Looking for tent camping near Yosemite National Park? Find the best tent camping sites near Yosemite National Park. Would you prefer a quiet dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities? Either way, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
The Housekeeping Camp in Yosemite sits on the floor of the Yosemite Valley. Located on Southside Drive, this campground offers tent sites and glamping tents. Picnic tables, fire pits, and an extensive camp store.
Regulations governing campfires can change with weather conditions and the seasons. To protect yourself and the forest, before each visit, check with the Forest Service office nearest to your destination for current restrictions.
You can help protect the National Forests from wildfires by knowing and following the rules for the safe use of fire. You must have a California Campfire Permit to use a stove or lantern outside a Developed Recreation Area such as a campground. The permit is your agreement to follow restrictions and regulations in effect.
Your California Campfire Permit is valid until the end of the calendar year; it may be used in any National Forest in California.
Go to any Forest Service, CALFIRE, or Bureau of Land Management office during business hours and a receptionist will issue you a permit. You may also go to this website to get a campfire permit online (please note you will need a printer to print it off).
Campfires - Campfires when permitted, you need to follow five conditions:
Campfire Permits are required. Clear all flammable material away from the fire for a minimum of five feet in all directions to prevent escape of the fire. Have a shovel available at the campfire site for preparing and extinguishing campfires. Have a responsible person in attendance at all times. Extinguish campfire with water, using the drown, stir and feel method. Take Responsibility... It is your responsibility to know the current conditions and restrictions for the area you intend to visit.
Details here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/inyo/recreation/ohv/?cid=stelprdb5362150
Located deep in the rugged Yosemite National Park backcountry, Vogelsang is one of the park’s acclaimed High Sierra Camps (HSC). One of five high country camp areas, Vogelsang is the highest, situated at an elevation of 10,130 feet, near the head of Rafferty Creek, and at the base of 11,410-foot Fletcher Peak. The only way to get there is by hiking a fairly rugged 7.5-mile trail from Tioga Road (Hwy 120), in the Tuolumne Meadows area, up and over 9,992-foot Tuolumne Pass. The trail begins with a comfortable stroll along the picturesque Lyell Fork Tuolumne River, before climbing steadily south into lodgepole pine forest alongside tumbling Rafferty Creek, and finally emerging into sprawling alpine meadows surrounded by skyscraping granite spires.
The HSC at Vogelsang consists of 12 tent cabins that can accommodate a maximum of 42 guests. Cabins are equipped with bunks, but campers must provide their own linens or sleeping bags. Camp guests are also treated to family-style breakfast and dinner by the camp host and chef. A vault toilet is available near the camp area. Getting to stay in one of Vogelsang’s coveted cabins requires entering the annual HSC lottery, which typically takes place the winter before the summer hiking season. Due to high demand, the limited number of spaces, and the short accessibility season (often only 2–3 months), camps sell out quickly. If you don’t get a cabin space, you can choose to tent camp nearby (backcountry permit required). This is primitive wilderness camping, so you should follow Leave No Trace guidelines. You can still opt to purchase just a meal at the camp so you don’t have to cook. HSC cabin rates are $152–$159/person/night; meals only are $80/person/night; kids rates are available.
The Vogelsang HSC is the perfect basecamp for exploring one of the most spectacular regions of the Yosemite high country. Right near the camp, you can visit nearby Boothe Lake, take a chilly dip in Fletcher Lake, or make a short hike to Vogelsang Lake, which rests in a rocky basin between Fletcher Peak and 11,493-foot Vogelsang Peak. Wander a little farther through Vogelsang Pass for stunning views over Lewis Creek Canyon and 12,561-foot Mount Florence. For an extended trip, you can continue another 8 miles southwest to Merced Lake HSC, one of the larger, and more remote camps on the High Sierra Loop. For a stunning change of scenery on your hike out from Vogelsang, hike east through the Evelyn Lake meadows—with an optional 3-mile round trip to Ireland Lake—then drop down into the wide Lyell Canyon and finish with a leisurely, view-packed stroll north alongside the river.
