Tent camping in Yosemite Valley in winter is not for the faint of heart! We were actually one of just a handful of people in the whole campground crazy enough to be in a tent.

The result of the cold was that most people were in RVs. RVs unfortunately means lights and generators and the Rangers did not enforce the generator quiet hours at all.

The nice thing about visiting Yosemite Valley in the winter is that it’s relatively less crowded. It’s still Yosemite and there will be lines for parking and at the more popular places to visit and eat, but nothing like the summer. Roads, pathways, and trails can get very icy, so come prepared.

Considering it’s Yosemite Valley, the sites were actually reasonably far apart. Not so much side to side, but front to back there was a decent amount of space. Behind us was a pretty big open area between our loop and the next.

Upper Pines is close enough to the road and nearby trails that you can easily access the Valley Loop Trail, JMT/Mist Trail, and Mirror Lake Loop trail from the campground.

Yosemite Valley is one of the most spectacular places I have had the pleasure of seeing on this planet and thankfully that’s the case because otherwise the throngs of people would not be worth the trip. Everyone should visit Yosemite Valley at least once in their lifetimes and camping at Upper Pines is a good way to enjoy the valley.