Camping near Stanislaus National Forest

The staff here gets the first shout out. Lana Banana and Mary at the front create a real pleasant atmosphere as you roll in. I camped here twice already this year and once a while back. The rest of the staff (shout out Martin) and the rangers who advise on bears like Cinnamon* are all great.

Pros:

• Camp store has some basics like ice, firewood, and s'mores stuff.
• The sites have bear boxes and even though they are very close to each other with little separation, they are big sites with lots of tall trees.
• Flush bathrooms and showers dispersed throughout camp.
• Hiking trails right out of camp.
• Rushing river to the west.
• You can walk or ride a bike across the street to Lake Tahoe, but you are separated from the chaos of the lake, and a bit more insulated from the storms.
• The lake (see below).
• Cell service is unlikely.
• Sites have nice bear boxes, are very well maintained by the hosts (multiple hosts per loop), newer firepits that aren't too tall, and picnic tables.
• Plenty of ground wood to collect to help with the campfire. Make sure you have a a CA fire permit. Takes 4m online and is free.

Cons:

• You really need to pay attention to your food. Bears are not just possible here, they are likely.
• It is hard to get a site. Be ready. Set alerts.
• Traffic getting in and out can be a bit of a pain in the busy season.
• Even in the summer it can snow...BE WEATHER AWARE.
• The store doesn't sell propane.

The lake, oh my, maybe the most beautiful lake in the entire Tahoe region. It isn't as big, but it is flat like glass, deep, and crystal clear. It is cold as an icicle–colder. Cold as a frozen heifers nose. That's probably a saying somewhere. Either way, bring a hammock. Bring a paddleboard (which will get checked for invasives), and bring yourself ready to relax.

Great hiking. Chill vibes. I can't recommend this spot enough. Compared to the parking lot style campgrounds or resorts throughout Tahoe-region, this is really camping and the rates are low comparatively, though not low, actually. $48/night. There are a few yurts if you go for that sort of thing.

I love Upper Pines so much. Yes, the sites are small, noisy, and close together, but if you lean in to that, you're bound to make some friends. Upper Pines is one of the few campgrounds where a large portion of campers really like to hang out at their sites the whole time they're here. They don't necessarily come here to hike or climb-- they just want to be in the valley together. Large groups reserving multiple sites is common, unfortunately these sites tend to draw the most bears due to having large food caches. Like all other campgrounds in Yosemite, food and all other scented items must be stored in the bear locker at all times. Each site gets its own locker. RVs are allowed but there are no hookups. Generators are allowed certain hours, check with camp host. Dump station is located at the entrance. Upper Pines is only a five minute walk from curry Village or the Ahwahnee. Yosemite Village is across the valley about 1.5 miles away. The creek that runs by Upper Pines is very popular for swimming and rafting. You can bring dogs to Upper Pines but they must be on a leash and cannot enter fresh water and, to answer the weirdest question I've ever been asked as a volunteer: No, you cannot leave your dog locked in your Tesla overnight on dog mode (wtf?) Bathrooms can get messy but they get power washed by maintenance usually once or twice a day although I'm not sure how recent staff cuts have affected that. Rangers and/ or camp hosts are available at the kiosk from about 9-5, camp hosts usually do a night rove too and there is an after hours number you can call for a ranger after 10pm. Fires are allowed from 5-10pm, wood must be purchased in the park to help control the spread of invasive species.

If you call yourself a climber or hiker trash, you're required to stay at Camp 4. Camp 4 is probably the most famous and iconic campground in Yosemite Valley. It's notorious for having a loud party culture, although that has been settling down since the park brought back Camp Hosts to Camp 4 in 2024 after not having any for many years. Several sites at this campground are permanently dedicated to volunteers such as camp hosts, bear rangers, and med students, which is why some of the tents look big enough to live in for extended periods of time. There are a lot of rules at Camp 4 and they are very heavily enforced. Camp hosts and rangers rove this campground several times a day leaving dozens of brightly colored warnings in their wake. The biggest rule is that all food and scented items that aren't within arms reach must be stored in the bear locker. Hammocks can't be hung from black oak trees, and fires are only allowed from 5pm to 10pm (they are very strict on this). Firewood must be purchased within the park to prevent the spread of invasive species. Camp 4 is shared which means that each camp site has six spots which sell for $10/ night each. You can't get a discount with a pass on group sites although you can still get free entry to the park. If you're with a group, try to book under the same reservation so that you are assigned to the same site. Otherwise, if you ask the rangers in the kiosk or at the Curry Village Campground Ranger Station at least 24 hours ahead of time, they will do everything they can to work it out for you. Showers are available for free but are often closed down due to vandalism, in which case the nearest showers are unfortunately across the valley in curry Village. Camp 4 is literally in the middle of the trail to upper Yosemite Falls so the view of Yosemite Falls is better than in any other campground. This is a great place to stay if you want to network and meet other hikers and climbers but is a terrible place to stay if you want a decent night's sleep. The parking lot is very strict and hard to get a space but there is a huge free parking lot right across the street where you could leave your car for a whole week without getting a ticket.