Situated in the remote, southeast region of Yosemite National Park, and resting beneath 10,440-foot Quartzite Peak, Merced Lake High Sierra Camp is the largest, oldest, and most isolated, of Yosemite’s High Sierra Camps (HSC). Established in 1916, the camp is located on eastern side of the lake, near where the Merced River tumbles down a rocky chute. At the base of the chute is a wide pool popularly used as a summer swimming hole. Due to its lower elevation than many of the other HSCs, Merced Lake is usually accessible a little earlier and later each hiking season. There are three primary hiking routes used to reach Merced Lake. All are long and strenuous, and are commonly used as part of the HSC Loop, or other longer-distance treks. Here are the options:
Yosemite Valley: 12.3 miles • 4,080 feet elevation gain Start at Happy Isles and climb the Mist Trail past Vernal and Nevada Falls. Follow the Merced River to Echo Valley and ascend to Merced Lake.
Cathedral Lakes: 15.3 miles • 2,140 feet elevation gain Start in west Tuolumne Meadows and head south on the JMT over Cathedral Pass toward Sunrise. Follow Echo Creek to Echo Valley, then up to Merced Lake.
Vogelsang: 14.3 miles • 1,720 feet elevation gain Start in east Tuolumne Meadows and up Rafferty Creek south over Tuolumne Pass. Follow Fletcher Creek down past Emeric and Babcock Lakes to Merced Lake.
The Merced Lake HSC offers 18 tent cabins that can accommodate up to 60 guests. Cabins are equipped with bunks, but campers must provide their own linens or sleeping bags. Family-style breakfasts and dinners are provided for all cabin guests. There is also flush toilet facilities—a real novelty in the backcountry—in addition to showers and laundry basins. Scoring an overnight stay in one of Merced Lake’s cabins requires entering the annual HSC lottery, which takes place the winter before the next summer hiking season. Due to high demand, and limited space, camps sell out quickly. If you don’t get a cabin space, you can tent camp nearby with a valid backcountry permit. This is primitive wilderness camping, so you should follow Leave No Trace guidelines. You can still opt to purchase meals at the camp if you want to lighten your backpack load. HSC cabin rates are $159/person/night; meals only are $80/person/night; kids rates are available.
Because of its more remote and tranquil setting, and warmer climes due to its lower elevation, visitors to Merced Lake HSC are apt to stay and relax a little longer. The lake is just a short walk from the camp for plenty of sunning, swimming and fishing opportunities, and Washburn and Babcock lakes are each just a few miles away for day-hikeable outings. Those in search of real wilderness solitude can continue into even more remote parts of Yosemite by venturing on to destinations such as Red Peak or the Isberg Lakes.
Scout
We tent camped on the river here and really enjoyed our stay. We floated on the river in tubes, visited Nearby Rainbow Pools, went into Yosemite Valley a couple of days, the park is about 5-10 mins from the entrance to Yosemite but we didn’t mind we enjoyed the drive into the valley and used it as an opportunity to spot wildlife. We had two young kids (6 &8) and the campground restrooms and showers were perfect after a long day hiking, they were well maintained, good water pressure. These restrooms were located at the ponderosa tent sites, we had some family also camping in RVS along the river and I can’t speak for those restrooms. No cell service & WiFi is unlikely to work so prepare to be unplugged..they do give you printed directions to the closest area to get a signal depending on your carrier. The staff was very friendly and helpful! We will definitely be back one day. Side note: we came during COVID so reservations to Yosemite National park were required, therefore the park and surrounding campgrounds were not as packed as they normally would be. (This was heavenly).
GuideWe were tent camping and were nervous about not having a reservation around Yosemite so we reserved a site here for a tent site by the river. The price was high but were willing to pay for a confirmed place to stay during June 2021. When we got there they were under major construction and told us the area by the river was closed. They put us in the area on the hill. The sites were small and full of dirt. We got more dirty there than several of the more remote places we stayed before and after our stay there. The campground was decent though, and everyone we spoke with was nice. Three stars was value for the price. We found several first-come first served campgrounds around there for much less (of course they only had vault toilets).
