Re: Summer camping in Yosemite without a reservation

• Porcupine Flat: Pretty but stays wet the latest of all the campgrounds. Rear section not suitable for large RVs.
• White Wolf: Flush toilets and running water but feels more like a Valley campground.
• Yosemite Creek: Long winding one lane road means isolation and few to no large RVs. Often not full even on weekends.
• Tamarack Flat: Another long winding road but closer to the Valley than Yosemite Creek. Lower altitude means warming temps.
• Bridalveil Creek: Only Glacier Point Road it is the only first-come, first-served campground that's not accessed via Tioga Road.

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plawrence
I also thought that dispersed camping is also allowed (with a campfire permit) in the Stanislaus National Forest and the Sierra National Forest on the west and south sides of Yosemite National Park.

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eeek

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plawrence
I also thought that dispersed camping is also allowed (with a campfire permit) in the Stanislaus National Forest and the Sierra National Forest on the west and south sides of Yosemite National Park.

It is and you don't need the permit if you don't have a fire.

• It's not abusive if you really DO go backpacking the next day. Make sure you pay your $5 at the campground.
• Has anyone ever seen a ranger checking for wilderness permits at the backpacking campground?
• Don't try sleeping in your car. The rangers DO check it sometimes/places. Particularly in the backpackers/trailhead parking lot.
• What about the campgrounds on the backside, Tioga, Junction, Saddlebag, that walk-in that's halfway down the Saddlebag Lake road, and the ones in Lee Vining canyon.
• How early is 'early' enough when you're getting in lines? 7am, 5am, 3am? How early is required would depend on day of week, time of year, etc.
• Last time I was in the Wilderness Permit Office line I was told that you can't 'camp' in line. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but I gather that if you're there in line at 3am in a sleeping bag asleep you can get kicked out of line. No sleep, no chairs, no bags, or some such stuff. Anyone know more?

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qumqats

• It's not abusive if you really DO go backpacking the next day. Make sure you pay your $5 at the campground.
• Has anyone ever seen a ranger checking for wilderness permits at the backpacking campground?
• Don't try sleeping in your car. The rangers DO check it sometimes/places. Particularly in the backpackers/trailhead parking lot.
• What about the campgrounds on the backside, Tioga, Junction, Saddlebag, that walk-in that's halfway down the Saddlebag Lake road, and the ones in Lee Vining canyon.
• How early is 'early' enough when you're getting in lines? 7am, 5am, 3am? How early is required would depend on day of week, time of year, etc.
• Last time I was in the Wilderness Permit Office line I was told that you can't 'camp' in line. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but I gather that if you're there in line at 3am in a sleeping bag asleep you can get kicked out of line. No sleep, no chairs, no bags, or some such stuff. Anyone know more?

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tomdisco
It is against the rules to sleep in line at the Wilderness office but usually the guilty are up and awake before the ranger arrives so not much happens. There were two sleeping on the deck in bags at TM Wilderness office when I showed up early last August. They had their bags all rolled up by the time the ranger showed up so nothing was said. The ranger is not going to go out of his way to get there early just to catch folks breaking the rules. It frosted me a bit because it was two more people I had to wait behind that might not have been there otherwise.

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qumqats

• It's not abusive if you really DO go backpacking the next day. Make sure you pay your $5 at the campground.
• Has anyone ever seen a ranger checking for wilderness permits at the backpacking campground?

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• Don't try sleeping in your car. The rangers DO check it sometimes/places. Particularly in the backpackers/trailhead parking lot.

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• What about the campgrounds on the backside, Tioga, Junction, Saddlebag, that walk-in that's halfway down the Saddlebag Lake road, and the ones in Lee Vining canyon.
• How early is 'early' enough when you're getting in lines? 7am, 5am, 3am? How early is required would depend on day of week, time of year, etc.
• Last time I was in the Wilderness Permit Office line I was told that you can't 'camp' in line. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but I gather that if you're there in line at 3am in a sleeping bag asleep you can get kicked out of line. No sleep, no chairs, no bags, or some such stuff. Anyone know more?

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plawrence
I also thought that dispersed camping is also allowed (with a campfire permit) in the Stanislaus National Forest and the Sierra National Forest on the west and south sides of Yosemite National Park.

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Marksm
How come it is legal to sleep in camper vans, rv, trailer, but not a car? What is the logic?

