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Dispersed Camping

Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site

Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site, near Yosemite National Park, is a fantastic spot for those looking to camp without the hassle of reservations. This area offers a free and spacious environment, perfect for setting up tents or RVs, with plenty of trees providing shade and privacy.

Visitors rave about the peaceful atmosphere, especially at night when the stars shine bright due to minimal light pollution. Many campers have found their ideal spots, with some noting, “This is the most perfect dispersed camping in the area,” highlighting the easy access and established fire pits left by previous visitors.

While the location is close to the south entrance of Yosemite, it’s also a bit of a trek to the valley, so plan accordingly. Be prepared for some pesky mosquitoes during the warmer months, but they tend to quiet down after dark, allowing for a more enjoyable evening around the campfire.

If you’re looking to explore, you’re just a stone's throw from the breathtaking landscapes of Yosemite. Whether you're hiking, stargazing, or simply enjoying the great outdoors, Goat Meadow is a solid choice for a memorable camping experience.

Description

US Forest Service

Sierra National Forest

Dispersed Camping is allowed in the National Forest except in the area surrounding Huntington Lake, Shaver Lake, Bass Lake, Redinger Lake, and the Merced River Canyon. Campfire permits are required at all times whenever you plan to have a fire on public land outside of a developed campground. When building a fire please remember to only pick up down and dead wood that is no larger than wrist size and to never leave a campfire unattended.

You can obtain a campfire permit at any Forest office or online at http://www.prevetnwildfireca.org/. Be sure to check and see if campfire restrictions are in effect, when campfire restrictions are in place you will not be able to make a fire in dispersed camping areas (Developed Designated Campgrounds Only) but, you will be able to operate gas stoves, and lanterns with your permit.

When camping in the Forest proper food storage is also required either using a bear box, or by the proper use of the counter balance method. While camping anywhere in the forest also keep in mind that there are other people in the forest and we advise you to respect them and their space.

You may stay at one campsite for a limit of 14 days and you may stay on each district for a limit of 21 days before we will ask you to vacate. Please follow ENVUM maps for all designated roads and vehicle limitations.

We ask you to always remember to pack out what you pack in. Human waste needs to be buried 6 to 8 inches deep. For any other questions about visiting and camping in the forest and in the wilderness please visit LeaveNoTrace.org.

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Location

Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site is located in California

Detail location of campground

Coordinates

37.49166919 N
119.624964 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Good
  • Verizon
    Good
  • AT&T
    Unknown
  • T-Mobile
    Poor

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Dispersed
  • Group
  • Equestrian

Features

For Campers

  • Trash
  • Phone Service
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Big Rig Friendly

DISPERSED CAMPING

Enjoy dispersed camping on government land and leave no trace. Pack in and pack out. No (or limited) services at this camping area. Permit may be required.


PERMIT might be REQUIRED

We curate permit requirements across the US for our PRO members. Try PRO to see if Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site needs a permit.

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General Info

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Reviews

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4.5

out of 5

34 Reviews

Reviewed May. 11, 2025

Foresty escape in Yosemite

It’s a great spot to camp when you’re in Yosemite but want a more peaceful place to stay for the night.

Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Ala B., May 11, 2025
Reviewed May. 6, 2025

Gem of a Campsite

I've camped at Goat Meadow twice- once in 2022 and more recently in March of 2025. Both times were fantastic. 

When you drive up to the snowplay area, continue straight off of the paved road (don't make the left) and you'll find a plethora of places to park and set up shop.  

The elevation at the site is appx 5200, meaning it will get snow in the winter(ish) months. When I was there recently, some of the 'campsites' had 0-3", whereas other spots were about 6-8".  Consequently, there were about 6-8 cars/vans that ended up camping in the parking lot of the snowplay area. I was the only one in the actual snow, which was great! I'm glad I didn't set up in the parking lot though, as around 7am, the place filled up with people sledding (as the area is intended to be used). 

Couldn't recommend this place more.  Coyotes and bears are active in the area- coyotes raided a bag I had hanging from a tree and stole my food!

Month of VisitMarch
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Alexander Mark C., May 6, 2025
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Alexander Mark C., May 6, 2025
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Alexander Mark C., May 6, 2025
  • (5) View All
Reviewed May. 2, 2025

Great Spot, Easy to Reach

Beautiful scenery, clean, close to Yosemite, and easy to reach.

