One parking area and with all sites clustered in the middle. Gave camp4 wanna be vibes. Really close to your neighbors, just hope you don’t get a bunch of drunk college kids. Bit of a distance from anything.
Decent location, medium even camp spot, decent toilets, no shower. Quite busy and noisy, with generators going quite late and the campground host not stopping it
We came early on a friday, and there was only a fed spots let. The rest of the weekend the park was full. It was a nice and quiet place and only a 45 min. drive to Yosemite Valley. No showers though, but the bathrooms were clear and okay. Would definitely stay here again.
The campground is right of the west entrance of Yosemite which is a good location. All sites have the regular stuff such as fire rings and picknick tables. However, a lot of the sites are sloped. My site in particular had no leveled surface for a tent. More sites seem to have this.
Even for vans and campers it seems to be tricky.
This is probably the most out-dated NPS campground we’ve ever stayed in. Old, dusty, extremely crowded campsites, with aging facilities.
BUT, it was a place to spend the night.
PS if you do stay here, be sure to check out Carlon Falls and the pretty creek, which are just outside the park entrance!
Just after you enter the gate Hodgdon Meadow Campground is on your left. It is full of big beautiful trees. Bears are common so follow the rules. Some sites are even or need a small amount of blocks (3-6) and some can require lots of material for leveling. The shower and bathroom was getting a lot of use so that might have been why it was dirty. The only place we found to get potable water was faucet at the bathroom above a gray water sink that flushes like a giant toilet. There was 2 " of standing water in the small room with the gray water sink. I had to lean way in and open the tap while holding the gallon jugs. Otherwise get out you rubber boots.
We were able to get 3 different sites for three days in this campground. Not a problem as we pack up everything in our camper van anyway. If I had a choice, I would have picked this campground for the first night, a different one in the valley for the next two. The alley is 30 minutes away.
Great place to stay. 45 minute drive to all the spots directly in Yosemite but that’s typical if your not staying at the fancy resort directly in the center.
I only gave it 4 stars for primitive experience. If there were showers I would have given it 5 stars. No showers is typical for camping in Yosemite. Aside from that, we tucked up our tent near some large boulders and had a view of a beautiful meadow. Site was very private.
This was a great jumping off point to explore Yosemite National Park. Be sure to use the bear boxes (there are bears) and clean up after accessing food. I noticed plenty of people left food and food wrappers out at night or while they were away from camp. Poor form, folks.
Not a lot of shade here, so the sun can be intense in the summer.
This is a big campground with lots of folks and crowded. The last time I was there I let another group share my site so they had a place to stay. If you have a choice of sites - choose well as some of the sites are real close to each other. Can be crowded and noisy. I like the sites where you park your car and then walk to the site. More work but you can get some alone time as well.
That being said it is a great campsite to stage a Yosemite trip. Good site to check out the Yosemite Valley, the high country at Tuolume Meadows and then Hetch Hetchy. Do not forget or miss Hetch Hetchy. You can hike where you walk thru a waterfall there.
Great place to stay before plotting your tour of Yosemite. Camp here and drive to Yosemite Valley or head up to Toulumne Meadows.
The campsite was on a slant but not that bad. Bathrooms were clean, check in was seamless. Felt lucky to snag a reservation here!
I stayed in the group camp part of this campground, which was right by a clean pit toilet and a short, slightly uphill walk to the bathrooms that had running water. This is on the outer part of Yosemite National Park, so it's not as crowded as Yosemite Valley. There are hiking trails around. When I was there, there were warnings about a mountain lion being spotted in the campground, so just be aware.
This place was ok. Not much to it and not a lot of amenities. If you need something make sure you bring it with you, it’s a 40 minute drive to the valley. The sites are very close together. We felt like the bathrooms were fine. As long as you’re cool with being close to your neighbors you’ll be good. Rangers come during the weekend mornings to bring coffee and info which was nice. Overall decent experience.
