Searching for a dispersed camping spot near Mariposa? Here you'll find a diverse selection of places to camp, including remote dispersed camping to boondocking, and everything in-between. Find dispersed campsites you've visited before, or discover new spots from other campers.
Dispersed Camping is allowed in the National Forest except in the area surrounding Huntington Lake, Shaver Lake, Bass Lake, Redinger Lake, and the Merced River Canyon. Campfire permits are required at all times whenever you plan to have a fire on public land outside of a developed campground. When building a fire please remember to only pick up down and dead wood that is no larger than wrist size and to never leave a campfire unattended.
You can obtain a campfire permit at any Forest office or online at http://www.prevetnwildfireca.org/. Be sure to check and see if campfire restrictions are in effect, when campfire restrictions are in place you will not be able to make a fire in dispersed camping areas (Developed Designated Campgrounds Only) but, you will be able to operate gas stoves, and lanterns with your permit.
When camping in the Forest proper food storage is also required either using a bear box, or by the proper use of the counter balance method. While camping anywhere in the forest also keep in mind that there are other people in the forest and we advise you to respect them and their space.
You may stay at one campsite for a limit of 14 days and you may stay on each district for a limit of 21 days before we will ask you to vacate. Please follow ENVUM maps for all designated roads and vehicle limitations.
We ask you to always remember to pack out what you pack in. Human waste needs to be buried 6 to 8 inches deep. For any other questions about visiting and camping in the forest and in the wilderness please visit LeaveNoTrace.org.
A wilderness permit is required year-round for backpacking, overnight climbing, or any other overnight stay in the Yosemite Wilderness. A wilderness permit is not required for day hikes (unless hiking to Half Dome) or for staying in lodging facilities and frontcountry campgrounds.
Wilderness permits are only issued to a limited number people for each trailhead in order to provide outstanding opportunities for solitude, as required by the Wilderness Act. Since many trails are very popular, reservations are recommended. Of each daily quota for a trailhead, 60 percent can be reserved ahead of time. Normally, 40 percent of wilderness permits are available on a first-come, first-served basis at park wilderness centers.
$5 - $10 / night
Many people enjoy the solitude and primitive experience of camping away from developed campgrounds and other campers. Dispersed camping is the term used for camping anywhere in the National Forest OUTSIDE of a designated campground. Dispersed camping means no services like trash removal, and few or no facilities such as tables and fire pits, are provided.
Dispersed camping takes a lot more effort than camping in a developed campground, but for those with an adventurous spirit, it can be a lot of fun.
Here are some important points to remember about dispersed camping:
The maximum length of stay in a forest ranger district is 21 days per year. Please practice good outdoor ethics about camping, travel and behavior while visiting. Dispersed campers are allowed to park within one vehicle length (including any tow vehicle) of a National Forest transportation route and walk into camp. Dispersed camping is not permitted in developed campgrounds and day use areas. Other areas closed to dispersed camping include historical and archaeological sites. Also, be certain that you are within the boundaries of the National Forest before setting up camp. To prevent resource damage please keep your campsite within 150 feet from a roadway. Dispersed camping is not allowed in these areas: within one mile of Pinecrest Basin along 7N83, Clark Fork Road along Hwy 108 between Clark Fork Road and Kennedy Meadows Road Leave No Trace Camping – Camp so no one notices you while you are there, and no one even knows you were there after you leave. Please respect nature and other visitors by keeping noise to a minimum. Always pack out whatever you pack in. No permanent structures are to be constructed to an area, such as building rock-lined fire pits, trenches around tents, or carving into trees. Human waste should be deposited in a hole dug 6 - 10 inches deep and then covered with organic soil. Vehicles are not permitted off of roads, but if you can safely park your vehicle adjacent and parallel to the road and are not blocking the roadway, you may park and camp. Most sites will have a parking spot nearby while other sites may not. Because the footprint of a vehicle can have a large impact to soils, please do not create new “parking spot” for a campsite. Please park in designated or already impacted spots. If you are going to an area where others have camped before, pick a site that has been used before. Plants, soil and wildlife are impacted by new campsites so using existing ones will minimize your impact in the forest.
Guide
First Dispersed camp site, arrived at 10pm and had no problem finding a camp site. It’s super dark so arriving early would hand been best. Great experience. Were several others camped out as well. Will stay again.
