Upper Pines Campground

The cream of the crop campground in Yosemite for your traditional family/ traveler camper. In near the curry village with has lots of food and gear . So pretty much you really don’t need to bring food if you don’t want to. The also have a market nearby that has even more food. Great clean safe campground. GLAMPING at its finest !! P.s. the spots are very small, I’d suggest the ones near the back in a corner for more room .

Amazing campground in Yosemite National Park Positive Super nice atmosphere Enough restrooms Food lockers against bears In total 3 generator time slots a day and dumping station available Nice fire place Negative Really nothing you just have to wash your dishes at your place for bear safety

My friends and I stayed here and it was awesome! One of the most beautiful camp sites I’ve stayed at. Since we camped in December it was super cold but it was worth it. Smaller crowds and great views of the valley in the winter.

I recently stayed at Upper Pines Campground in Yosemite, and it was an unforgettable experience! The location is unbeatable—right in the heart of Yosemite Valley, surrounded by towering pines and stunning views of Half Dome and El Capitan. It’s the perfect base for exploring all that Yosemite has to offer. The campground itself is well-maintained and clean. Despite being a popular spot, it felt peaceful and connected to nature. Our campsite was spacious, with plenty of room for our tent and gear, and the fire pit was perfect for evening campfires. The restrooms were clean, and the nearby access to water made it convenient for filling up bottles and washing up. We also appreciated the bear-proof food storage boxes at each site, which added peace of mind. If you’re planning to hike or explore Yosemite, Upper Pines is super convenient. Many of the valley’s best trails are just a short walk or shuttle ride away, making it easy to enjoy early morning hikes without a long commute. Overall, Upper Pines Campground exceeded my expectations. It’s a perfect blend of comfort and immersion in Yosemite’s breathtaking natural beauty. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a true Yosemite adventure!

we had a great time camping. bathrooms were clean with toilet paper. drinking fountains available too.

We came here late but we were able to get to our reserved spot. Toilet areas were clean but basic. Water is only cold. The water bottle refill station didn't work (it was winter time, maybe due to that). The location was great. You can walk a few trails from here.

We had stayed in The Ahwahnee, but wanted to spend at least one day/night in this campground. The sites are a nice size. You don't feel cramped in like sardines even if the campground is full. Bear boxes are available on each site. Grab some firewood from the nearby market in Curry Village or in Yosemite Village if you happen to be there. Clean bathrooms at the campground. Sitting there next to the campfire at night stargazing through the trees is one those peaceful, fulfilling experiences to have. It was just beautiful. The people out here followed the quiet time protocol for the most part. Only heard a few laughs after 10pm. Not a big deal. We also heard what we think were coyotes. No complaints, but something I want to point out. We showed up around 4:30pm and the camp hosts were giving instructions to the people ahead of us because the hosts were walking back to their RV. So if you show up "late", you sign in on the clipboard, look up your site# on the whiteboard, and go to your site. You're also supposed to check in by 10:00am the next morning or you're threatened to lose your site. Not sure why you have to check in again if you've already signed in. Seems like a waste of time. We didn't bother checking in the next morning because we were there for one night, so we left.

One of the best camp site. The fire place is amazing with the adjustable grill. Toilet is clean. Stores and diner is walking distance with everything you need for your camping. Campground is spacious for both your tent and your car. Great spot for star gazing as well

This immensely popular campground re-opened this camping season after being closed to visitors since 2019 due to COVID and flood damage. It is the largest of the valley campgrounds and ideal because of its central location. Lucky campers who successfully reserve a site at this campground will be mesmerized by the views of the iconic landmarks like Half Dome and El Capitan surrounding them. In the wee hours of early morning when most campers are sleeping or the late evening hours as they turn into their tents or RVs, you will wake up or fall asleep to the tranquil gurgling rush of the Merced River which encompasses the campground. Taking a dip in the river is a great way to cool off during the summer months Upper Pines is the home base for many of the highlights of Yosemite Valley. It is close to the start of the Mist Trail, Glacier Point, the hike leading to the top of Half Dome, and a short walking distance to Curry Village, which has shops, groceries, dining, on-site bike rentals, and an overflow parking section for additional vehicles. Free East Valley shuttle busses serve stops to Yosemite Valley, Pines campgrounds, and Curry Village. Upper Pines has many amenities, convenient accessibilities, and breathtaking views of the valley landmarks. It is the busiest, crowdest campground among all national parks. So plan on getting an early start to beat the crowds on the hikes. For those seeking solitude, it may not be an ideal choice.

