Re: Roadside Camping on Rt 140

Hi guys,

This is a great forum! Thanks for all the use full information on Yosemite.
We are leaving this Monday afternoon for Yosemite in our Winnebago but don't have reservations until Tuesday. We want to drive at least as close as Mariposa on Rt 140 and then just park for the night somewhere and then drive into the park Tuesday morning. I see that there are several campgrounds in Mariposa and Midlands that we could stay at but we don't want to pay $50 just to park the RV for the night. We are hoping to find a spot off of Rt 140 and just pull over for the night but don't know how realistic that will be or if the local police tolerate overnight RVs on the side of the road. Anyone have any advice to offer? thanks

There's no regulations that I could find on roadside parking or sleeping. You can look at the relevant Mariposa County codes:

http://www.mariposacounty.org/index.asp?NID=187

Mariposa County has no city governments, so the county codes are the only relevant ones. The only local law enforcement is the Mariposa County Sheriffs Dept. You can call them and ask.

Can anyone chime in on whether the shoulders on 140 past Mariposa are wide enough to park an RV? I don't recall exactly, but I don't remember any place where an RV could be parked.



Post Edited (09-13-08 12:16)

This time of year you might get away with staying over in a shopping center parking lot. Arrive later in the evening and keep a low profile. No generator, music, reveling, etc. I think there is a large parking lot at the intersection of Rte49 and Rte140 in Mariposa. I may stand corrected though.

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Old Dude

I almost never use Hwy. 140, but was intrigued by your question so did a quick websearch.

If all else fails, you might want to consider the Mariposa County Fairgrounds as a "safe" option:
http://www.mariposafair.com/camping.htm

Also, if you do not mind driving a bit further in the morning, there is a CalTrans reststop on Hwy. 99 just S of Turlock. The CalTrans website says that you can park there for 8 hours before they start getting upset.

I seem to recall some sort of emergency permit issued by the sheriffs dept for sleeping. Could have been some other county though.

I found it strange that I couldn't find any limit on roadside parking. Most cities I know of have 72 hour limits, and most counties in California have 72 hour limits for unincorporated areas.