Legend
RANGER REVIEW: Mountain House Spaghetti with Meat Sauce at Gladys Lake Backcountry Campsites, Ansel Adams Wilderness, CA
CAMPGROUND REVIEW: Gladys Lake Backcountry Campsite, Ansel Adams Wilderness
Backcountry camping often offers great hiking, epic scenery, serene solitude and otherwise missed sights. Depending on location, backcountry campsite locations can offer their own challenges, whether through the permitting process, preparation of gear and meals, logistics, or difficult terrain…but the trade offs can pay out big dividends.
Leaving behind the din of packed campgrounds…getting unplugged from electronic encumbrances…relaxing beside an untouched alpine lake where the only sound you hear is the whir of dragonfly wings as they dart about.
Only a set number of backcountry permits are issued daily, so crowds and impact remain minimal to nonexistent.
Permits are necessary for all backcountry overnight stays in the Inyo National Forest. https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/inyo/passes-permits
Whenever backcountry hiking/camping in California, do yourself a service and go online https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/inyo/passes-permits/?cid=stelprdb5139009 and take the California Campfire Permit test to acquire your certificate and possess it when in the backcountry.
Several ways to get to Gladys Lake exist…
1. John Muir Trail (JMT) thru-hike permits NOBO or SOBO
2. John Muir Trail section hike permits
3. Wilderness Permits Day hike permits
You could enter from Reds Meadows and follow the JMT north to Gladys Lake…or better from Agnew Meadows and follow the Shadow Creek Trail (https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/inyo/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=21272&actid=51 ) up and around Shadow Lake and then south on the JMT past Rosalie Lake to Gladys Lake. Each access trail has a daily quota…such as Shadow Creek, which has a daily quota of 30…18 secured through reservation and 12 walk-ups. So if you are choosing to walk-up, have some flexibility of starting days.
We had a JMT SOBO permit acquired six months in advance through the NPS permit lottery. But next visit, I will likely enter through Agnew Meadows via day permit.
Most hikers will stop and camp at Rosalie Lake, which is a wonderful option and a much larger lake. Some would suggest a more picturesque lake than Gladys Lake…but that is all in the eye of the beholder.
August of 2018 saw little precipitation and the winter snowfall was below expectations, so lake water levels were lower and surrounding shoreline not marshy or soggy. Which made for dry and mosquito free conditions.
The effects of local forest fires did cover surrounding mountain views during certain times of the day, and brought with it a bit of lung burning and eye stinging. Early morning and late evening hours brought clearer skies.
Be forewarned that seemingly every backcountry campsite brings with it a steep uphill slog, but worth it. Gladys Lake is at 9600 ft elevation.
I believe there was one other camper at Gladys Lake the night we stayed…but we neither heard nor saw them. It was a perfectly peaceful evening!
Amenities? Well, no showers…no toilets…no water spigots…no electricity…no picnic tables…one lonely stone fire ring but open fires are not permitted. No cell service or WiFi…no general store or local grocery store. However, Gladys Lake water was refreshing both to wade and drink (filtered). You are surrounded by fragrant conifers that buffer sound. A perfectly peaceful location to relax and dream.
PRODUCT REVIEW: Mountain House Spaghetti With Meat Sauce
https://www.mountainhouse.com/
As a frequent user of Mountain House freezes dried dinners, and being a creature of habit, I often settle into a couple favorite meals and don’t deviate to new offerings. Mundane and boring?…perhaps.
But…after winning $100 worth of Mountain House meals through an early season TheDyrt.com contest… and with my daughter as my hiking buddy, I selected several different meals to avoid mutiny.
One of these meal pouches was Mountain House’s Spaghetti with Meat Sauce.
I admit, I was a little suspect as to how freeze-dried spaghetti with meat sauce would taste, but we were both very pleased with the sauce flavors, seasoning and the amount of meat in the sauce. The only thing I would add is a couple slices of toasted garlic bread.
If the next rotation of Mountain House Spaghetti with Meat Sauce was easily located in our bear canisters, we would’ve likely had a second helping…but sadly, it was not.
In pairing down weight before our backcountry hike, I removed the contents from Mountain House’s original packaging and utilized a commercial vacuum sealer to make smaller, lighter meal packs as 11 days of food needed to fit in a bear canister. It worked, but the distinct drawback was not being able to prepare the meal in the resealable pouch. A pot was necessary to allow the freeze-dried contents to soak in the boiling water. So clean up was more extensive than it would’ve been by using the Mountain House resealable pouch. It was a trade off and we made it work.
