El Portal is an ideal place for camping adventures of all kinds. El Portal is a great camping destination for everyone. There are tons of nearby hikes, adventurous activities, and sights to see. Discover great camping spots near El Portal, reviewed by campers like you.
"After accidentally driving to this location following the directions of another reviewer for the “Yosemite Boondocks” campground across 41 (which we never found) we were very happy with this location."
"Great spot about 5 minutes away from Yosemite entrance. Only a few other campers nearby but plenty of space to where they were only seen from a distance."
$48 / night
"Great location right in the middle of Yosemite Valley. Great access to beautiful hikes and scenery. The camp sites are spacious."
"There is a shuttle stop right outside the campground. You are also in easy walking distance to the path to Mirror Lake and the ever popular Mist Trail."
"For people with mobility issues, this site is a good walk away from the inner valley trails, fine for anyone else who is up for walking distances, because that is why you came to Yosemite!"
"Beautiful campground, unfortunately right next to the trail, but very spacious and also has bathrooms and picnic tables right there!"
$36 - $75 / night
"Decent access to drinking water and each site has tables and fire rings, no RV hookups (another reason you have more "campers" and it's less noisy at night)."
"Your best bet is to visit the valley and camp outside the Park or in locations outside the valley. The granite cliffs and waterfalls are something to treasure."
"Off-road on the way to the camp site. We stayed at #4, with a good shade and it’s by the creek. Everything is good only it’s too dusty when other cars pass by without slowing down."
"Has a creek through the middle next to pretty much all sites. The stars at night are incredible. It’s about a 40 minute drive from Yosemite."
$40 - $80 / night
"You are aboute 12 Mi. to Yosemite Park entrance. It is family business , very clean and you feel country! They provide everything for you. There are few fool hock ups and they provide also fire wood."
$50 / night
$41 - $43 / night
"The site is pet friendly and has horse stables. Our neighbors were friendly and quiet. The site had a picnic table, fire pit, water spout and full electricity hook ups."
"Driving from the West toward Yosemite this location is one which will allow you to find a camping option before getting into the big crowds. "
$32 - $64 / night
"This was a good staging site to go up and down the June Lake Loop for the colors. I am a tent camper and at this time of the year it is COLD. Most of the folks were in RVs. "
"The nearby lake was beautiful, especially in early morning, and it provided an entry and exit point to the quieter side of the CA wilderness, such as Ansel Adams Wilderness (for when you don't want to"
GuideGreat location right in the middle of Yosemite Valley. Great access to beautiful hikes and scenery. The camp sites are spacious. Because it's an equestrian campground, you will smell the horses and stables....be prepared. The river is close to the campgrounds and are refreshing on a hot day.
ScoutClark's Fork is a large campground with 88 sites – all of which are situated with lots of space so that you aren’t too close to your neighbors. The availability of adjacent “double sites” makes this campground a great place for larger groups of families and friends. The 25 sites on Loop A offer vault toilets and cost $19 an night. Loop B sites offer flush toilets and cost $20 a night. There are also 14 nice family-sized equestrian sites and one group equestrian site. Sites are within easy walking distance of the water. No matter what kind of camping you want to plan, Clark's Fork offers options. A RV dump station is located near the entrance to the campgrounds. The Clark's Fork Campground is on a first-come, first-served basis. This beautiful wooded campground is on the Stanislaus River, recommended for your fishing and scenic pleasure.
GuideBeen here many times with my son and my horses over the years. Still quiet and not over ran. Close to fishing streams, high mountain lakes, hiking trails, off roading and don't forget that trip into Bridgeport and Bodie.
Obsidian took a beating two cleaned up and they are still fixing some things. I would vonsider Obsidian more of a primitive campground, not dispersed but minimal.
Outhouse is clean, bring your own water, can get 5G/LTE here.
Tables, campfire rings, park at your site, tent, small camp trailer. At the end of the campground there is a bigger spot for groups.
Horsetrailer parking/camping across from campground in a turn around spot.
$12/Night for single unit $6/Night for extra vehicle
GuideI agree the road out is pretty scary I don't advise trailers but I have seen them while driving in. It is one lane and you must pull out for opposing traffic. But definitely one of my most favorite places in the Sierras. The views are amazing, I recommend giving yourself extra time to stop and get out for the views a few times on the way in.
Once in the campground/resort area there are two separate loops to camp in as well as cabins to rent and a small dispersed camping area there is also a general store, bath house, and small Cafe that are all seasonal since the road is closed most of the year. So open and close dates vary depending on snow. You can get firewood, drinking water at the store but it can be a little pricey, so I recommend bringing your own. The baths/showers are usually included for anyone paying for a campsite, but this may have changed. It is very cheap for day use persons to use the showers though. The sites are all very nice and surprisingly private though some are pretty close together. All provide a firepit, table, bear box, and parking space. I love that there are bear boxes at such a remote place! There are vault tiolets and dumpsters for trash. The river runs along one side of the campsites so about half of the sites are on the river. Bring extra bugspray for these sites as you are close to the water.
Most important if you made it this far reading 😅😂 there are multiple NATURAL HOT SPRINGS!! There are several different pools located across the river from the campgrounds. They are all over the hillside and range in temperature from lukewarm to bath water to Hot. They also pump the natural mineral water to the bathhouse for the showers! The springs are the main reason to come out and camp. There are also tons of hiking trails and other lakes in the area including 2 thermal lakes and tons of breathtaking views. I highly recommend this place. 🏞🏕
Also: I have not personally stayed in the cabins or dispersed camping area only the paid sites along the river, but I have been here several times and have seen them. There is also a corral area for horses so I'm not sure if that qualifies it as an equestrian camp but there is a spot for the horses.