As others have said, follow Mount Raymond Rd up until you see the sign for the snow play area, and look to the right. There’s an open area with fire pits. There’s also a few more spots further down the road it seems.

Month of VisitApril
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  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Derrick H., May 2, 2025
Reviewed Apr. 11, 2025

Perfect Disperse Site

This site had loads of space. When we camped 1 car 2 tents on 4/11/25 there were a number of other people and plenty of spots to check out. The area felt safe and easy to access. It’s about 1 hour from the valley visitor center. Had great cell service through Verizon.

Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Jonathan , April 11, 2025
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Jonathan , April 11, 2025
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Jonathan , April 11, 2025
  • (6) View All
Reviewed Mar. 12, 2025

Solid Spot

Plenty of space for all vehicle sizes. Roads are very accessible. Nice and wooded.

Month of VisitMarch
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Ty P., March 12, 2025
Reviewed Nov. 30, 2024

Ideal

Quite a large level area, though it was November and not peak season so there were loads of space. We pulled in and there were a couple of trailers with horses and a couple of other vehicles and we parked with loads of space between. When we left early in the morning a handful more of vehicles had joined.

Month of VisitNovember
Reviewed Jul. 3, 2024

Close, free, and beautiful

We got there at 5pm on a Sunday. Went all the way to the back and In my opinion got the best spot. We had plenty of trees around us for privacy and shade. Highly recommend if you’re trying to camp close to Yosemite without a reservation. Only downside were the mosquitoes were on another level. They turned off once it got dark though.

SiteWay back.
Month of VisitJune
Reviewed Jun. 14, 2024

Free

A quiet, large space for setting up.

Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by JJ D., June 14, 2024
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by JJ D., June 14, 2024
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by JJ D., June 14, 2024
Reviewed Jun. 11, 2024

Great spot

Got there late at night, around midnight. Had to find a spot but very quiet. Will stay there again!

Month of VisitJune
Reviewed Jun. 2, 2024

Decent spot

This is a good location right near the south entrance of the park, but still about an hour from the valley. It was a little crowded and pretty bumpy road to get into the sites. But it worked well for staying for the night.

Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Aidan D., June 2, 2024
Reviewed May. 4, 2024

Great free camp at the exit of Yosemite park

Great location, close to Yosemite Park which allows you to sleep for free. the spot was clean, impressive camper vans were present and they were parked on the tarmac. lots of pitches, vans can be placed under the trees with the tents.

Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Caroline D., May 4, 2024
Reviewed Dec. 24, 2023

Great quiet campsite

We stayed here when visiting Yosemite and it was a great location, easy to find in the dark, and quiet. Part of the road was closed due to the season but we were still able to find a spot and had the place to ourselves. No cell service, bathrooms, or clear fire pits but it didn’t bother us!

Month of VisitDecember
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Zoe J., December 24, 2023
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Zoe J., December 24, 2023
Reviewed Nov. 9, 2023

Perfect place to stop

Was a great place to stop so we could get an early start towards Yosemite. The stars were beautiful as there is almost no light pollution. There were a few others parked around the edge of the big lot and people were friendly. Easy to find. Will keep this spot saved. It was very cold, a bit icy in the morning the second week of November.

Month of VisitNovember
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Amanda H., November 9, 2023
Reviewed Oct. 23, 2023

As good as it gets

Stayed Saturday and Sunday. This is the most perfect dispersed camping in the area. Just a few minutes from Yosemite NP entrance. Spots are pretty obvious which is great. Some have fire pits already established by previous campers. There’s a huge pile of wood that’s great for your fire. There’s a large paved area for RVs as well. Everyone was respectful. Some arrived closer to 10pm and still found a spot. No problem with noise after 10pm.

Month of VisitOctober
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Samantha M., October 23, 2023
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Samantha M., October 23, 2023
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Samantha M., October 23, 2023
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Oct. 19, 2023

Great stop!

Had a lovely evening here. Camp sites are clean and free of garbage. Spread out nicely to avoid any noisy neighbors. Beautiful way to start a cross country road trip.

