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Dispersed camping is allowed on public land in the Mono Basin—the Jeffrey pine forest off of Highway 120 east is a recommended dispersed camping area. If you plan on having a campfire, propane stove, lantern, or any open flame, you must obtain a permit. Camping is allowed on the exposed lakebed surrounding Mono Lake by permit only. Camping on the islands in Mono Lake is allowed by permit only, except during April through August when the islands are closed to all boaters. Dispersed camping is prohibited in developed recreation areas such as South Tufa, Navy Beach, Old Marina, and County Park. Permits are available free-of-charge at the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area Visitor Center
$5 / night
The Housekeeping Camp in Yosemite sits on the floor of the Yosemite Valley. Located on Southside Drive, this campground offers tent sites and glamping tents. Picnic tables, fire pits, and an extensive camp store.
Regulations governing campfires can change with weather conditions and the seasons. To protect yourself and the forest, before each visit, check with the Forest Service office nearest to your destination for current restrictions.
You can help protect the National Forests from wildfires by knowing and following the rules for the safe use of fire. You must have a California Campfire Permit to use a stove or lantern outside a Developed Recreation Area such as a campground. The permit is your agreement to follow restrictions and regulations in effect.
Your California Campfire Permit is valid until the end of the calendar year; it may be used in any National Forest in California.
Go to any Forest Service, CALFIRE, or Bureau of Land Management office during business hours and a receptionist will issue you a permit. You may also go to this website to get a campfire permit online (please note you will need a printer to print it off).
Campfires - Campfires when permitted, you need to follow five conditions:
Campfire Permits are required. Clear all flammable material away from the fire for a minimum of five feet in all directions to prevent escape of the fire. Have a shovel available at the campfire site for preparing and extinguishing campfires. Have a responsible person in attendance at all times. Extinguish campfire with water, using the drown, stir and feel method. Take Responsibility... It is your responsibility to know the current conditions and restrictions for the area you intend to visit.
Details here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/inyo/recreation/ohv/?cid=stelprdb5362150
Located deep in the rugged Yosemite National Park backcountry, Vogelsang is one of the park’s acclaimed High Sierra Camps (HSC). One of five high country camp areas, Vogelsang is the highest, situated at an elevation of 10,130 feet, near the head of Rafferty Creek, and at the base of 11,410-foot Fletcher Peak. The only way to get there is by hiking a fairly rugged 7.5-mile trail from Tioga Road (Hwy 120), in the Tuolumne Meadows area, up and over 9,992-foot Tuolumne Pass. The trail begins with a comfortable stroll along the picturesque Lyell Fork Tuolumne River, before climbing steadily south into lodgepole pine forest alongside tumbling Rafferty Creek, and finally emerging into sprawling alpine meadows surrounded by skyscraping granite spires.
The HSC at Vogelsang consists of 12 tent cabins that can accommodate a maximum of 42 guests. Cabins are equipped with bunks, but campers must provide their own linens or sleeping bags. Camp guests are also treated to family-style breakfast and dinner by the camp host and chef. A vault toilet is available near the camp area. Getting to stay in one of Vogelsang’s coveted cabins requires entering the annual HSC lottery, which typically takes place the winter before the summer hiking season. Due to high demand, the limited number of spaces, and the short accessibility season (often only 2–3 months), camps sell out quickly. If you don’t get a cabin space, you can choose to tent camp nearby (backcountry permit required). This is primitive wilderness camping, so you should follow Leave No Trace guidelines. You can still opt to purchase just a meal at the camp so you don’t have to cook. HSC cabin rates are $152–$159/person/night; meals only are $80/person/night; kids rates are available.