Legend
So if you didn't know, to camp inside Yosemite National Park, you must book your reservation a year in advance or take a chance on trying to get one of the first come first serve sites. The problem is your only a few hours from Sacramento and 4 or 5 hours from LA, so the locals have an advantage on getting the first come first serve sites. I live in Iowa, and if you are like me, planning a trip a year in advance, with kids school schedules and activities, and to travel 1,700 miles to Yosemite National Park is impossible. So a good alternative is booking the Mariposa KOA about thirty miles from the Arch Rock entrance to Yosemite National Park. If you don't want to drive into the park there is even a bus that passes the entrance to the campground. It costs about the same as a Motel 6, but it is clean and has a lot of amenities including a pool, fudge shop, and an ice cream shop. It has tent sites and RV sites, and they are separated so if you are tenting you don't have to stare at camper trailers and RVs. I give it a four out of five because you still have to drive thirty miles to get to the park and the shower house isn't very large so you generally have to wait in a twenty minute line to take a shower. Bottomline, if you are traveling from a long distance I highly recommend Mariposa KOA to visit Yosemite National Park.
TravelerThis Campground is 5 miles from West gate entrance to "Yosemite National Park". Only 35 miles west of " Lake Don Pedro, take out your boat, go jet skiing or fishing. Don't forget to go to " Moaning Cavern!" Tuolumne River runs through campground. There are 254 Full Hookups, 130 Tent sites, Hostel, Cabin & Yurts. They have WiFi, Satellite TV,Clubhouse, Billiard's, Game room, Shuffleboard, Store, Hiking Trails,Nature, Playground, Mini Golf, Tennis, Picnic/BBQ,Volleyball, Basketball & in the Summer-Bus runs to Yosemite, for an additional fee. Summer Swimming,Seasonal Fishing,Wheelchair Accessible, Restroom/Shower Facilities & Laundry. Yosemite Lakes Resort 31191 Hardin Flat Rd. Groveland,CA 95321 Reservations Member- 1-800-368-7788 Non-Member 1-888-481-6348 Welcome Center (209)962-0103 Rental Check In- 4PM Rental Check Out - 11AM Front Desk- Sun-Sat 8AM-8PM
Guide
Great location right in the valley. Amenities were nice (showers, laundry, food). The three-sided cinder block enclosure was a bit rustic and dirty. Would have felt cleaner actually camping in a tent where you can control what comes in and out of your personal space. Hiked several days in the park and took in sunset from Glacier Point (while doing the 4 mile hike earlier in the day from the valley floor up to the point). Beautiful!
Traveler
Our group stayed in a tent campsite for one night in August 2016. This was our first campsite for a 2 week national parks road trip.
My biggest gripe with this campground is that it is not stated anywhere on their site that you cannot park your car in your campsite. At least for us, we had to park down a hill and walk up to our site. We spent our entire evening and the next morning walking back and forth, back and forth, back and forth anytime we needed something from the car. Having the car in the site is so so much better and all the other campgrounds we stayed at were set up that way.
Additionally, the entire campground was incredibly dusty, more so than any other campground we stayed at during our trip. The bathrooms/showers were not very well maintained (quite dirty and dusty) although the stalls did all have toilet paper. It was also quite a walk from our tent site which was located in the back part of the campgrounds.
Staff were generally helpful and they have everything you'd need in their office/general store (ice, firewood, snacks, etc).
Overall, we were happy to have found a campground nearish Yosemite at the last min since most things book up really quickly inside the park, but I'm happy we didn't stay here more than one night.
Guide
I really enjoyed tent camping here. I’m not a fan of the trailer camping because it’s all cement and everyone is close together, but it’s doable if need be. When tent camping, you’re under beautiful trees which I love!
Guide
We had a nice open camping spot. It was at the edge of Yosemite Valley. The only downside to the spot was everyone else had a RV and had there generators on at 6am. We are not RV people so we don’t know why they need to run them. Next time we will camp in a tent only area. This area had no showers.
Traveler
The place is in great location. The bathrooms are clean which is a great plus. There is a nice river (Fresno River). One thing I have to add is that many of the campsites along the water trailer and especially tent sites are very bunched up. There is not any room between campsites. The tent sites have are honestly 20x20 I would say. Therefore, there is no privacy. I understand from a business perspective the concept but to make it more appealing campsite I would suggest changing the layout and cutting the tent sites into half so that each campsite has more room.