I recently stayed at Upper Pines, and loved it (obviously). At this point, I've stayed in most of the campgrounds in Yosemite Valley, and I feel like they all have certain pros and cons. There is no one campground that's best overall. It really depends on what your needs are. In my opinion, Upper Pines is best for families (or groups of three or more) who are bringing an RV. There are a lot of RVs in Upper Pines, and if you're the one person in a tent (like I was) then you're definitely going to notice--especially in late winter or early spring, when there is still snow on the ground. It just feels weird to be the only one staking out your tent in the snow. The other reason why I think Upper Pines is best for RVs is because, all of the news articles I can find regarding tree deaths in Yosemite seem to have occurred in Upper Pines. And, you're safer from falling trees in an RV than in a tent, right? I'm just saying. Upper Pines currently costs $36/space/night. So, if you have four or more people, it's cheaper to get your own space here than to share a space at Camp 4. The bathrooms at Upper Pines are not terrible, but they do get pretty dirty as the day goes on, especially when it's wet outside. There are no showers or electrical outlets at Upper Pines, but these can be found (for a fee) nearby at Curry Village or Housekeeping Camp. The volunteer rangers who work at Upper Pines were super cool. They managed to enforce most of the rules while still being really polite. (I say most of the rules because I noticed that the smoking rules are not being enforced as strictly as they were a few years ago.) The spaces at Upper Pines are a pretty decent size. The photos on the government reservation website are accurate. Most of the spaces could fit several tents if you tried. If you do happen to camp here in a tent during rain or snow, make sure to camp on high ground. I had set my tent up in the best spot for viewing stars (which happened to be low), and then when it started snowing, the ground under my tent flooded, and I ended up having to drag the whole thing uphill! If you are camping at Upper Pines in a tent, you may also want to bring a personal lock (like a locker or storage lock) for your bear box. Reservations for Upper Pines have to be made online. It helps to be flexible, since a lot of campers end up canceling last minute, especially at the first hint of bad weather. Other than the Curry Village Tent Cabins, Upper Pines is one of the closest campgrounds to Curry Village. It's only about a five minute walk (or one shuttle stop) away. Other than the RV noise, this campground is on the quieter side as compared to Camp 4 or Curry Village, but is still noisy and crowded compared to somewhere more isolated like Wawona.

Totally recommend the Upper Pines Campground. So much space and great views all around. Came here during March, still had a lot of snow but it was definitely an experience.

I throughly enjoyed my visit at Upper Pines! I'm so happy that I decided to stay here. I came in a 24" RV and backed right in perfectly fine for my 3 day stay. The views around the campground were breathtaking. At night the stars were also so beautiful! If you are traveling in an RV there is a dump station which was always available and very clean. Also, the village and other hiking trails are very easily accessible from this campground.

Great campground! Decent enough size sites for being in a national park. Sign said "full" even though it was maybe half full. Clean bathrooms and friendly rangers. Stayed 3 nights, which was difficult to get but I would definitely stay again

I stayed here about 3 weeks ago. It's pretty obvious it's a new build and it kind of shows. Some things weren't really finished. The walkways were all pebble so we had to drag bags and suitcases, eventually I found one cart that was available but that was not there when we checked in. There was a power outage on one of the days that were there, The smores station was over by 9pm which is hard for people who want to watch the sunset in the park and to get back. It was also extremely smoky where we were allowed to do the s'mores . But the biggest disappointment was during my checkout I had forgotten one of my pillows in the room and I called within the hour that we left and they said they would ship it to me but two weeks later no calls no pillow no emails. I even left another voicemail I think it's just the lack of communication. The pillow is like $200 and I know it's my fault I left it there, but I know for a fact it was just sitting on the bed and very distinctly different than the others in a different pillowcase. I just wanted them to communicate back and let me know what to expect but I guess I'm just taking it as a loss. This was hard for me because I loved Rush Creek and have been there many times and this looked more oup my alley since it's a little bit more of an adult trip. But I was disappointed.

This is a great campsite. Follow the signs for Curry Village. Note, during peak hours, rangers will shut down the way to Curry Village if the parking lot is full. There will be a big construction lighted sign saying Curry Village parking lot is closed. Let the rangers know by the traffic cones and they will let you through for Upper Pines since you have your own parking space. Otherwise you will have to drive around the 20 minute loop again. My reservation for #81 at Upper Pines is a RV only site. Other campsites are bigger. There's room for two small tents. The parking space on the campsite is big enough for two cars/trucks or a big RV. It is nice to camp right under pine trees as it provides shade. If you have solar panels, you will need to move them throughout the day. I would prefer this campsite over Camp 4 as you are not forced to share your campsite with strangers with only one fire pit. There's no showers but restrooms are available. The noise level can be loud. Since this is a RV campsite, some people will run their gas generators throughout the day, making it annoying. There are a lot of families around with small children and barking dogs.