If you are new to Mountain House freeze dried meals, directions are printed plain and simple on the pouch.
•Measure out the prescribed amount of water
•boil water
•open meal pouch and remove moisture packet
•pour boiling water in pouch and stir contents thoroughly
•seal pouch for prescribed time
•open pouch and stir contents
•serve and enjoy
It doesn’t get any easier.
ScoutRoad getting there is pretty scary at night, but it’s super close to the park. There’s a parking lot to the left for rvs/vans and a dirt path that opens into an area for tents or any dispersed camping. We stayed in tents, there’s plenty of room to find a tent spot
No cell service
Scout
As previously mentioned, these coordinates are not correct, if you travel beyond the coordinates towards the South Park Entrance and pass the Springdale Campground on your left, you will see a sign shortly afterwards that says SnowPlay area 1/2 mile and that’s where you will turn onto Mount Raymond Road, which takes you to the dispersed camping about 5 minutes from the park entrance. Plenty of spots available.
TravelerNote: drove to “end of Mt Raymond Rd / Goat Meadow Ttailhead” following Hannah’s review as the directions. That is not the directions to this campground. It’s the directions to the Meadow campground across the 41. So, unfortunately never found this location. Leaving proper review of Meadow dispersed camping on that campground across the street so head over to that one, irs super easy to find, not busy, tons of great spots.
GuideStayed Saturday and Sunday. This is the most perfect dispersed camping in the area. Just a few minutes from Yosemite NP entrance. Spots are pretty obvious which is great. Some have fire pits already established by previous campers. There’s a huge pile of wood that’s great for your fire. There’s a large paved area for RVs as well. Everyone was respectful. Some arrived closer to 10pm and still found a spot. No problem with noise after 10pm.
Legend
Lovely spot if you like to boondock. Hardly anyone drove by....lodge right down the road. Mountain bike/hiking trail a quarter mile up road. Extremely peaceful, pretty level and 10 minutes from park entrance. No reception!! 20 minutes from nearest town to get food
GuideMy friend and I decided to go on a camping/road trip with no plans or reservations. Little did we know that due to COVID, Yosemite was only allowing people in the park with a printed reservation. There was no getting passed these ladies. We asked if there was dispersed camping nearby and they directed us to a street less than a mile south of the southern entrance to Yosemite. The street was Mount Raymond. There were plenty of spots to pull off and camp out and lots of space between other campers. It was quiet and a sweet deer came by as we were setting up. She wasn’t afraid of us at all, just minding her business eating away.
***Only downfall: We were in an area near trees that produced a lot of sap. It was all over our car the next morning and it stuck to the bottom of our shoes pretty bad. We took sticks and really had to dig out all the gunk. Be aware of the trees you park your car under or set your tent up near.
Stopped at Bass Lake on the way up - Great spot for day picnics (pics)
Traveler
This is more of an ATV spot, I arrived on a Sunday evening and the ATV people were set up and essentially taking up most of the spots meant for camping. They were using the many many trails meant for ATVs before I arrived and, when I parked a decent distance away from where they were set up, they opted to ride circles around my RV throwing dust everywhere and revving their engines (likely an attempt to run me off). The open space at the top of the hill where the restrooms are is meant for camping, I would NOT ADVISE taking any of the other roads as they are steep, uneven, and you will struggle to turn around.
There’s one spot at the entrance good for camping (away from most of the ATV action) but it is taken up by a permanent boondocker.
TravelerWent to the snow play area but it was full with cars so i went about a half a mile more Down the road and got to a bridge parked there then i went of trail a bit and found a nice camping spot
TravelerAfter 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.
First, to tell you how to properly get here and find all the spots, drive to the end of the road (don’t pay attention to the gate and “off road” dirt road you see to the left before the parking lot. Don’t go there. Go to just before the big Snow Play parking lot and head right through the dirt. There is no paved road but the area is flat and any car, truck or rv/trailer can make it back here easily. I got nervous at first about ability to turnaround so I parked prematurely near the entrance. Keep going and you’ll find at least 4 or 5 big private areas separated by huge cut logs all with plenty of room to turnaround and not have to back up.
If you’re nervous, we watched several cars, vans, and trailers camp overnight in the big paved parking lot right past this, and that’s fine, but you’re in a parking lot. Come out to the right and you’re in heaven.
