first-come, first-serve basis, while the rest are available via reservation.
Warning
Yosemite is bear country, so make sure all food is stowed in your car or in bear-proof containers when you are not using it to prevent attracting unwanted guests into the campground. Also, much of Yosemite is located above 8,000 feet. Give yourself time to adjust to the altitude before setting offer on strenuous hikes.
Member Comments