The Vogelsang HSC is the perfect basecamp for exploring one of the most spectacular regions of the Yosemite high country. Right near the camp, you can visit nearby Boothe Lake, take a chilly dip in Fletcher Lake, or make a short hike to Vogelsang Lake, which rests in a rocky basin between Fletcher Peak and 11,493-foot Vogelsang Peak. Wander a little farther through Vogelsang Pass for stunning views over Lewis Creek Canyon and 12,561-foot Mount Florence. For an extended trip, you can continue another 8 miles southwest to Merced Lake HSC, one of the larger, and more remote camps on the High Sierra Loop. For a stunning change of scenery on your hike out from Vogelsang, hike east through the Evelyn Lake meadows—with an optional 3-mile round trip to Ireland Lake—then drop down into the wide Lyell Canyon and finish with a leisurely, view-packed stroll north alongside the river.
Traveler
It's been great. This time of year is a little less crowded. Except this Xmas holiday time. The winter weather enhances the experience of you are up for that.
Guide
Spent (2) nights here and loved it. Enough T-Mobile service for messaging and lite web browsing. Spacious pull-out with a small rock fire pit. I believe fires are allowed as long as you have a permit.
~8min drive to Big Oak Entrance and ~40min drive to Yosemite Valley Welcome Center. Why stay at Hodgdon when you can stay here!
Guide
Lovely campground. Nice creek sounds and beautiful large trees. Couldn't get a hold of host and sites aren't very private. Otherwise really solid choice for location, amenities (bear lockers were great) and maintenance.
Traveler
Sportsman’s Beach was a great stopover for us. It’s enough off the main road that you hear very little road traffic. There are no amenities, but there are covered picnic tables and a public toilet
Scout
Pull into a spot and relax while you listen to the creek, close to the road easy access
Traveler
We stayed in site #17, it was pretty private as we didn't really have anyone around us. The bathroom was clean and the site itself was well maintained. Firewood was for sale at the camp store or through the hosts. Gets super cold at night! Showers were available at the camp store as well as laundry.
Traveler
We arrived late in the night, there is a sign with available places on the office entrance. Good restrooms. Dump Station and Hot water shower is free if you pay for Camping. Laundry is available as well. Paid for 1 night with electric and water hookup 52 $. Only Cash.
Traveler
We spent 1 night and was hoping to spend another except for an unexpected rainstorm that brought of course rain and high winds. It is a windy area as it is in a canyon, but it had settled after the sun went down, and we were able to build a beautiful campfire. Our site was very large and it might have been a group site but there was only 1 post on the site. The vault toilet was just across from the campsite. The site was quite private and had a small walkway down to the stream where you could fit maybe 4 or 5 chairs and just enjoy the endless stream. I have T-Mobile and I had absolutely NO service.
TravelerAs night approached, we had to find a campground. We were also looking for something maintained but scenic which this campground was. There are no actual views of the lake from the camp ground that we saw, but some of the sites have a stream flowing through. Even though it was late in the day (5-6pm) and the campground was basically all reserved, we did find a few open spots that you could pay for at the pay station. Each spot has a nice parking spot big enough for a small trailer. Not all spots were leveled, but we did find one that was leveled enough that we didn't need to make any additional adjustments. They all had fire pits, table, and bear lockers. All in all, it's a great campground. I want to mention there is a restaurant close by, but expect to pay upwards of $100 for a meal. It might be best to bring in your own meals. I have T-Mobile, and I was able to get a text or two, but I had absolutely no service until we got back to the 395.
Traveler
No camping happened. Campground closed when we checked on October 16th, 2034. Maybe next time.
Scout
Pulled in here since the sun was setting and we wouldn’t make it to lone pine. Nice off road trail with some scattered sites.
Guide
After numerous previous backpacking trips throughout Yosemite's high country, this was my first stay in the valley itself. The site was clean, spacious enough, flat enough, and very convenient to access to everywhere in the valley. We ended up driving up to Tuolumne Meadows in the high country so being able to leave the trailer and all our camping stuff in a safe, relatively crowded and lively campground was was really nice. The site easily accommodated my trailer and Jeep. There were plenty of clean bathrooms, fresh water, fire pits, and spacious site located bear boxes throughout. One thing to note, although it is in one of, if not the most beautiful national parks, I wouldn't call it rugged or even having the illusion of privacy.