We were the only RV here and had it to ourselves an entire week (granted it’s early November). Can’t beat the proximity to Yosemite south entrance.
ScoutI was expecting bad conditions because of the previous comments but it was actually a good surprise. It's very close to the entrance of Yosemite, in our case it was very quiet and well isolated. There is no view or wow effect but it's great location and isolated.
GuideHad a lovely evening here. Camp sites are clean and free of garbage. Spread out nicely to avoid any noisy neighbors. Beautiful way to start a cross country road trip.
Scout
This road follows power lines pretty much for the entire length of the road. It would be a really nice area to disperse if they weren't there as the area is beautiful. That said, you don't need 4x4 but you definitely will need a vehicle with some decent clearance. There are some weirdly purposefully placed speed bumps? on the west end of the road approaching 4N01 and Spring Gap Rd that will let you know if you have enough clearance pretty quickly. Overall not a super terrible road to disperse off of. There are a lot more and a lot better spots nearby and it's not too far from Beardsley Lake which can get pretty busy.
TravelerThis is a very back in the woods setting. We didn’t stay here because when we got out of the car for a bathroom trip, a coyote was 20 feet from the car. Needless to say I almost peed myself 🤣. We went to a different site. This one is super secluded and no one else was there at all when we were there.
GuideUpdate 5/16: they removed the porta potties and its packed! Spots are few and far between in the lot. We ended up in paved lot due to a tree being down and blocking any access to the dispersed woods camping. They did clear it which was good because it has even very busy here with the NP closing 2 campgrounds. The spot is beautiful and super close to south entrance of the park (like 5 mins). There are trash and porta potties at thus location. Help clean up trash from snow play users so this site stays open.
Guide
Booked a last minute permit for the Pohono trail on a recent trip and had Dewey Point as one of my camp sites! Beautiful views of el cap and the valley made for an iconic back country spot !
TravelerGreat location, close to Yosemite Park which allows you to sleep for free. the spot was clean, impressive camper vans were present and they were parked on the tarmac. lots of pitches, vans can be placed under the trees with the tents.
TravelerNice quiet place to camp next to Yosemite. Pretty bare bones just a trash can and port a potties but it’s free :) note that somewhere to the east of the trash can there must be a wasp nest as I woke up to quite a few around my tent but they didn’t seem too aggressive
TravelerGood spots, found one to fit our trailer. People kept parking at the entrance of the dirt path.
TravelerLots 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. The lead to get in wasn’t bad, and we got there after dark.
ScoutThis is not public camping area. Someone's driveway. Beware!!!
TravelerIt’s Memorial weekend and the weather is in the 70s, sun is shining through the forest trees, the birds are singing and this site is a perfect base camp for my day trips to hike in Yosemite.
Here is the correct location. You can take a dirt road from this parking lot in order to camp in the woods.
Dropped pin https://goo.gl/maps/2gskCbuY8XRMD82x5
Travelersuper accessible spot right by the entrance (10 min drive max) to yosemite np !! not sure why some of these reviews are complicated lol but just go up mount raymond road like the directions tell you to then once you get to the end i just went to the turn out on the right ! super lowkey, fire pits, and beautiful scenery 🌱
TravelerDidn’t pull in until 9pm ish. But when I can in there was two ways you could have gone. To the left which was a parking lot possibly with sites(could not see) or to the right, which was a very large cleared space. I saw the remains of a few fires so I assumed I was in the right spot. Not a whole lot of trees from what I could tell. Also only about 1/4 mile from the main road that you come up on.
GuideLocated at the end of Mt Raymond Road at the Goat Meadow Trailhead & Snow Play. Plenty of spaces available, including a parking lot. I hate to admit it's suitable for big rigs because these generators are driving me nuts. I had to ask someone at 10pm to please turn it off because it was so loud, so if you have a generator, please be considerate of the others around you, especially at night time.
GuideThe site is right outside Yosemite National park. It is perfect for car camping as it is a large parking lot. There is a dumpster and it’s fantastic for viewing the stars.
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Mariposa, California, where nature lovers can find serene spots away from the crowds. With stunning landscapes and easy access to Yosemite National Park, these locations offer a perfect escape for outdoor enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Mariposa, CA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Mariposa, CA is Goat Meadow - Dispersed Camp Site with a 4.4-star rating from 29 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Mariposa, CA?
TheDyrt.com has all 11 dispersed camping locations near Mariposa, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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