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szalkowski
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2. If you just park alongside the roadway, in a parking lot, or anywhere else in the park that you can find, you can not sleep there under any circumstances no matter what type of vehicle you are in (or out of).

P.S. The question should be: "Why is it ...."

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plawrence

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szalkowski
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2. If you just park alongside the roadway, in a parking lot, or anywhere else in the park that you can find, you can not sleep there under any circumstances no matter what type of vehicle you are in (or out of).

P.S. The question should be: "Why is it ...."

The answer to that is pretty simple. If you could, there would be almost zero day-use parking spots available anywhere in the Yosemite Valley (including all the roadside pull-outs), and probably very few available anywhere else because a lot of people would use these spots as a de facto all-day "campsite" for their vehicle.

Also, sadly, some people tend to litter where they camp, so the littering problem in Yosemite would grow exponentially worse, plus more people would be relieving themselves in and around these parking spots if they were allowed to sleep in their vehicles parked in the roadside pullouts and day-use parking lots.

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eeek
Yes, you can camp in Yosemite in the summer without a reservation. Just don't expect to show up Friday night and find a campsite—everything will be quite full.

The best way to get a site in the campgrounds that don't have reservations is to show up when people are leaving. I've always been able to find a site this way, even on a Saturday. So just be there around 10am look for the people that are packing up. Then snag their site as they leave.

Campgrounds

• Porcupine Flat: Pretty but stays wet the latest of all the campgrounds. Rear section not suitable for large RVs.
• White Wolf: Flush toilets and running water but feels more like a Valley campground.
• Yosemite Creek: Long winding one lane road means isolation and few to no large RVs. Often not full even on weekends.
• Tamarack Flat: Another long winding road but closer to the Valley than Yosemite Creek. Lower altitude means warming temps.
• Bridalveil Creek: Only Glacier Point Road it is the only first-come, first-served campground that's not accessed via Tioga Road.

Tuolumne Meadows campground also has sites available (50% of them) first-come, first-served. People line up at the campground office early in the morning to get them.

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eeek

But I really want to stay in the Valley

You might be able to get a site at the campground reservations office in the Valley. But you will have to be in line very early in the morning and, if you do get a site, it'll probably be for only one night and you will have little to no choice of which site you get.

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plawrence
For reasonable nightly rates, on the westside, probably Mariposa or Oakhurst, on the eastside, possibly Lee Vining, but more likely June Lake or Mammoth Lakes.

But if you are willing to pay through your nose, you might find a nearby room in El Portal at the Yosemite View Lodge or the Cedar Lodge, or south of the park in Fish Camp at the Tenaya Lodge.

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eeek
Yes, you can camp in Yosemite in the summer without a reservation. Just don't expect to show up Friday night and find a campsite—everything will be quite full.

The best way to get a site in the campgrounds that don't have reservations is to show up when people are leaving. I've always been able to find a site this way, even on a Saturday. So just be there around 10am look for the people that are packing up. Then snag their site as they leave.

Campgrounds

• Porcupine Flat: Pretty but stays wet the latest of all the campgrounds. Rear section not suitable for large RVs.
• White Wolf: Flush toilets and running water but feels more like a Valley campground.
• Yosemite Creek: Long winding one lane road means isolation and few to no large RVs. Often not full even on weekends.
• Tamarack Flat: Another long winding road but closer to the Valley than Yosemite Creek. Lower altitude means warming temps.
• Bridalveil Creek: Only Glacier Point Road it is the only first-come, first-served campground that's not accessed via Tioga Road.

Tuolumne Meadows campground also has sites available (50% of them) first-come, first-served. People line up at the campground office early in the morning to get them.


But I really want to stay in the Valley

You might be able to get a site at the campground reservations office in the Valley. But you will have to be in line very early in the morning and, if you do get a site, it'll probably be for only one night and you will have little to no choice of which site you get.

The other choice, Camp 4, is a walk-in campground located at the Upper Yosemite Falls trailhead. Be in line early to get a site.


What if I am coming up on a Friday night?

If you are coming up the east side (i.e. on highway 395), I suggest dispersed camping east of 395 north of the Mammoth Lakes exit. There are many dirt roads in the area and you'll have no problem finding a place to spend that night. Then you'll be in a good position on Saturday morning to get into Yosemite and find a site for the rest of your trip.

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mrcondron
You might mention that the Yosemite Creek Campground now has the eastern half open as the bridge has been repaired. This added quite a few sites if the snow ever melts.