This May 2024 Review is based on many years of staying at Upper Pines CG at different times of the year. The deteriorated processes have not improved in a long time and motivates me to assign this low of a score. Aramark is running the concessions in the Park and accounts for part of this low score here. They had two unsatisfactory reviews, the Chronicle paper explains. PROS: - It's in Yosemite Nat'l Park ! nirvana of nature lovers, hikers and climbers. - CG has Flush toilets but cold water sinks, no soap nor paper towels. - Allows you to be close to Happy Aisles for hiking up Vernal, Nevada, Half Dome or Snow Creek past Mirror Lake without a shuttle. - the reservation system to get in the park has eliminated gridlock lines at some while driving in but don't count on parking a car at many as the spots are often full on Southside road going in. Bring your bicycles to get around before the shuttles start running often after Memorial Day. CONS: - The entrance to the CG is a choke point, with short check-in hours. Open from 10am to 4pm so if you arrive before/after, you won't have a CG pass for your car. You're family will have to wait till 10am the next day before you go hiking or sight seeing anywhere, just so you can catch them at the Kiosk, and get in line waiting behind the cars there. - Only one lane in and out so returning vehicles can't bypass new check-ins. -Two people work in the kiosk but won't prep or work on any other cars in the line for arrivals, they won't waive you through the out bound lane if you have a pass already to go in. The two workers tend to interrupt each other so they make mistakes, can't hear over each other or relay answers correctly. -They use 1950s style manual procedures, paper lists, hand writing tags, putting your name on a public white board. - Mid-day you get notices on your campsite bear box telling you to check in or face fines, even though you've checked in twice already for the site as they missed it both times. Then the kiosk worker gets defensive and says- "it can happen". So the website tells you they will sell your site (when clerical errors "can happen".... just irresponsible answer from Kiosk worker Ms Boyd) - The early departures or no show sites are not back to the available list to get reserved again so even in peak months, so many sites will go unused/ empty sometimes for days. - New vehicles ask the check-in Kiosk way too many concierge questions that are answered on the handouts already or vehicles pull up to kiosk just to directions for services or parking, etc. - If you leave to visit any attractions with your car, expect to be back in a long line when returning. So no coming back for a quick lunch, etc. - "site scavengers" arrive in the mid-week evenings and park in sites they think are empty. They park in one site and then set up tents three sites over so you can't tie them to the illegal activity. And then when you arrive late, you are blocked out of your own site with no car owner visible to move and no CG help to solve it. - so many trees were cut down in 2020 that no privacy exists in most sites of the last loop of UP. Bent grills are affecting the use of the firepit grills there. - the fire pits are full of ash in before June, till the free labor Scouts arrive/ for emptying. - most parking pads have not been resurfaced in over 20 years so many potholes in some pads. - On weekend days they will check your reservations three times on the drive in, before you can get access to get as far as driving on the Pines CG roads but Scavengers arrive late so they need night patrol. - some dog owners let their dogs roam and leave dumps in neighbor's sites. - morning fires are burning at times with no compliance officers to stop it. - Construction goes on so prescribed burning can fill the valley or delays near attractions happen regularly. They closed off a straight line road to bypass Curry Village which went to the Pines CGs so it funnels all traffic past Curry's L shaped road and parking lot with mass congestion of people entering/exiting there. Also the popular road out of Pines for parking has been cut down to one third what it used to be so Curry overflow is full often now with no idea till you circle in there after that congested intersection. Anyone with a Civil Engineering degree please explain the Park's reason for this please? - Almost No parking is available outside your reserved site in the campground unless you go to Yosemite Village overflow for stops there. - In general the Aramark company won't pay enough to staff properly at the various concessionaire jobs so you get low skilled less trained or no staffing where expected. They blame labor shortages, but it is a low pay, cost cutting and layoffs most recently, but the executives are doing fine where the CEO of Aramark makes over $4 million a year. The contract can be pulled from them now due to the lack of fixing facilities and poor quality lodging.

Where to begin.. this camping trip was amazing and memorable. My girlfriend and I car camped in the upper pines RV area and had such a refreshing time. The camp site was a bit hard to find and we got lost finding our way, so make sure you don't turn off your gps since reception is spotty. We eventually found our way and stopped at many different sites taking pics of the scenery (pics attached). Upon arriving, the camp site was clean and there were singles, couples and families all around us. We enjoyed a campfire and being in nature. Everyone shut down around 930-10pm so it was quiet. There are tons of bear warnings all around so we made sure to use the bear lockers for everything. Also, don't have food in your car or you risk your car being damaged if a bear comes around (which we thankfully didn't encounter). We only went up for a day trip and wished we had more time to explore. We visited tunnel view which was amazing but missed the sunset (plus it was foggy by the time we got there). We attempted to go to Taft point but the trail was closed and didn't want to drive 2.5 hours to get there. We also went through the "secret tunnel" which had an amazing view and gate so no one walks off. Highly recommend visiting/camping and will be coming back next year! Highly recommend

Upper Pines Campground is one of the three campgrounds close to the Curry Village area. Very convenient location and the campground is very big and clean. The campground has many loops and each loop has 20 to 30 campsites. However, some of the campsites are not very long. You are better to check out the campsite if you're planning to bring an RV or trailer. The restrooms in the campground are very clean. They're cleaned three times a day.

