Searching for the best camping near Hensley Lake, CA? There's so much to see and do, from exhilarating hikes or bike rides to exploring the local dining and shopping. Get the dirt on all the best camping near Hensley Lake. Browse campgrounds by amenities, site types, and more.
$20 - $30 / night
"The site we stayed at had a nice fire ring, was flat, had a picnic table and it was close to running water. We tent camped, but it looked like there were plenty of RV spots too. Nice and quiet too."
"Rangers on site are friendly and accommodating and will even deliver fire wood to you."
$20 - $100 / night
"It would make the perfect group site as they were a bit tucked back from the other sites. Site #12 could easily be connected to site #11 as the brush is well-cleared between the two."
"Located a short 20 miles east of 99, just north of Fresno, this Army Corps of Engineers campground is stunning."
"Rv, bring your own tent, yurts, safari tents,, cabins. RV spaces have many different location styles, secluded, views, groups etc.
Large clean pool with a shallow lounging section."
"Quiet; dog park; pool; playground; fire pit ; only thing is sites and small."
$13 - $50 / night
"The campsite was 39 and it was right next to the bathroom. To leave with a 26’ travel trailer I had to pull out and back down another road just to exit the park."
"The premium sites include full hook-ups — water, electric and sewer. We were in site 43. "
"Amenities include a pool, day room with tons of things to do, a separate day room for kids, a large fire pit, showers, store at the office, horseshoe and 2 shuffleboard courts."
"We booked this last minute over the phone, we were very impressed with the spot, next to the pool, clubhouse, fire pit."
$40 - $105 / night
"Each site has plenty of room and includes a picnic table and fire pit. It’s a short walk to Shaver Lake from virtually any of the sites, and several have a nice view of the lake."
"It has a great lake shower electricity and fire pits picnic tables it is a great place to camp."
$35 / night
"Bathrooms with flush toilets, and cold running water. I loved the peace and quiet. 2-3 bars LTE with Verizon, occasional weak 5G"
"The bathrooms were cleaned daily, and even though they got a little rough over the weekend, it was due to inconsiderate campers, not the host."
$36 / night
"The site was clean, spacious enough, flat enough, and very convenient to access to everywhere in the valley."
"Sites are moderate sized with bear locker, picnic table and fire pit. Campground has flushing toilets, sinks. Campground is close to curry village where showers, pool, market and pizza are available."
"super accessible spot right by the entrance (10 min drive max) to yosemite np !!"
"Lots of places to park a vehicle or set up a tent. Plenty of fire rings and is very close to the NP entrance. Only downside was the lack of private areas to use the bathroom, but we managed."
"While this campground was closed in July due to the same fire that threatened Yosemite, the flames never reached within probably 15+ miles of this location, and remains safe now that the fire has been"
"Let me start by saying it was worth driving six and a half hours to get here."
Rangeraka Curry Village
My daughters and I have now stayed in both the canvas tent/cabin and a hard-sided cabin. Both provide comfortable beds with sheets and a warm blanket on each. (If you like fluffy pillows, bring one from home.)
We stayed in the heated tent/cabin during a major snowfall and stayed toasty-warm. I’d give this place an extra star if we were able to boil water in the tents, so we could make our own warm food and coffee, but it’s not allowed. There are bear boxes to lock up any food you do bring. There are places in the valley to buy warm meals, but they really weren’t very good, especially for the price.
The showers are warm and have good water pressure. They always had clean towels available, too.
However, Curry Village is packed with wall-to-wall people. Despite quiet hours, there seems to always be That One Guy who gets drunk, loud and obnoxious. On our last trip, That One Guy decided to yell obscenities in my daughters’ faces when they asked him politely to keep the noise down. It was 15min before quiet hours and it was obvious that most of the other guests (many with small kids) had gone to bed. Other than calling the front desk, there really wasn’t another option for “crowd control.”
When I camp, I do prefer remote, quiet places away from crowds, but I did appreciate the convenience of Curry Village’s location. We really were in the heart of the valley with great access to the best hikes. All in all, we enjoyed our stays.