Legend
How do you snag a reservation in one of the most popular campgrounds in the entire NPS with just a few days notice? Easy! Set up a Dyrt Alert with your Dyrt PRO subscription. We did this and turned 1 night in the valley into 10. Here's to shoulder season camping! But come prepared as you might need your kayaking gear and your snowshoes on the same trip.
This is a great campground in valley, with many sites right by the Merced River, a view of Half Dome in the background, and a little forestry action means that you even get some sunshine down through those big pines and can recharge with solar in a few key sites. We were also able to run our Starlink to get some work done. You can walk to many trails, bike to others, and even stroll over to Curry Village for a meal, shower, or an ice cream.
What you have in these campsites is very similar throughout this park, paved spot with not a lot of room for big rigs, small area for tents, a spot for your car, picnic table, fire ring, and a food/ cooler/ cooking equipment storage locker. Seriously y’all, they will ticket your butt for not storing food properly– they do not mess around here in this park with feeding wildlife, either on accident or on purpose. And you will quickly learn why because the ground squirrels do not give a#$%^ about you except that you are a quick source of Cheetos-- and they’ll even climb up your leg to get some. Don’t even get me started about the Ravens, they are smart and they have a taste for potato chips! Bears make regular visits to these campgrounds, too.
The “Comfort Stations” as the NPS calls them means a couple of toilets that flush, a sink with cold running water, and a hand dryer. Bring your own soap. They can stay on top of cleaning them, but do your part too. Showers can be purchased at the Yosemite Curry Village area and they are just fine, but there is a high demand for them so plan ahead.
Unlike most parks, Yosemite has its own grocery store, gas station, bike rentals, restaurants, visitor’s center, park film theater, gift shop– and if you come at the right time of year, you can see “Shakespeare in the Park’s” live theater.
You can bike, hike, paddle, float, climb, sightsee, stargaze, climber stalk, waterfall gawk and walk. But parking is a bitch. So just leave everything at the campsite and hop on the bus to get around the park and the different hiking areas. The buses also have bike racks so you can bike as much as you want, then hop on the bus if you’re not feeling it anymore.
There are so many beautiful hikes, but please don’t go to the popular ones in the middle of the day, or maybe do, that way I can enjoy the less popular ones on my own time at my leisure. Understand that the valley is one of the most “touristed” destinations outside of Disney World, and get your head around it, settle in and make nice-nice with all the other folks who have been dying to come. But please don’t feed those squirrels, ravens, or bears!
Depending on which way you come into the park, the closest town with reasonable grocery store prices can be up to an hour away. So, it’s worth the price of admission to stock up on your way into the park.
Legend
If you ever want to get away from it all, here is where it might be found. This gorgeous and sprawling campground close to the tiny resort hamlet of Twin Lakes is worth the drive. We came for a night or two and stayed nearly a week.
With many FCFS campsites along the loop above the river and among Jeffery’s Pine trees and Sierra sagebrush, you can find a quiet space to set up a beautiful camp. The sites are huge and lots of space in between them. They are designed for any rig size that is set up for off-grid camping, with double sites for small groups. Almost all of the sites have a wide open sky and lots of sun for good solar gain and strong Starlink, so no need for a generator.
The river is only a short walk away from any of the campsites, so fishing and cooling off are always an option, and you can start a handful of hikes right from the campground. The lower lake of the twins is walkable as well, at about 1.25 miles away.
The vault toilets were sparkling clean and well-maintained by the camp hosts. Showers were available for purchase at the nearby RV park. The town of Twin Lakes has a small grocery store at the marina with a few things -- a bit better than a convenience store, but not by much. At the top of the upper lake, there is a small restaurant located at the other RV park.
There’s lots of water activity opportunities to do in this part of the world, but check the boat regulations as there are speed limitations. Fishing, paddling, and SUP’s are all great here, but it can get REALLY windy so plan accordingly.