We kicked off the 2018 camping season with the ultimate prize thanks to my friend Keith who snagged a much coveted campsite here five months ago. He was among thousands of people who logged into Recreation.gov at exactly 7 am on December 15, 2017 to reserve a site for May 2018. All sites for May were gone in a few minutes. So if you really want to camp in the valley, make sure to be logged in to your Recreation.gov account and be ready to book a site on the day NPS releases the site for the month you want to camp. We've camped at Upper Pines before, so this was not our first time here. It's a great base for doing so many hikes from the valley floor. The trailheads to Half Dome and more (Happy Isles) are less than a mile away, and Half Dome Village, is just across the main road. The Merced River also runs next to the campground. Site 45 wasn't too bad. We arrived first in the campground, so we were able to pitch our 4 person tent on the flattest section of the site. We were able to fit another 4 person tent and two backpacking tents on our site. The six of us were able to fit all our coolers, food and toiletries in the Bear Box easily. We were pretty close to neighbors, but they were both pretty quiet. Actually the campground was pretty quiet both nights that we were there. Quiet hours are from 10 pm to 6 am which people observed, and camp fires are only allowed from 5-10 pm. We had to go to bed at 10 pm, as soon as the fires had to be put out as it was simply too cold to sit around. The restrooms had good lighting and were pretty clean. Flush toilets are always good! If you want to take a shower, you'll have to take your stuff with you to Half Dome Village and take a shower there. Make sure to bring money with you! Our group had more than 2 cars, so we had to park one of the cars at Half Dome Village. Make sure to not leave anything with a scent in your car, or you may have an unwanted visitor like a bear break in to your car. We had a great time camping as always in Yosemite. I hope my friend Keith has the same luck in December to book a site here around the same time next year!

We almost didn't come up here after hearing about the snow and some roads being closed but once we heard they were opened again, off we went! But that meant arriving at night versus the evening. It was pitch black and snowing and boy was THAT a drive up. I've never been here so I did not know what was over the edge and I'm glad I didn't or I'm sure I'd be panicking inside lol. There was a snow shoveling truck going around here and there though! The campsite was great and the spot we had was so spacious. We had to switch to another camp number the next night because the first one we had wasn't available anymore and it was a bit smaller. We brought wood for our fire pit set up with our grill rack, hammock, canopy, chairs and food set up. This guy camping near us came up and asked where we were sleeping because he was in shock about how we packed our whole set up in the car and was amazed to see me constantly pulling more and more things out it was the first time setting up a campfire and cooking over it and that was a trial and error lol. We brought a lot of food but that night we lost 2 vegan sausages, 1 cup of noodles, 1 pack of mashed potatoes, and 1 corn on the cob for various reasons hahahah. It was so beautiful in Yosemite I really couldn't put it into words and we will definitely be coming back again. Maybe another time without the snowfall :)

I just got back from a camping trip in Yosemite. This was my third time in Yosemite (Royal Arches Lake and Breeze Lake, before), but my first time staying at a campground there! I was luckily able to reserve a spot, the day they opened up... 5 months ago! Upper Pines was a great location. We were site 185. It is pretty big. All sites comes with a fairly large bear box, a fire pit, a picnic table, and I believe you can have 2 cars, as well. We were almost equidistant from two bathrooms. There are three stalls in each bathroom. There is a cool water bottle filling station on the side of each bathroom (You better be bringing a re-fillable bottle with you!!)and also a spigot, to fill buckets and things with water, too. There is also a room near the water bottle station, that is for dumping dish water (add possible food particles). It was so great being near the Merced River and the trail heads. Being surrounded by the amazingly beautiful and magnificent granite rock mountains was a huge plus. A great thing to see when you wake up! On one morning, I woke up before my friends and I walked out of my tent, to find 4 deer having a morning snack. They were grazing right by me for a very long time. It was so cool. A fun/cute thing that I enjoyed was that there is a guy that comes around in a truck around 5 or 5:30pm and he offers Ice and Firewood for purchase. He drives around each loop of the campground (So, depending on how many customers he has, he might get to you by 6 or so). As of June 2018, ice is $4 and firewood is $9. It is nice that they have this service because you don't have to drive to Curry Village and try to find parking, and if you choose to walk, you don't have to carry it back. My friends and I stayed for 3 nights. We brought all of our food. However, if this is not something you want to do, that is totally ok. A lot of the stuff we packed, could have been purchased in Curry Village at their little store/ Gift shop. You want to bring some food and eat somewhere else at other times? They have a grill, a buffet type place, and Pete's coffee (who also sells very large scoops of ice cream for your after Vernal Falls hike refresher... or after rafting down the Merced {approx $30}). Curry Village is not that long of a journey from Upper Pines, maybe a 15 minute walk. You can have a shower here, too. They are currently $5. You can buy them at the shower, or you can buy them at the Registration desk, if there is not a shower attendant present. Don't forget your flip-flops! Towels are provided. There is shampoo and body wash in each stall. There are two parts to each stall. The first portion is the dry area, where you can take off/put on your clothes. The other portion is where you shower, obviously. I took one shower, after a hike to the top of Vernal Falls (Which is so, so, so beautiful). A great place for friends and family. I loved hearing many different languages and seeing many different people. All coming together in one place, at the same time. A wonderful experience and I would recommend it to all. It was never too loud and it was surprisingly quiet during the posted quiet hours. The only bummer is that during the summer, you can only burn a fire from 5 to 10pm. This makes sense, as it is drier during this time of the year, but it would have been great to have a little morning fire here and there. I hope to be back next year!