GuideOverall, the proximity to being in The Valley outweighed the negatives of our stay.
While pricey for what it is, it IS at the far east end of Yosemite Valley with easy access to the Mist Trail. The tent-cabins are close to each other (3-8 feet), and we were woken by our neighbors our first morning (they were checking out early, and while quiet hours were 'officially' over, it was still 0730...and since it was during the heat wave, we hadn't gotten to sleep til well after midnight).
That said...we were expecting foam rubber mattresses on wooden plywood shelves for beds, but the bed frame, mattresses, pillows and Rumpl blankets were a nice surprise (the website stated there would be wool blankets). The towels and sheets were in need of some fabric softener though.
It was HOT. Having camped in tent-cabins before (not Curry Village), we brought fans with us that helped cool things down in the evenings, but having fans [battery operated/ rechargeable (we had Ryobi rechargeable fans)] helped us out.
We couldn't figure out how to make the tent-cabin canvas window 'shades' to stay open- which was necessary because we needed the ventilation - we had brought along some binder clips that we were able to jury-rig to keep the canvas flaps over the screens open, though.
Showers and restrooms were adequately clean, and showers were hot…but nothing to write home about.
We were surprised by the trash on the grounds near the cabins (where our nearest showerhouse was)- in fact, a zip-lock baggie sat on the ground in the same spot for the three days we were there, before I picked it up on our way out. Additionally, on the grounds of the tent-cabins, we found several nails and other hardware on the ground.
We were also surprised by the size of Curry Village, which isn't really discussed on the website. We were in tent-cabin 749 on the far east end, which was great until we had to walk to Camp Curry and/or the parking lot. We brought a wagon to carry our gear from the car to the tent-cabin, but once again, we've done this before, and we felt really bad for the folks lugging all their stuff without the benefit of a cart. Next time we'd bring bikes to help with the longish walk (400 meters? Maybe longer?)
The food options were great! The pizza is fantastic, and it was nice having the ability to grab pizza/tacos/burgers as an option at the end of the day (cooking is not allowed in the camp, but we 'tailgated' with backpacking stoves and meals a couple of the days).
RangerMany options to stay! Rv, bring your own tent, yurts, safari tents,, cabins. RV spaces have many different location styles, secluded, views, groups etc.
Large clean pool with a shallow lounging section. Playground. Bathrooms/showers were freshly renovated and clean. Laundry on site. Clubhouse and small provisions.
Easy access to Bass Lake and Yosemite entrance as well as local Town food and markets.
Legend***I start off by saying that the staff I did interact with were all very nice and it have a great mountaineering school with excellent staff and a nice camp store.
Also, this campground is definitely in a great location within the valley. However, for the cost you'd think they could do a lot more maintenance to these "tents". Similarly, not sure why they aren't all heated as they include a simple cheap heater that they could easily put in all of them.
When the campground is making about ~70K per night on the weekend you'd think they could easily afford to maintain the grounds. The tents are filthy, the bathrooms have graffiti in the stalls and there's no area for picnicking, fires, seating, etc. (things that you always get included at a standard campsite). My personal tent is way cleaner than these "tents" as it appears that they haven't cleaned out the dirt in quite some time...They simply (hopefully) just come in and change the sheets in between people and that seems to be about it.
Also, I can understand not having people cook/eat in their tents, but they should then provide a picnic area so you don't have to bus/drive to a different area of the park or eat all your meals in the restaurant (Another way they're making money) if you'd like to bring in some of your own food or sit around a fire and have a S'more. They do have a lounge with a fire place, so why can't they have an outdoor fire pit so you can actually be closer to nature?
Stayed October 11-14th 2018 like another reviewer and couldn't believe how disrespectful so many of the other "campers" were during the quiet hours. People (not just the kids) were not only running through and disrespecting people personal space/belonging but they were up and extremely loud late into the night (at least 3am). Although isn't part of the reason to come to this incredible National park to get up early and explore the park? May people seemed to treat this "campground" as a party spot. People in true campgrounds are much more respectful of the others around them.