Month of VisitOctober
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Erich J., October 19, 2023
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Erich J., October 19, 2023
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Reviewed Sep. 8, 2023

Awesome spot

This spot is located right next to the snow play area. Just off to the right hand side of the road there is a dirt trail. I even saw some Camry and a Honda deep in the woods here. Once you go deeper then the road become more bumpy and a 4x4 might be more beneficial. We enjoyed this spot. No water bathrooms or trash.Thank you.

Month of VisitSeptember
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Aug. 6, 2023

Goat Meadow

First Dispersed camp site, arrived at 10pm and had no problem finding a camp site. It’s super dark so arriving early would hand been best. Great experience. Were several others camped out as well. Will stay again.

Month of VisitJuly
Reviewed Jun. 30, 2023

Peaceful

Stayed here on a Wednesday night, there were only a couple other people there and the sites are far apart so it felt private and very quiet. It was really hot during the day and chilly at night, probably 50°. Tons of firewood around. For RV camping there is a paved lot you can park in instead but definitely not as pretty. Pro tip- turn your vehicle off immediately upon entering your site because the exhaust attracted literal swarms of mosquitoes. Some spray, a fire and a thermocell remedies the problem quickly. Cell service was pretty good here (Verizon). It’s just a few minutes to get into the south entrance of Yosemite. Overall a really nice spot.

Siten/a
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Mandi W., June 30, 2023
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Mandi W., June 30, 2023
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Mandi W., June 30, 2023
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Jun. 19, 2023

Lots of room

Road getting there is pretty scary at night, but it’s super close to the park. There’s a parking lot to the left for rvs/vans and a dirt path that opens into an area for tents or any dispersed camping. We stayed in tents, there’s plenty of room to find a tent spot

No cell service

Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Logan R., June 19, 2023
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Logan R., June 19, 2023
Reviewed May. 16, 2023

Dry camping near Yosemite

Update 5/16: they removed the porta potties and its packed! Spots are few and far between in the lot. We ended up in paved lot due to a tree being down and blocking any access to the dispersed woods camping. They did clear it which was good because it has even very busy here with the NP closing 2 campgrounds. The spot is beautiful and super close to south entrance of the park (like 5 mins). There are trash and porta potties at thus location. Help clean up trash from snow play users so this site stays open.

Month of VisitMay
Reviewed Apr. 15, 2023

Perfect pit stop

Literally right outside of Yosemite! There’s still a fair amount of snow outside so camp is basically a big parking lot with some porta-potties. Great for car camping at the moment, we arrived around dusk, parked, and slept with no problems.

Month of VisitApril
Reviewed Mar. 2, 2023

Good area

Went to the snow play area but it was full with cars so i went about a half a mile more Down the road and got to a bridge parked there then i went of trail a bit and found a nice camping spot

Month of VisitFebruary
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Emerzon , March 2, 2023
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Emerzon , March 2, 2023
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by Emerzon , March 2, 2023
  • (4) View All
Reviewed May. 31, 2022

Dispersed Camping

Roads aren’t too bad and there are 10-15 spots and an additional group site but we didn’t stay at the group site

Month of VisitMay
Reviewed Apr. 4, 2022

Lots of space and very close to yosemite

Very big parking lot-could probably fit 30 or more cars comfortably. There are also 2 different spots to camp on dirt rather than just in the lot-a total of 6 spots on dirt. One porta potty and a bear safe trash dumpster. It’s exactly 50 minutes from here to the tunnel view outlook entering the valley, and an extra 10 to anywhere in the valley.

Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site by locke , April 4, 2022
Reviewed Jan. 24, 2022

The Hideout

Have stayed here a few times now on our way arriving early/late to the park. Nice lowkey spot with trash, plenty of parking & an awesome night sky of stars! Will definitely continue to come back!

Siteparking lot
Month of VisitAugust
Reviewed Jan. 9, 2022

Nope.

This is a very back in the woods setting. We didn’t stay here because when we got out of the car for a bathroom trip, a coyote was 20 feet from the car. Needless to say I almost peed myself 🤣. We went to a different site. This one is super secluded and no one else was there at all when we were there.

Month of VisitJanuary

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the elevation of Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site?

Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site is located at 5286 feet.

Are fires allowed at Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site?

Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

Does Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site have wifi?

No, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site does not have wifi.

Is there cell phone reception at Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site?

According to campers on TheDyrt.com, Verizon signal is good, AT&T is unknown, and T-Mobile is poor.