Yosemite Camping

Missed the deadline for getting a campground in Yosemite late June, currently looking for some beta where best to camp outside of the park.

If you were willing to pay for a reservable campsite inside the park boundary, then I'm guessing you're willing to pay for Camp 4? Just get in line before dawn any Monday-Thursday

Check recreation.gov as often as possible as sites often open up when people cancel. If you aren't goijng til June, you should be able to get a site at any one of the three reservable campsites in the Valley.

FrankPS wrote:

Check recreation.gov as often as possible as sites often open up when people cancel. If you aren't goijng til June, you should be able to get a site at any one of the three reservable campsites in the Valley.

It really depends on how many consecutive nights the OP needs. I wouldn't count on this for other than a Tuesday here and a Thursday there. Look at the few reservations available for this weekend and next week. Right now all sites are booked for all of June.

Try Summerdale campground, national Forest on hwy 41. It's often far less booked

There are a few National Forest campgrounds outside the park, in Stanislaus NF on the west side ( fs.usda.gov/activity/stanis…), and Inyo NF ( fs.usda.gov/activity/inyo/r…) on the east side. Plenty of dispersed camping opportunities in both of them as well.

Marc801 C wrote:

It really depends on how many consecutive nights the OP needs. I wouldn't count on this for other than a Tuesday here and a Thursday there. Look at the few reservations available for this weekend and next week. Right now all sites are booked for all of June.

Well, I've been able to score two or three nights in a row, at different campgrounds each night, using this method. For me, that was better than driving outside the park. It takes some diligence to line up a few nights in a row, but it can be done. And in the next 2-3 months until June, some sites are bound to open up.

There's always the option for camping right at one of the pullouts along the road leading into the park (el portal side). Unless there's a sign that says otherwise, I remember I saw a couple of them. One or two maybe. It does get pretty noisy in the morning with all the cars/ tourists driving by. Once some asshole layed on their horn as they drove by at like 5 in the morning. Pissed all of us off. So Idk if this is going to be your best bet but it's defiantly a solid back up plan. 

Kujawski wrote:

 Once some asshole layed on their horn as they drove by at like 5 in the morning. Pissed all of us off.. 

pretty common actually with road bivies in the sierra, pretty much every night on that road, and often on other roads in the mountains. Angry people drive by at 5 am I suppose

Kujawski wrote:Once some asshole layed on their horn as they drove by at like 5 in the morning. Pissed all of us off. 

Why the horn? Coyote in the road? Or maybe a deer? 

Chad N wrote:

Why the horn? Coyote in the road? Or maybe a deer? 

no, its a common occurrence, there are people that really hate dirtbaggers (I'm not sure why) and use the anonymous driveby horn to express themselves

rafael wrote:

no, its a common occurrence, there are people that really hate dirtbaggers (I'm not sure why) and use the anonymous driveby horn to express themselves

Oh ok got it. I’ll remember that one.

There is free camping just outside the park. Hwy 41 south to fish camp. Jackson rd. Go past the horse stables find a place to park. 

rafael wrote:

no, its a common occurrence, there are people that really hate dirtbaggers (I'm not sure why) and use the anonymous driveby horn to express themselves

They’re probably people who used to bivy at that spot or they checked the online reservations hourly every day for a year but now none of that shit works anymore bc people love to brag on MP

mediocre wrote:

They’re probably people who used to bivy at that spot or they checked the online reservations hourly every day for a year but now none of that shit works anymore bc people love to brag on MP

maybe them too. But it also happens on other roads in the sierra where there are available campgrounds

I can't remember the last time I slept outside the park and wasn't honked at... It's been a very regular and expected occurrence around 5-6am for the last several years....