Yosemite

I am planning on camping at Yosemite but I am looking for recommendations on where to tent camp? It will just be me, my wife and our two sons (age 7 and 3) and our dog.

 

I have spent years trying to book a campsite in the summer time. They go on sale in March I believe, and all the whole summer is sold out within minutes.

There are some tent sites available on a first come, first serve bases but I don't have info on those.

Good luck, I had to resort to going in the spring time and it snowed on us one night.

 

Yea I am looking to get on one of the first-come first serve camp sites with a secondary and tertiary camp area.

 

Tuolumne Meadows. I think it is one of the highest spots to camp without backpacking into higher country.

Just to add, if ever going to Sequoia, camp at Lodgepole.

 

Dean,

I've been camping in Yosemite for 8 years, every summer. We go for 4th of July each year, and the day we get back (July 7th) is when we book for the following year. It's nearly impossible to get a spot now, even on first come first serve basis.

That being said, Tuolomne Meadows is your best bet. Very scenic, a bit cooler in the summer than the valley, and faster to get to via 395. Bad news is that it's a bit of a drive to the valley.

 

I've never been...where's the best place to tent camp in Yosemite? Gonna make some reservations for next year!

 

Depends on your criteria...proximity to the valley, privacy/seclusion, elevation, weather, etc.

To this day, Wawona Campground is my favorite. It's along the Wawona River, 1/2 mile from the General Store, and only about 15 min into the park entrance.

 

For me, I like to camp the highest, farthest, and most secluded from the crowd. That is what I camp for, to get away from the bullshit of hustle and bustle of city life.

For this reason, I choose Tuolumne Meadows. It can get very hot if you camp toward the entrance/main valley in the August - September time frame. It can also get very crowded with day-trippers in the main valley.

 

I'll have to check both out then. I'm used to offroading to get to where I camp, so I love camping where the rif raf and crowds can't get too!

For Tuolumne Meadows I've been reading that even if you get there at 7am there is already a line to get a site at the first come first serve spots.

Dean- looks like most of June is open for tent only sites at Tuolumne Meadows see the link below.
I was tempted to reserve a spot and go for 4th of July but of course that weekend is reserved.
Probabaly gonna take the family to Voyager Rock Campground on the Dusy-Ershim trail again in the Sierras for the 4th.

http://www.reserveamerica.com/camps...RIC&startIdx=0&contractCode=NRSO&parkId=70926

 

lol, I was there too since Wednesday morning and just got home. We camped first spot on left in Voyager close to the water. We rode out after breakfast with a guy in an awesome silver taco with red plate bumpers, a tube steel rack on the back and brute force fab decals. We stopped and chatted at the top after going out Dusy and he said he met another guy in a white taco also from the OC.. I'm guessing that was you.

Edit: It was Billy from Brute Force Fab. Awesome truck! Anyway.. That's a great campground up there and worth the drive. Short snippets from drive into camp. I like it better than Yosemite because there is NO crowd, just a few people who are willing and able to get there.

Over one of the Granite domes on the trail:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi_4E5UgQLo

Wife getting bit by bugs and shaking the camera like crazy while walking:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS4tXzbD78w

Dog drying off after a swim in courtright.. Spent all day pulling out rainbow trout. Awesome..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obccSGykDJg

 

Hey Man,

I don;t know if you still need help with this but I just went last weekend Thursday through Sunday (July 25-28)...we went to Camp 4 and they had plenty of spots every morning. We left at 12:30am from Long Beach and got up there an hour before they opened. you have to line up...all of you, including your wife and kids - they can rest in the car but once the ranger comes everyone has to be there because it is a shared campsite so if you have four people they will add 2 more to your site (max 6 total in a site) it's $5 a day per person and its in the valley - which is very convenient. On friday they had 70 spots and i think around the same on Saturday. It is very crowded and loud at times, a lot of climbers but I recommend it.

 

I agree with Tuolumne Meadows. We just went there this summer with my family (2 year old), my parents, brothers and their kids. It's really kid friendly and bring your bikes. It's much easier to ride bikes all around than trying to find parking.

 

Lol, that was me in the white taco, too bad we didn't end up meeting in person. Hope you and your family like it over there, I love it especially when the Dusy is open and camping lake shore is awesome. I was actually camped right next to Billy, he was a cool guy with an awesome taco!