Hiking is amazing on the many trails which take you to the higher elevations. Wilderness backcountry travel looks delightful, but we only went on day-hikes. Multi-day backpackers can park in the upper lake marina lot for a fee. With so many trails and OHV trails nearby, this is also a great campground to bring your mountain bike or other toys.
ScoutWe were exploring Yosemite high country and wanted a place to park and sleep. I passed the place I found on here and before I could turn around, I saw this big area. It is sandy, so be cautious of that when you park. I have a Subaru so it’s not an issue.
Scout
Parked overnight in the RV on the same road as the hotspring on a Wednesday night had no problems. 2 other vans were next to us
Scout
Easy access. Quiet and close to the Owens River. We slept well and didn’t hear another person all night. Beautiful night sky.
Traveler
No reservation campground. I came on a Wednesday the last week of September and took the last site which happened to be the handicap site that become available at 3:00 because it was not yet taken. However, this situation only allows for a one night stay which was fine for me since I just needed a place to crash that night. Had I wanted to stay longer, I could have easily jumped over to other sites that became available in the morning. This campground cleared quickly in the morning and there did not appear to be many multi night guests but rather people needing a place before or after traveling the Tioga Pass. Arrive early (before 9AM) and you will probably get a site.
Some road noise but beautiful big sky at night.
Pit toilets
No cellular service
Traveler
Lovely and quiet. Plenty of open spots mid week September. The lake sites go fast but 35 and those on the eastern perimeter are very spacious with sunrise views over the cliff. Most of the campers seemed to be into fishing and frequented the lake with poles and even non motorized watercrafts. The trail head to Virginia Lakes is just off the west side of the camp with ample fishing as well.
Pit toilets
Portable water
No cellular service
ScoutNothing fancy or too expansive, but a handful of spots on either side of the road. Certainly easier to settle in before it’s dark.
RangerWe stayed for one night on our way to El Paso with the grandkids. They loved tossing wood sticks in the lake.
Restrooms were locked up, which was unfortunate. It was cool and breezy so we stayed on the lower end of the loop away from the highway noise and closer to the lake.
Super low cost using the Passport. No power but a table and fire ring were enjoyable to use..
Traveler
This was an amazing find, there’s only maybe 1 spot that wouldn’t require AWD it gets to be somewhat deep sandy/gravely roads after that. But otherwise, close to the lake, beautiful, and peaceful.
I have ATT and had plenty of service here.
GuideStayed one night on the way to Yosemite. Nasty snow rainy day. Restrooms and showers clean. Laundry good. Park needs some TLC. Unlevel sites. Cable had terrible connection. Wifi very weak.
Guide
Worked for our trip. Perfect spot for a overnight stay between Pahrump and Truckee. Full hook upd. Nice and clean.
Traveler
I stayed only one night here in 2022 while traveling through. It was a pretty drive through rural western Nevada, which ended in a four mile graded dirt road. I was driving an SUV with high clearance, but the road is suitable for RVs if you take it slow. Both campgrounds are RV suitable. This one does not have hook ups, but quail run does. The facilities are very new. Each site has a covered picnic table It is not a great tent camping area in my opinion because it is a desert loop and you are out in the open. I slept in my SUV. The area itself is beautiful though, and I need to make another, longer stop there and at the nearby "elbow" unit, which is more remote.
LegendThis is my 2nd time staying here. Stayed last summer as well. Great place to camp even if it's just for the night. Very quiet other than some highway noise but wasn't distracting. There are larger spots up top as you come in, more spots down at next road and a few down by water and boat ramp. Self pay station is on 2nd level down by the vault restrooms.
Guide
Drive to the back area for tree shade and level grounds. Side of road camping. Camping on Ridgeline
Discover the beauty of tent camping near Bridgeport, California, where stunning landscapes and serene environments await outdoor enthusiasts. With a variety of campgrounds offering unique amenities and experiences, you'll find the perfect spot to pitch your tent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Bridgeport, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Bridgeport, CA is Mono Basin Dispersed Camp Site with a 4.7-star rating from 6 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 57 tent camping locations near Bridgeport, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