This campground is the best one in the YNP Valley. Close to everything and just amazing. The rangers are friendly and everything is very nice here. The restrooms could be a little cleaner and it would help to have hand soap in the RR. But overall this campground rocks! YNP despite not having a lot of water in the rivers your amazing!!! Ty Mother Nature for this wonderful park!

I had a great stay here, we love camping in Yosemite in general! The restrooms were cleaned frequently and campers were very respectful of quiet hours. The only downside for me is that we had a LOT of foot traffic of hikers cutting through into our campsite to go to the restroom. This was a bit irritating for me to have people constantly walking through our site-- some of them even cut through the middle where we had set up our tents and chairs! I had learned that it was basic camping etiquette not to cut through an occupied site but it seems that isn't common knowledge here. Because of this, I'd highly recommend getting a site in the inner loops away from trail access if you can. After my experience I will be avoiding these sites in the future.

Great valley location to trails, shuttles, valley views. Do you want to reserve this? Do not fuck around with reserveamerica. On Jan 15, my wife and I had 2 computers ready at 8:00 AM. We had two top choices ready and lost them both. We ended up getting 4 sites over a 7 day period in our early June timeframe. The reservation morning felt like being in the pit of the stock market. All sites were reserved in 15 minutes for the June timeframe. Bring bicycles. It will help you travel more in the valley. Wildlife was out at 7am and 7:30pm in the meadows. No bears... boooo. If you want Glacier Point, either drive yourself or make bus reservations at least 1 month prior. Rafting is awesome. Reserve prior to noon in Half Dome (Curry) Villiage near the market. The sites in the high 200s can be a bit flooded. Only site 216 was flooded, but I damned it the day before and we were fine. This minor engineering skill was not available to a previous camper who abandoned his site the day before in a huff. Amateur. Keep your food in boxes. Rangers will be on you for this. Rule is: if you are not 2 feet from cooler, it should be locked in box or RV. We were scolded 3 times as we were 6 feet from box during daylight. No water, no sewer, no power hookups. If you need these things, your dumb and should just watch Yosemite videos on you tube and not camp. They do have an RV waste dump station at Upper Pines entrance. Generator has two 2-hour windows which kept the campsite mostly quiet. I fucking hate the sound of generators while camping so this was great.

We had to battle for a spot at this campground as soon as reservations opened up online at the beginning of the year, so be on it! It's 6 people and 2 vehicles per site at $26 per night. Overflow parking is nearby at Half Dome Village. **This is the best base camp for a Half Dome hike** since it's very near the Mist Trail (if you're lucky enough to win the lottery). Pros: -Clean bathrooms which are always nearby (flush toilets, deep supply of toilet paper, and a single power outlet even. Bring hand soap!) -Bear locker (big enough for multiple coolers, bins, etc.) -Alcohol permitted (plenty to buy - even hard liquor - at Half Dome Village!) -Automatic potable water spout at bathrooms -Water spout for dishes (bring a water basin!) -Fire pit/ bonfire -Shuttle stop nearby -Near the Mist trail (Vernal and Nevada Falls & Half Dome) -Merced River beach everywhere; perfect for swimming Cons: -No showers (nearest is 2 minutes away at Half Dome Village for $5) -No T-mobile cell reception (minor, can get some if you go towards Yosemite Village if needed) You're also somewhat close to your neighbors, but I have very little to complain about especially when camping under a copse of trees with a spectacular view of the starry night sky. I also appreciated that the Mist trail was nearby. Everything was a short drive away since you are in the valley and it's very touristy. You wouldn't even have to bring food to cook since there are a lot of different eateries nearby. You can still get the full camping experience if you so choose to. Lots of pro's to this campground. We'll be on the lookout for spots at this campground again next year since we still haven't had the pleasure of hiking Half Dome.

