Yosemite Camping Site Recommendations
Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 11:17 pmAuthor: Ralph Jackson (---.client.attbi.com)
Date: 03-20-02 21:39
Hi Dan Anderson!
You seem to know your stuff. I'm planning to make my first trip to Yosemite. Thinking about camping instead of staying at a lodge-type place...
It'd be great if you could give a quick run-down of the various pluses and minuses of each site, or as many as you feel qualified to talk about.
Thanks!
Ralph
Re: Camping Site Recommendations
Author: Dan Anderson (---.san.rr.com)
Date: 03-20-02 22:02
OK, I'll try.
Valley Campgrounds (Pines, Camp 4, Group CG)
All Valley campgrounds are crowded. All have loud, unsupervised children screaming and running around well into the nite (I believe their parents kept them kooped up in the car all day). Bring earplugs. Upper Pines is the most crowded and loudest. That said, the valley a beautiful place to be. Walk around in the morning and evening and you'll be in your own quiet world and may see wildlife. You'll certainly see waterfalls and canyon walls.
Tioga Road Campgrounds (Yosemite Creek, Porcupine Flat, White Wolf) These are generally isolated, high-elevation, primitive campgrounds along the Tioga Road (which leads to Tuolumne meadow high country). Quiet, but not much in facilities. White Wolf has a small store.
Bridalveil Campground
On the Glacier Point Road south of Yosemite Valley. Not too crowded and within hiking distance of the south rim trails with lots of views of Yosemite Valley. Also near Glacier Point.
Tuolumne Meadow. High Sierra campground by the large, beautiful, flower-filled Tuolumne Meadows. Small store.
Western Park Campgrounds (Crane Flat, Hodgdon Meadow, Wawona)
Lower in elevation than Tioga or Tuolumne and within 30-60 minutes of the valley. Wawona is lowest and near a stream, but also near a highway. Hodgdon and Crane are quiet and in a forest.
There's a good chart for campground facilities (bathrooms, #sites, etc.) at Jeffrey Trust's Yosemite FAQ at http://geology.csun.edu/yosemite/yf.html
Jeff Lapierre's (unofficial, uncommercial) http://www.yosemitesites.com/ has information on campground reservation availability, with nice charts for sites left for each campround for each day.
Re: Camping Site Recommendations
Author: Mike (---.dsl.sktn01.pacbell.net)
Date: 03-21-02 08:07
I'll throw in my one cent as I'm mainly a backpacker and have limited Yosemite campground experience.
When I camp in Yosemite, we usually stay at Wawona. I like being near the river. I will admit, we usually stay off-season so we usually have the place to ourselves (more or less). It's convenient to have the store a few miles down the road.
My favorite section of the park is Tuolumne Meadows. I've stayed in the Tuolumne Meadows campground once, in the middle of summer. Very crowded. We had a motor home so, noise wasn't too bad. I'll be taking our youth group from my church to Tuolumne in July...that should be an experience.
Getting reservations can be a REAL NIGHTMARE! Good luck!
Mike
http://www.thebackcountry.org
Re: Camping Site Recommendations
Author: Ralph Jackson (---.ws66.clorox.com)
Date: 03-21-02 10:51
Hey guys, thanks so much!
That's REALLY helpful.
-Ralph
Re: Camping Site Recommendations
Author: Rick Ellis (63.95.39.---)
Date: 04-17-02 16:25
I love Porcupine Flat campground. It's not at all crowded except on weekends.
Date: 03-20-02 21:39
Hi Dan Anderson!
You seem to know your stuff. I'm planning to make my first trip to Yosemite. Thinking about camping instead of staying at a lodge-type place...
It'd be great if you could give a quick run-down of the various pluses and minuses of each site, or as many as you feel qualified to talk about.
Thanks!
Ralph
Re: Camping Site Recommendations
Author: Dan Anderson (---.san.rr.com)
Date: 03-20-02 22:02
OK, I'll try.
Valley Campgrounds (Pines, Camp 4, Group CG)
All Valley campgrounds are crowded. All have loud, unsupervised children screaming and running around well into the nite (I believe their parents kept them kooped up in the car all day). Bring earplugs. Upper Pines is the most crowded and loudest. That said, the valley a beautiful place to be. Walk around in the morning and evening and you'll be in your own quiet world and may see wildlife. You'll certainly see waterfalls and canyon walls.
Tioga Road Campgrounds (Yosemite Creek, Porcupine Flat, White Wolf) These are generally isolated, high-elevation, primitive campgrounds along the Tioga Road (which leads to Tuolumne meadow high country). Quiet, but not much in facilities. White Wolf has a small store.
Bridalveil Campground
On the Glacier Point Road south of Yosemite Valley. Not too crowded and within hiking distance of the south rim trails with lots of views of Yosemite Valley. Also near Glacier Point.
Tuolumne Meadow. High Sierra campground by the large, beautiful, flower-filled Tuolumne Meadows. Small store.
Western Park Campgrounds (Crane Flat, Hodgdon Meadow, Wawona)
Lower in elevation than Tioga or Tuolumne and within 30-60 minutes of the valley. Wawona is lowest and near a stream, but also near a highway. Hodgdon and Crane are quiet and in a forest.
There's a good chart for campground facilities (bathrooms, #sites, etc.) at Jeffrey Trust's Yosemite FAQ at http://geology.csun.edu/yosemite/yf.html
Jeff Lapierre's (unofficial, uncommercial) http://www.yosemitesites.com/ has information on campground reservation availability, with nice charts for sites left for each campround for each day.
Re: Camping Site Recommendations
Author: Mike (---.dsl.sktn01.pacbell.net)
Date: 03-21-02 08:07
I'll throw in my one cent as I'm mainly a backpacker and have limited Yosemite campground experience.
When I camp in Yosemite, we usually stay at Wawona. I like being near the river. I will admit, we usually stay off-season so we usually have the place to ourselves (more or less). It's convenient to have the store a few miles down the road.
My favorite section of the park is Tuolumne Meadows. I've stayed in the Tuolumne Meadows campground once, in the middle of summer. Very crowded. We had a motor home so, noise wasn't too bad. I'll be taking our youth group from my church to Tuolumne in July...that should be an experience.
Getting reservations can be a REAL NIGHTMARE! Good luck!
Mike
http://www.thebackcountry.org
Re: Camping Site Recommendations
Author: Ralph Jackson (---.ws66.clorox.com)
Date: 03-21-02 10:51
Hey guys, thanks so much!
That's REALLY helpful.
-Ralph
Re: Camping Site Recommendations
Author: Rick Ellis (63.95.39.---)
Date: 04-17-02 16:25
I love Porcupine Flat campground. It's not at all crowded except on weekends.