Re: Yosemite Valley Backpackers Campground

The Valley Backpackers Campground has been temporarily relocated to the back loop of Upper Pines (sites 188-240).

• Parking and Unloading: Trailhead Parking (1/4 mile walk) or Curry Village Parking (1/2 mile walk). Unfortunately there is no unloading in Upper Pines due to the limited vehicle space.
• Registration: Pay $6 per person at the Backpacker Registration table near site 209 in Upper Pines.
• Restroom: Flush toilets and potable water available at restroom near site 209.
  

Do they still have to have a valid hiking permit starting the day after camping there In order to camp there?

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mtn man
Do they still have to have a valid hiking permit starting the day after camping there In order to camp there?

Of course.

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mtn man
Do they still have to have a valid hiking permit starting the day after camping there In order to camp there?

There was always the standard exception (a single day at each campground) for those arriving by foot, bicycle, or bus.

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https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bpcamp.htm
Visitors arriving to Yosemite by bus, bicycle, or foot may also spend one night in each backpackers campground.

However, they've modified the rules during Covid-19 to remove arriving by bus.

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https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/covid19.htm
Open with modifications:

Backpackers campgrounds are not open to people arriving in the park by bus (wilderness permit holders arriving by bus can stay in backpackers campgrounds)

Glad you posted that, so what happens if you miss the bus leaving, or maybe there are no buses?

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lonelugger
Glad you posted that, so what happens if you miss the bus leaving, or maybe there are no buses?

Which bus are you referring to?

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y_p_w
Which bus are you referring to?

Well, let's suppose it's YARTS out of Curry Village....

Yarts would be the only bus I would take,

If you're interested, here is our experience from last week:

When we hiked into the backpacker's campground in Yosemite Valley we had an amusing chat with the campground hosts in the kiosk there. The system they described was simple: pick out a site, fill out the payment envelop and put your cash into it, put the envelope in the slot at site 205 and the stub on the post marking your site. It could not have been clearer, and we've done it a hundred times this way in USFS campgrounds around the Sierra.

Ha ha ha. Some people can make anything complicated. Ha ha.

(In the Tuolumne Meadows backpackers' campground they ask you to display the stub on your tent, which is why you should never go backpacking without a clothespin...)

So while M parked the car, I picked out a campsite and tried to pay for it. The payment slot was completely clogged with envelopes, but I finally got mine in, and the site was ours.

The other sites nearby were occupied, but it was only when I opened the bear box for this site that I realized it, too, was occupied. Drat. Oh well. We picked another site, wrote a note of explanation on our stub, and stuck it on the post of the new site. We set up our tent and headed off to enjoy a few hours in Yosemite Valley.

Imagine our surprise when we found a warning citation from a ranger when we returned. And it cited us for not displaying the stub on our tent. Huh?

So, being us, we tracked down a ranger who was walking the campground. She told us there was no problem. You can leave the stub on the post, or the tent. But now that the system was in full operation, they were beginning to worry that the backpacker's campground was getting full. And they didn't want early arrivals to think that they owned a whole campsite if they paid their $6 per person. So the tent is better than the post.

Well, that's fine. We did finally track down the volunteer who actually issued the citation, and she apologized for not seeing the stub on the post--but she was also obviously not looking for the stub on the post. And the campground hosts were telling people to put the stub on the post. Hmmm. or Ha ha.

Maybe those campgrounds hosts had a finer sense of humor than we gave them credit for...

At any rate, the system works, and the rangers were friendly, and they were checking things like payment stubs--although they were not checking wilderness permits--and everyone was happy. And why not?

Still, camping in the backcountry is simpler...

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Check our our website: http://www.backpackthesierra.com/
Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-Rocks-Paul-Wagner/dp/0984884963

Even though the ranger(s) on all the wilderness talks said to not use the backpackers campgrounds unless absolutely necessary...

Figured since it was opening the EXACT day before one of our trips... what the heck? It won't be busy...

Loads of signs and crystal clear to us what to do.

Directing to loop:





Instructions at 209:





It was ok...



No way I'd stay at any BP Camp now. Way too many COVIDiots...

Stay safe (please and thank you)

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Copy that! We had a spot with no one around us, and I never saw another soul use the women’s bathroom while we were there. When we left, it was obvious it was getting busy (Big groups!!!!) , and two friends stayed there only a couple nights later and reported it was already “busy” and their experience did not match ours, sadly. I will not stay at any of them for now. We r just driving in and hiking directly from the car now.

Stay safe, all!

I should note that the check-in site is now 205, not 209...but they are very close to each other.

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Check our our website: http://www.backpackthesierra.com/
Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-Rocks-Paul-Wagner/dp/0984884963