TravelerIf you wanna get away and camp next to a river and down a trail and shoot your gun or go fishing you can freedom you can horseback ride if you have horses he can fish there are fish there trout it's beautiful peaceful.
TravelerThis campground is in the heart of Yosemite Valley. It is great to camp on the valley floor, especially during peak season as traffic from all main gates to the valley floor is very congested. There is a shuttle stop right outside the campground. You are also in easy walking distance to the path to Mirror Lake and the ever popular Mist Trail. Shuttle stops at all valley attractions and you can easily get to the Pizza Deck in Half Dome Village, the deli in Yosemite Village, and many different hiking trails. Some spots are right along the Merced River. No showers here, but hot showers are close by at Half Dome Village. We will be back!
LegendIt is hard to get a Camping spot in Yosemite but well worth it if you do. I got up early many a morning to try and get a day here or there for our summer trips out west. You can always try the daily lottery in the village office which we did one day. So Any campground in the valley is good and in close proximity to everything going on. This campground is located on the Merced river and is primitive. The horse stables are in this loop as well.There is a water station by entrance to fill up. No electric, sewer or shower. There are bathrooms with an outlet (Yea- can charge your Phone but get in line) You can bathe in river like I do or go to curry village and pay for a shower at housekeeping. You get a fire ring and a bear box at each site. Generator hours are limited so plan accordingly.
GuideWe were lucky to get 5 days in a row during 4th of July weekend in 2021 at one of the best sites within North Pines campground. We set up camp at site #515, we had a fire pit, bear locker, picnic table and two tents! Within walking distance is the edge of the Merced river, from there you have views of Yosemite Falls. One of my favorite activities was take a short walk with a floating tube from the campsite to the entrance of the campground and hop into the river float back down and get off near our campsite! Our site also offered a good amount of shade and was a short walk from the restrooms. We were surround amongst the giant granite cliffs. One of the best camping trips with great company. 10/10 would recommend.
LegendNorth Pines is one of three campgrounds on the floor of Yosemite Valley. Across the Merced River from the other two campgrounds and adjacent to the horse stables, it is relatively isolated with no major roads running by it. Nevertheless, it is well connected to the rest of the valley amenities, with a quick walk to the bus station, a longer walk (1 mi) to the visitor center via the Valley Loop Trail, or a drive (if you don't mind braving traffic and searching for parking spaces).
The sites are not well defined. You have a place to park and besides that, it is a little of a free-for-all with the adjacent sites as to where you set up your gear. Despite that, we had plenty of room to set up our large 10 person tent, without feeling crowded or that we were overspilling our space. We were there the last weekend it was open (Oct 26/27) and all sites were booked. There are no hook-ups, and the comfort stations only have toliets and sinks (no showers), a fresh water faucet, and a disposal "toliet" for dish water. All dishes must be washed at camp. The facilities were fairly clean, though the disposal toilet often backed up. Being late October, I was expecting very cold conditions. But the weather was great! 70s during the day and 40s at night. Clear skies. Absolutely beautiful.
Our site was located right next to the comfort station, and in hindsight I wish we had found a place a little farther away. But besides the proximity, our site was nice with a fire pit and picnic table. Quiet hours are from 1000-0600, and we had to remind our neighbor campers who came back drunk at midnight to shut it, but that seems to be more the normal than abnormal these days. There were mostly tents in the campground, with a few small RVs and trailers. Generators are allowed during limited hours, but the noise wasn't overwhelming, since they were few and far between.
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. This weekend I got to test the Wenzel Great Basin 10 tent (https://wenzelco.com/great-basin-10/). Overall, my impression of this tent is that it is a solid and reliable tent. Yes, it has a few design items that could be improved for ease of use, but overall it served us well and I look forward to using it again. The tent is a domed center-opening design, with two side "rooms" that can be separated by zipped curtains, making three interior spaces total. My husband and I filled up on room with two large cots facing length wise (we had them oriented along center line and still had enough room to move along the sides). The other side has more than ample room for my daughter's small cot, which ran the width of the tent along the side window. Very comfortable for three people.
Yes, this is a huge tent. Can it be set up by one person? Probably, if that person is patient and tenacious. Two people work much better. A few design items we found annoying were the pole connections, which would frequently catch on the tent pole sleeves and center strap. Also, the zipper flap on the tent's door would frequently get caught in the zipper, making it almost a necessity to use two hands to open and close the tent. Besides these two small inconveniences, the tent worked great. The rain fly fits snug against the tent roof. The construction felt sturdy and we liked the design of the three interior rooms.
Overall, we had a fun two nights in Yosemite. We might make a tradition out of going for the closing weekend each year.
Horse camping in California offers a unique way to explore the great outdoors while enjoying the companionship of your equine friends. With a variety of campgrounds catering to horse enthusiasts, you can find the perfect spot to set up camp and ride through stunning landscapes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near El Portal, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near El Portal, CA is Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site with a 4.5-star rating from 40 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near El Portal, CA?
TheDyrt.com has all 32 equestrian camping locations near El Portal, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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