Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sleeping
Competition for campsites is fierce from May to September, when arriving without a reser-
vation and hoping for the best is tantamount to getting someone to lug your Barcalounger
up Half Dome. Even first-come, first-served campgrounds tend to fill by noon, especially
on weekends and around holidays. Campsites can be reserved up to five months in ad-
from 7am PST on the 15th of every month in one-month blocks, and often sell out within
minutes.
Without a booking, your only chance is to hightail it to an open
first-come, first-served
campground
or proceed to one of four
campground reservation offices
in
Yosemite
8am-5pm)
, Wawona, Big Oak Flat and Tuolumne Meadows (the latter three are only open
seasonally). Try to get there before they open at 8am (the Valley office may open at
7:30am in summer), put your name on a waiting list and then hope for a cancellation or
early departure. Return when the ranger tells you to (usually 3pm) and if you hear your
name, consider yourself very lucky indeed.
All campgrounds have flush toilets, except for Tamarack Flat, Yosemite Creek and Por-
cupine Flat, which have vault toilets and no potable water. Those at higher elevations get
chilly at night, even in summer, so pack accordingly. The
Yosemite Mountaineering
School
rents camping gear.
If you hold a wilderness permit, you may spend the nights before and after your trip in
the backpacker campgrounds at Tuolumne Meadows, Hetch Hetchy, White Wolf and be-
hind North Pines in Yosemite Valley. The cost is $5 per person, per night and reservations
aren't necessary.
Opening dates for seasonal campgrounds vary according to the weather.
All noncamping reservations within the park are handled by
DNC Parks & Resorts
(
801-559-4884;
www.yosemitepark.com
)
and can be made up to 366 days in advance; reser-
vations are absolutely critical from May to early September. Rates - and demand - drop
from October to April.