This is a review of the camp ground as it's being ran during COVID. I was really excited to be able to camp at Upper Pines because it is really hard to get a site right now since they aren't booking site to full capacity, which is appreciated. You must arrive the first day you're scheduled for, or they will give your site away to someone else. Make sure you have your reservation number and ID ready. I was really disappointed with the lack of authority behind running the campground. People do not abide by the quiet time rules. We were woken up by very loud people the first night, that were slamming bear box doors and screaming. People in neighboring campsites are also loud and you can hear them as well. There is also no such thing as 24 hour Rangers or people on site to make sure that people don't just show up after hours to "squat" in a site for the night. We were very unlucky and had people sneak in later to stay next door to us (they were booking every other campsite for a reason) for the night. They were loud and kept us up at all hours of the night. They didn't care when they were told by other campers in other sites that they couldn't stay there without a reservation. They then were up at 4am to make sure they got out of there in time before Rangers got there for the day. In other words: people really suck. This was definitely and one time trip for us. If you want to stay in Yosemite, book a cabin. Your experience will be so much better than ours was. If you are a tent camper and love it, then this is definitely the place for you. Other cons of this trip: Although the camp hosts, or whatever they're called, don't seem to do much about people that are loud late at night nor care about people that stay without reservations, they do care about, and will patrol, whether or not your car is parked the right way in the camp site, and that you're using the right bear box (don't even think about using a bear box in a neighboring empty camp site or they will ticket you). There are so many rules you have to abide by here. You cannot get rid of food or any other liquid waste in your site. You have to dispose of it in the right place in the bathroom, in what looks like an oversized toilet. I understand why, but its just too much. You also cannot under any circumstances leave any food out when you are away from your site or asleep for the night. Please be sure to bring a lock for your bear box because, like I said earlier, people really suck. Not all the bathrooms are open. Depending on where your site is, you could be walking to a farther bathroom, but there are quite a few so walking to one isn't bad. There are also NO SHOWERS at this time. Do not check Housekeeping or Curry Village because depending on who you ask, they will either not know or cry in frustration because people probably get crappy with them when the answer is no (true story, the girl we asked was on the verge of tears). The chipmunks are savage and you cannot leave anything unattended at any time. They will get in the bear boxes, get in your ice chest, get into anything with food or an opening to anything. We accidentally locked on in our trailer while we were out at the river for the day (sadly, the Merced right now is not flowing, so don't count on floating down it right now, that was complete hell for us when we tried) and when we unlocked it to put some stuff away that evening, one of them quickly ran out. Pros: If you wake up early enough you will spot bears walking in the campground. It is the most beautiful site to be seen while sitting in a hammock early in the morning. You will also see them strolling along the meadows of Yosemite. Please don't bother them or try to get close. Let them be. The campground is very close (we loved riding bikes) to Curry Village and to other really great roads that have been closed to vehicle traffic. It's located in Yosemite. Enough said.

This place is great! I camped here for my first time to Yosemite. I loved it so much that I brought my friends back for my second trip and camped here again. The campsite is a great size and layout. It is very clean and has plenty of bathrooms and trash containers. The location is close to many trails and is near one of the shuttle stops. There are many great views of this gorgeous tourist spot. Overall a great experience both visits! My first visit was in March and my second visit was in October. The weather was perfect in March. However, the weather in October was very rainy and we got soaked the whole trip, so please pack accordingly!

We enjoyed roughing it here, twice! Please note that this was a couple of years ago, but we had drove by April 2012, and all still looks the same. The first time we stayed here in the month of Oct.. It was very cold, but no snow at the time. The area that we where we planted tent the first time was on a slight slope and between large boulders, to help protect from the wind. It was kind of funny because we were finding ourselves rolling to one side. There was enough space between your neighbors. The restrooms were not too far away. We did bike to Curry Village to take our showers, it was quite cold coming back. The second time around we visited in the month of Nov., thankfully my husband booked a back-up place to stay due to the weather forecast. After our first night there, we woke up to snow, our tent somewhat distorted from the snow. So we all made our way to Curry Village (another Yelp to do) to the heated huts! The following morning we went back to Upper Pines and our tent was completely to the ground. There was 2-3 ft of snow! It was beautiful! Upper Pines is a very nice site. If you like to rough it and do campfires this is the place to be. You will find the big, beautiful motor homes here too. I would come back here again for sure. It is close to the shuttle stops and if you like to ride your bikes, there are shops to ride to.