Spacious camground for big or small group, plenty of benches already there. Bear boxes on each designated area to store food and scented items when Area not attended or at night, it is required. Facility with flushing toilets and water for washing dishes/boiling are within few minutes walking distance, so are outhouses. Lovely place with many trees. In terms of getting the permit, you do have to get online and hit the button on the dot of the hour.
camped at site 1 and 97, 1 was out of the way and quiet and 97 was back to back walking through other campsites to get to the car and right next to the bathrooms, had an amazing time, good central location in yosemite that isnt too crowed, free coffee with rangers some mornings, and lots of deer roaming around
This campground is good enough – it was the other campers I didn’t like. We were there on a weekend which likely impacted our experience. It is conveniently located just a couple of miles from the junction of Tioga Rd and the road into Yosemite Valley (about 25 miles), and also a good location if you want to go to Hetch Hetchy.
The sites are a little tight so not much privacy. There was no peace and quiet due to other campers many of whom have no camping etiquette as far as night time parties and noise. Ear plugs were needed. Several walked right through our site (practically through the tent) to get to the bathroom. Ugh. That will startle you up in the middle of the night. If I stay there again I will try something on the outer loop or a week day.
Roads are paved which is nice. Flush toilets, drinking water, picnic table, fire ring food locker. A gas station and small general store are eight miles away at Crane Flat which is a plus for a longer stay. Showers are in the valley and there is typically a wait on busy days.
I recommend in the spring that you visit Hetch Hetchy, which also has spectacular waterfalls and is not so crowded. If you can handle a longer day hike – go all the way to Rancheria falls. Otherwise to Wapama falls and back is about 5.5 miles.
Campsite was nice, close to the entrance. Gives you access to the valley and the northern part of the park. Facilities were decent.
Stayed here on the last day of a trip to Yosemite. Campsites were nice and clean. A bit close but that seems to be the norm. Quiet campground and close to the park entrance. Would stay here again.
We were lucky to have booked a good spot on this camp. It's very lively with other campers laughing and playing music. Would recommend!
we got this spot unexpectedly. there was a time when bots grabbed up all the sites in yosemite and you'd have to deal with scalpers and high prices. then the rangers caught on and put an end to that nonsense. we happened to catch this site just as they released them after the bot battle. score! this campground worked out perfectly for us. just inside the park, big spaces, nice facilities, hikes. we had no idea what it would be like but it was really nice. our site backed up to the meadow and we would stroll there in the morning light and it was beautiful! i slept in the hammock one night and just as the light broke through a small group of deer meandered by. it was a small, quiet, magical moment.
ps. most of the photos are on my camera so i'll have to come back to this with better ones
site: wooded area. not very private. most sites have an incline. amenities: not very clean facilities. attractions: 40 minutes from Yosemite Valley. Near Tuolumne Sequoia Grove. I might camp here (just drove through checking out the campground).
Getting there: As far as campsite in Yosemite go, Hodgdon is one if not the easiest to get to. From the East entrance of the park off the 120 the campsite is less than a mile from the entrance gate. You wont get stuck in the grueling traffic that often plagues the drive to get down into the valley.
Campsites: Hodgdon rest on the upper shelf of Yosemite outside the valley. Because of this a lot of RV's camp here and then use their tow vehicle to drive down into the valley. Additionally Hodgdon will be windier than in the valley and a few degrees cooler. The campsites are fairly close to each other and all provide a picnic bench and fire pit with grill grate. There are shared restroom areas with full plumbing and potable water through the campsite. WARNING: Because Upper Pines sits along and is so exposed to the forest there is HEAVY BEAR ACTIVITY. Keep your campsite clean, keep all food/toothpaste/sunscreen/anything that smells (even canned beer or alcohol) in the Bear Bin. If you're not prepared to chase a bear away from your tent, your car, or your family... stay someplace else. The Park: Yosemite is awesome. What to do: While Hodgdon isn't one of my favorite campsites in Yosemite it does have a distinct advantage, access. If you stay in the Yosemite Valley... you're basically stuck in the Yosemite Valley. Staying at Hodgdon gives you much better access to Hetch Hetchy, Tuolumne Grove, Crane Flat, and everything off Tioga Road (White Wolf, Porcupine Flat, Tuolumne Meadows) - if it's open.
