yosemite camping spots
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0aj0
yosemite camping spots
going to the valley in august for two weeks. i want to stay at camp 4 but the 5 bucks a person per night could get expensive. any where else to stay for cheaper/ free?
In the Valley, that's about a cheap as it gets - legally. A certain number of people camp in the trees and boulders, but they tend to be fairly experienced at it. The rangers have had a bit of experience with finding the newbie illegal campers. One time I was there, we had a crazy Dutch climber living under a plastic sheet among a pile of firewood in our campsite - but he was super slick about it. One downside to illegal camping is that you may not have access to bear boxes - the bears are a very real issue and they will rip open anything that might have food in it. They pop cars open like cereal boxes all the time and they can/will climb trees and rock to get at food.
Also, most of the rangers in Yosemite are really cops and are all about enforcement, so yeah, you might get your 3 hots and a cot, but being in the klink interferes with your climbing a bit.
The other issue is that the Valley may be a bit toasty in August - are you also looking at Tuolmne Meadows?
Also, most of the rangers in Yosemite are really cops and are all about enforcement, so yeah, you might get your 3 hots and a cot, but being in the klink interferes with your climbing a bit.
The other issue is that the Valley may be a bit toasty in August - are you also looking at Tuolmne Meadows?
Bacon is meat candy.
My friend, Robin, emailed this to a friend of mine, going out west....Good scoop from someone who's climbed/hiked out west for quite a few years.
I usually make my reservations for Yosemite 5 months in advance. On the 15th of every month you can make reservations through the 14th of the 5th month out. On April 15th I made my reservations for August 21st & 22nd in Tuolumne Meadows. I made my Memorial Day reservation on January 15th. The good weekends (April through September) usually get completely booked in about an hour and the rest of the weekends within the first 24 hours of the 15th. Weekday sites are available for about a week.
You can also stay at Camp 4 ... first come, first served basis and it's cheap at only $5.00 per night per person. Just arrive at the kiosk at about 5:00am and wait for a few hours until they open. Almost guaranteed that you will get a space as someone checks out that day. I got there at 3:00am one morning and was the first person in line, but just for about 15 minutes! Bring your sleeping bag to wait in line.
Another option are the campsites near or outside the park itself. For example, Hodgdon Meadow is an NPS camping area and is at the entrance to the park on Route 120. Unfortunately, it's 40 minutes from climbing. You can do it if there's no other way ... that is if you can get a space.
A final opportunity is to log onto the website every day or several times a day, looking for cancellations. They happen frequently, but you've go to be on the web all the time to get 'em and you can't usually get a string of days that you want. I needed a site for just one night on June 12th and got it just 3 days before the trip.
You can make reservations in 2 ways; via the website at
http://reservations.nps.gov/ or by calling them at 800-436-7275.
I usually make my reservations for Yosemite 5 months in advance. On the 15th of every month you can make reservations through the 14th of the 5th month out. On April 15th I made my reservations for August 21st & 22nd in Tuolumne Meadows. I made my Memorial Day reservation on January 15th. The good weekends (April through September) usually get completely booked in about an hour and the rest of the weekends within the first 24 hours of the 15th. Weekday sites are available for about a week.
You can also stay at Camp 4 ... first come, first served basis and it's cheap at only $5.00 per night per person. Just arrive at the kiosk at about 5:00am and wait for a few hours until they open. Almost guaranteed that you will get a space as someone checks out that day. I got there at 3:00am one morning and was the first person in line, but just for about 15 minutes! Bring your sleeping bag to wait in line.
Another option are the campsites near or outside the park itself. For example, Hodgdon Meadow is an NPS camping area and is at the entrance to the park on Route 120. Unfortunately, it's 40 minutes from climbing. You can do it if there's no other way ... that is if you can get a space.
A final opportunity is to log onto the website every day or several times a day, looking for cancellations. They happen frequently, but you've go to be on the web all the time to get 'em and you can't usually get a string of days that you want. I needed a site for just one night on June 12th and got it just 3 days before the trip.
You can make reservations in 2 ways; via the website at
http://reservations.nps.gov/ or by calling them at 800-436-7275.
"Missiles are absolutely antisocial" --Dr. Bronner
Good tips - for anyone wanting to get into Camp 4 during the season - get into line as early as possible. I got into the park around 1:00am and threw down my bivi sack in front of the kiosk - by 4:00 am there were 6 or 7 more people waiting behind me! I don't remember how many spots opened up, but it wasn't enough!
Bacon is meat candy.
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0aj0