Was able to get a pull in in spot for our truck pop up camper last minute before the reservation office in Yosemite closed. Someone cancelled so I was able to snag it. It made our trip that much better to stay inside the park and enjoy some hiking. They pack a lot of people in there but it's no biggie and there was a truck going around where you could buy wood and ice. Showered at curry village 5$ when the attendant is there after 7am but we were there earlier and went in.

Boyfriend and I stayed here for 2 nights, and it has everything you can ask for in a campsite. Certainly, I love backpacking more but that is due to my love of not being around people. So, for what it is, it's GREAT. Pros: -Long parking spaces for either 2 cars or a trailer/RV. -Bathrooms very close by no matter where your site is -Well maintained -Large bear boxes at each site -NPS search and rescue patrols to make sure everything is running well -Bear-proof dumpsters -Near shuttle stop 19 (Up to 10 minute walk depending on your site) -Overlooks back of Half Dome -LOTS of pine trees -Fire pits at each site Cons: -No showers (they're at Curry/Half Dome Village) (I did not shower at all. 4 days strong. no ragrets) -Sites are REALLY close together. Our neighbor actually took over some of our space and it was not that great, but it was okay. We didn't need much space. Be a courteous neighbor. Respect quiet hours, etc. -Lottery system can be tricky. It's not guaranteed that you'll get a space when you apply, so good luck and plan well! Overall, this place is great if you're looking for an affordable and enjoyable place to stay. It is right in the valley and you can bike around easily, and it's close to the Vernal/Nevada Falls and Mirror Lake trailheads. If you're seeking isolation, look elsewhere, but if you want a nice car camping spot, this is a good bet!

If you're lucky enough to get a reservation, Upper Pines is a great campsite for the Yosemite-goers out there. Some things to note are that they only allow 2 cars parked per site (I had to park my car in a parking lot), they have large bear lockers, which are a real thing, and the campsites are very close to one another. Depending on what kind of camper you are, this could be good or bad. Despite quiet hours, on Fri/Sat night, it can get a little rowdy, and of course there's always that one loud snorer out there. There are no showers, but there is potable water between the mens and womens toilets. If you're thinking about hiking to Mist Trail/Nevada Falls/Half Dome, this is the site that is closest to the trail head, so you can get that early start! At $26/night, campsites like these are a steal, but again, you have to be ready to reserve months ahead!

Stayed here over New Years' Eve and it was freezing!, but every site, hundreds of sites, were all taken. It was during the government shutdown, so I'm not sure how many people were "forced" to come to Yosemite and if that played a role in how packed it was. It was probably 50/50 with tents vs. RVs oh and there were a handful of people car camping, us included and we had no issues. There are quite hours from 8PM-6AM (maybe 7AM), so you don't hear the generators all night. Lol, but as soon as quite hours are over ALL the campers turn their generators on, which I don't blame them, it's cold! The sites are somewhat close to each other, but you don't really feel on top of one another. For the most part the bathrooms were clean and distributed close enough that no one had to walk really far. The ranger was friendly and in the morning checks in everyone that arrived late the night before. We arrived around 9PM-ish and had no problem getting in. There was someone at our site, but left once we told them it was reserved. For the most part everyone seemed pretty respectful of one another. I'd stay at this campsite again, if I had a heater, RV or it was Summer :-)

Great place !! Wonderful trails !! Amazing views, you will not regret it even if you get lost !

If you're fortunate enough to get a reservation 6 months in advance during the 60 seconds they are for sale, Upper Pines is a great place to call home in Yosemite Valley. The sites are close together, but noise and crowds weren't an issue for us. Once settled, the free bus system is your best method for getting around so you can avoid fighting for parking around the park. You could easily spend 4+ days exploring the trails nearby! Pros: Large bear boxes. Parking for 2 cars. (overflow is nearby at Half Dome Village) Clean Bathrooms. A couple bus stops nearby. (Stop #16 is closer to the backside of the campgrounds) Friendly staff. (almost too friendly, you can tell they love their job) Good cell service. (at least for AT&T) Clean water for drinking and cooking. (bring a bucket and a sponge for cleaning dishes) Close to Vernal/Nevada Falls trail head, and Mirror Lake trail head. Cons: Fire hours are only 5pm-10pm. No showers (baby wipes were my fix)

A great campground, very well maintained with flush toilets. Each campsite is of good size with a picnic table, good size bear box, and a fire pit. Campsites are $20 per night! There is a river very close by and the trail-head to Vernal Falls is nearby (walking distance). If you want to camp in mid June to mid July, reservations open February 15 at 7am (Pacific Standard Time) and all reservations are filled within 10 minutes!!! You must be ready to go via the internet just before 7am and just settle for whatever campsite you can get your hands on for whatever date. Don't blink and don't be picky...just click and book, because the whole world is trying to book. If you want to book from mid July to mid August, reservations open March 15 at 7am. Lastly, mid August to mid September is open to book April 15 at 7am. Campsites are $20 per night. You can have two vehicles per camp site!