Ranger
This was our first time to Millerton Lake / Meadows Campground. We feel like we have the campground almost to ourselves for ourselves given that it's January. We imagine it's crowded in summer months. The campground is very lovely and well maintained. Most sites overlook the lake. Non-electric sites are separate from electric ones, which keeps down noise for those like us who still camp in a tent. Coin operated showers available.
Ranger
Got one of the furthest sites tent camping. Could see all the stars. They also provide bear boxes for each site.
Guide
This is our go to place for our yearly camp out . It has a spot for everyone from tent camping to cabins.
Traveler
There is no space between tent sites and no dividing trees or bushes. Bathroom and showers are clean.
Guide
This is a beautiful campground. At the end of the road. Parking is along a ridge, and tent camping is down the hill. RV camping has no hookups, but plenty of space.
GuideBeautiful tent camping above the Yosemite valley. Close enough to drive into the valley but far enough to not be surrounded by people at all times. Make sure to bring hammocks! Great trees to lounge in!
Guide
4x4 or high clearance coming in. Long dirt road with dips and rocks. Water only flowing in winter months. Lots of tent camping spots along with 8 back in spots. Really amazing views 360 degrees. No service with Verizon.
Scout
Tons of Gold Rush history here, nice rv glamping featuring showers and a boat launch at first camp, more primitive tent camping up the road at second camp (my fave). I've been camping here for years, it's my favorite in the world!
Ranger
It's free but donations are welcome. It's more for boondocking your trailer or RV. Spots are huge. Great for motorcycle/snowmobile. I was the only person in a tent. Not great if you're looking for tent camping atmosphere. But close to Mammoth and June Lake Loop. Had a bear visitor. Better for RV camping.
Scout
It's a nice campsite. A bit of trash scattered around the tent spots. Excellente toilets and showers, but not so great out of hours check-in. Also 70+USD for a tent site with no hookup in November is a rip-off.
Traveler
Clean Campground and site. 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.
TravelerGreat option if your looking for full rv hookups. If you’re tent camping, this might not be the best place. Bathrooms were very unclean but the park gets the job done as a place to sleep while visiting Yosemite. No Verizon or T-Mobile coverage. Wifi available for purchase.
Scout
Tent camping and some RV sites available. Went at the very end of the season so cold at night but beautiful during the day! Various homes nearby. Lake was beautiful and the leaves were changing in time for winter. Very clean. Flushable toilets and running water. Walking distance from town.
Traveler
Very close to park entrance. Tent sites are small and gravel. However the hosts are friendly, there are showers, clean bathrooms, good wifi, and you can use the resort pool. Great place to relax after a long day of hiking in Yosemite.
ScoutBeen camping here for years, very nice and really clean. Nice family owned rv park and tent camping. Make sure if you come since it’s right next to the mountains be prepared for wind and rain, but usually passes pretty quick. About a two hour drive into Yosemite valley and only like 20 mins from Yosemite east entrance.
GuideCampground is setup in a loop. Pay at the post upon entry - fill out the reservation envelope and put your nightly fee into the envelope.
There are spots for tent camping and even or truck spots with a larger parking space.
This is a seasonal campground and will be closed during the winter months.
Legend
Love this campground because of it’s close proximity to the Stanislaus River. There are 28 first come first serve RV and Tent sites. There are interesting granite rock formations in and around the campground. Potable water, fire rings, picnic tables and garbage receptacles round out the amenities.
Guide
Visited in Fall, beautiful time, All the trees were changing, it was beautiful. The campground was nice, the spaces were separated, we tent camped. Store a few minute walk down the road, along with place to rent boats for the lake. Very calm and peaceful area. Because of the beauty and seclusion, wonderful time. one of the best campgrounds/locations I've ever been to.
Tent camping near Yosemite National Park offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in nature while enjoying stunning views and a variety of outdoor activities. With several campgrounds to choose from, you'll find the perfect spot to set up your tent and explore the beauty of the Sierra Nevada.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Yosemite National Park?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Yosemite National Park is Housekeeping Camp — Yosemite National Park with a 4.8-star rating from 8 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Yosemite National Park?
TheDyrt.com has all 83 tent camping locations near Yosemite National Park, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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