While, I'll definitely be back to Yosemite, I won't be staying here again.
GuideWe stayed here March 2022. We booked a heated tent cabin for 4 nights. It had 1 double bed and 2 singles, a storage tower, 1 central electric light, and 1 electrical outlet - this is not advertised, but if you tell them you have a CPAP or other medical device needing an outlet, they will let you know that there is one in the heated cabins. It was enough to power a power strip, charge our phones, and run said CPAP (LOL). The beds were comfy and the linens were great. We requested additional blankets as the comforter on the bed was nylon on both sides and kept sliding off the beds. We were given old school wool blankets and they were great! We did adjust the heat often as it would actually get too warm.
As we visited in the off season, not all of the amenities were available (pool, restaurants), but it didn't bother us at all. The guest lounge was often crowded and we only spent one evening in there. Showers and toilets were very clean. It was still fully booked when we went, but the grounds are quiet are people were very respectful of the park rules.
This was a great central location to do Yosemite. We woke up under Half Dome every morning, did the Mist Trail, Vernal Falls trail, and Lower Yosemite Falls trail. Doing it in the off season was awesome as the number of additional people not actually staying in the park was very small.
Reservations are hard to come by...we reserved in January for March of the same year and got lucky. Book through the NPS as other sites charge additional, unnecessary fees. We also recommend packing in food. There are bear lockers to store it. Dining in the park is provided by Aramark and is average at best. We took a trip outside the park to dine in a nearby city and had a wonderful dinner.
Overall, we would definitely stay here again and again! It was very peaceful and comfortable.
GuideStayed two nights here in a 2 bed tent cabin. Slept 3 of us perfectly and was somewhat heated. Meaning the heater likes to turn it self off at times cooling the tent back down before kicking back in. The bathroom and showers were great for camping showers. The is a nice lodge style place to hang out plus great pizza place on site as well. This is a perfect place for those who like to camp but not fans of tent camping in cold snowy conditions. I will definitely return!
LegendYosemite's Housekeeping Camp is exactly as described. It's in a great location right in the Valley. It's an easy walk to the main visitors center and both the Valley Village and Half Dome Village. There are A LOT of shelters in the Housekeeping Camp area and it might feel a little crowded. When you register you can preference a riverside site for no extra cost which is certainly worth it. The structures are built so there are two sites per building, you can hear your neighbors. The fences around each site are angled to maximize privacy. Each site is equipped with a table, lights and outlets, beds and a fire pit. Showers and laundry are available. It felt a lot like I was at summer camp.
I wish the river had been higher when we were there, it was a little low for swimming. It's certainly worth it to take the shuttles around the valley rather than sitting in traffic. Even in late September all of the sites were booked and the parking lots filled up.
Recommendation: take the drive up to Glacier Point, the view is incredible!
GuideThe location is perfect for all the Valley trails. There is a shuttle right outside. There are several campgrounds here. There is a space for tents and also a village of canvas tents for those who prefer glamping. For food there is a convenience store nearby, a restaurant and a pizza place.
TIPS:
Tent cabins are close together, you will hear your neighbors, bring ear plugs
Leave early, the trails get crowded very quickly
Lots of tourists so parking will be tight
Driving into Yosemite is horrible lately, especially into the Valley, CARPOOL!
RangerThis place is good for giving non-campers a little taste of living in a canvas tent. It's not great if you are into camping and want to spend time in nature. The tent cabins are really close together so you def hear your neighbors domestic disputes, snoring etc. Walking around the area in the evening it is pretty magical feeling. +1 to whoever said to bring earplugs. Overall it does feel like a special place, and if I didn't love camping this would seem pretty sweet. Pizza place is always slammed do good for people watching. Support your local dirtbags and offer the climbers your leftovers :)
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Hensley Lake?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Hensley Lake is Hidden View Campground — Hensley Lake with a 4.2-star rating from 9 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Hensley Lake?
TheDyrt.com has all 39 glamping camping locations near Hensley Lake, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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