Best Campgrounds in California

First of all, this campground is so beautiful, and has so much potential to be a great place to stay. Or, if you love chaos, public intoxication, public displays of domestic violence, riffraff, and grumpy rangers, then maybe it already is a great place to stay. The last night I stayed here happened to be the last night that I was unhoused before I moved to Yosemite for a seasonal job, and I had the creepiest experience of all time. But first let me explain the campground. It's divided into two main parts. The six sites near the river stay open year round. These are the worst sites. They're tiny, stacked on top of each other, are right next to the highway, and offer zero shade. In my opinion, this whole area would be better off turned into two group sites. The better section of the campground are the back twelve sites which are only open from April to October. Snagging one of these creekside sites during the off season would be ideal. All of the campsites are within 100 yards of the North Fork American River. One of my favorite hiking trails of all time, Stevens Trail in Colfax, is just a few miles away. This is a moderately difficult hike 4 miles down to the river and then back up with fantastic views, waterfalls, and wildflowers. There is also a waterfall across the street from the Mineral Bar campground behind the boat launch. Bears are common in this area and I've personally seen a few crossing the road on my way to and from the campground. There are bear lockers provided for food and scented items. There are four vault toilets which are power washed daily. There is only space for one car per site but there is extra parking across the road. There are lots of hiking, mountain biking, fishing, and off road vehicle sites nearby. Your overnight camping fee includes day use at any CA state park the next day. The downside to camping here is that the clientele are some of the wildest riffraff of all time. This has been one of the quietest but also the noisest place I've ever camped. Last time I was here I kept hearing a pipe clinking right outside my tent at 3am. I was the only one there besides a huge family 5 sites away. I heard someone walk away, back a car up next to my site, walk back to my site, and start smoking again. It freaked me out so much I ended up blinding him with my flashlight while bolting to my car. I slept at a friend's house in Folsom and came back for my things the next day. So there are some weirdos around here for sure but the environment is very pretty.

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.

To be real, if you're unhoused but well-behaved with an income, this might be a much better option than Beals Point. Peninsula is about 45 minutes to an hour from Folsom depending on traffic. You have to drive down a long windy narrow road to get here, which is the worst part, so it's best to come prepared to stay put for as long as possible once you're here. There is plenty to do since you can go swimming in the lake most months (except early Spring), and there is an 8 mile hiking trail (Darrington) that ends at the campground. Darrington is mountain bike accessible but nowhere near road bike accessible. A shorter accessible trail (Oaks Nature Trail) is entirely contained within the campground and takes you through some great examples and educational signs regarding the riparian ecosystem. Wildlife is off the chain here. As others have said, if you don't love being surrounded by wild animals, this will probably be a bit much for you. Bears have been seen on occasion, cougars, Bobcats, and coyotes all stop by from time to time, and there are so many skunks it can get annoying. One night I was woken up by a deer walking right into my tent which scared the crap out of us both. On the flip side I've seen some of the most beautiful emerald and sapphire colored lizards. They breed here in late spring. It's kind of hilarious to watch the males do push-ups then chase the females down like 80 times in a row. Some of the females fight back and make it a lizard wrestling match. Owls, eagles, salmon, beavers... if it lives in this area, there's a good chance you'll see it here. The boat noise can be annoying on busy days but is not so bad from the higher up sites, which tend to have more amenities due to being further from the lake. The camp hosts here are some of the best I've encountered. Since this campground is so huge there are usually sites available first come first serve, if you come in late at night you can self register at the kiosk. Others are correct that there isn't much shade and the sites aren't very flat. I got around the latter problem by folding a sleeping bag under one side of my sleeping pad to keep that side elevated. Overall one of the best places to Camp near Folsom lake.

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.

North Pines is the busiest traditional campground in Yosemite Valley. Aside from Curry Village, Housekeeping Camp, or Camp 4, this is the loudest place you can stay. The historic NPS stables which were converted to concessionaire housing are directly behind North Pines. Employees have a tradition of doing something called a Huff Call, which is basically howling like a coyote in the middle of the night, but more annoying. You have to drive through North Pines to get to Backpacker's Camp, which creates a lot of additional traffic through the campground. That being said, the creek under the bridge to Backpacker's Camp is a great less busy spot to have a swim under Half Dome and the Royal Arches. North Pines and Upper Pines accommodate most of the RVs in the park, and even though there are rules around generator hours, people tend to break these rules when they get hot or cold. Bear activity is high at this campground, and there is usually a poster at the kiosk relaying recent breakins. The kiosk also usually posts the weather, the late arrivals, and other relevant notices. It's hard to get reservations here but a lot of people do cancel at the last minute. Curry Village is just a 5 minute walk away while Yosemite Village is across the valley. This campground has amazing views of Half Dome and the Royal Arches Cascades. Several sites at this campground are permanently reserved for park volunteers including Camp hosts, desk officers, and scientists. Great place to Camp if you don't mind noise and a lot of activity.

Lower Pines is my favorite campground in Yosemite Valley, and I've stayed in them all. Out of the three Pines campgrounds, this is the smallest and quietest. When we recently stayed here fees were $36/night, but you can get half off that with a pass. This campground is right near the creek which people float down in late spring and early summer. Curry Village is a five minute walk away, while Yosemite Village is a ten minute shuttle ride away (not including the wait for the shuttle), or about a 1.5 mile walk. Showers and wifi are available in Curry Village. There are a lot of rules here compared to other campgrounds. The main one is food storage, we've seen some rangers go berserk on some people who refused to keep their sites clean. Bear sightings in this campground are very common. The kiosk had a poster showing some of the bear breakins that have happened this year. The camp hosts were great and answered all of our questions about getting around the valley. Like I said this is one of my favorites and I would definitely stay again. The reason for 4 stars is the sites are so close together and there can be a lot of noise at night.