One of the few campgrounds you can reserve in advance in March. Little did I know, Yosemite reservations fill up the moment they go up for grabs. Luckily, we found the one weekend with space left, and on pretty short notice too. $20 per night. This is a very crowded campground. Sites are not spacious. We chose a corner site on the main road (#157) and it turned out to be a good idea because we had a little more room than most, and we found that cars were not a problem. Our neighbors were not loud, but we could hear a large group two sites down. We were next to the dumpster but it never bothered me. The site contains a large bear box as well. The ground was very rocky and it was hard to stake our tent. Firewood is not cheap in the park, so bring plenty. There is a Wal-Mart on the outskirts of Fresno that we went to on the way, but they didn't have much stock, so we had to pick up some at Curry Village after all. The restrooms were not far but they were bright! I recommend getting a site away from them. No soap available, but they are clean and decent. Showers are at Curry Village (drive). Parking at sites is limited. The aforementioned large group brought an extra truck and had the guts to ask our neighbor to share their driveway. Don't be those people. I believe you can park at Curry Village if you brought too many cars. March was freezing at night, but nice during the day for hikes. I assume in a non-drought year, you will find snow at that time. I give Upper Pines 3.5 stars.

Upper Pines is a more convenient campground than most campgrounds anywhere due to restrooms that provide access to running water and flushing toilets. A friend chose this site for its close walking proximity to the Half Dome hike. In addition, it's not too far from Curry Village and still within walking distance to Yosemite Village. Ample space allow many campers to congregate here so there's a more communal feel in this area - it's basically a city of tents and RVs. It's also located near the Merced River, which is nice because the gentle noise of rushing water in the distance is nice to fall asleep to. In addition, there are plenty of trees in this area, so there's always plenty of shade and the right amount of lighting during the mid day. I never saw any bears but there were deer chewing on our grass one morning. Cute.

- Camping Fee: $26/night - 6 people allowed per campsite but they don't check - 2 cars are allowed per campsite - BBQ pit - Bonfire - Food storage - No shower - Bathroom is decent with one outlet (Bring hand soap) - Reception is a hit & miss - Near Vernal/Nevada Fall trailhead - Fire is permitted 5P.M - 10P.M - Very close to your neighbors - Wash dishes at your campsite (Bring buckets) Ever since I got to stay at Upper Pines for the first time, I've fallen in loveee with it & book with this place since. Guess I'm too comfortable to try Lower Pines or the other pines. The only thing this campsite is missing showers!! It's a bit inconvenient to drive to House Keeping to shower each time. Other than that, this is the spot if you want to do camping in Yosemite. I recommend book it when it's first available, which you can check on recreation.gov website for it. Booking starts at 7:00A.M and it's all sold out at 7:01, no joke!

Any chance to camp in Yosemite is 5 stars for me. Pros: - Large bear box (bring bear lock) - Close walk to Mirror Lake/Vernal/Nevada Falls - Clean bathrooms, no soap tho, bring hand sanitizer, flushing toilets - Close to Curry Village so if you forget anything, they have everything there to buy - Potable water available Cons: - Only showers are at Curry Village so if you're willing to take that short walk over... just bring baby wipes Other notes: - The campsites are pretty close together and yes, you will hear kids screaming but if you don't like that, go get a wilderness permit and camp in the woods away from everybody - Camp fire allowed only from 5pm to 10pm. This kinda messed up our plans for biscuits and gravy for breakfast, but FYI! - No reception for TMobile, spotty reception for Verizon Thanks for the awesome weekend and to the park rangers as well!

Need to book WAY in advance, as in right when the registration opens. The easiest way is have an account created online at the park website and log on 10 minutes before registration opens and then book as soon as you can without hesitation. $40 for one campsite (fits 2 cars per campsite and "allowed" only 6 ppl) for the weekend, not bad! Quiet time starts at 10 pm, and the rangers do patrol at nights to make sure your fire is out. It's one of the larger campgrounds and has clean bathrooms and trash near every campsite. Location is great too: it's close to Curry Village (where a lot of trails begin and where the showers are) and Yosemite Village (where the store is if you forgot things like firewood or need more food). There are bears, so keep everything that smells (including lotion) in the large bear-safe container that's on the campsite and throw everything out into the bear-safe trash bins. Oh yes and no cell phone reception, or hardly any at all that could do you any good. Have fun roughing it!

I wasn't going to review this, but thought I'd add a review just to update the information. We recently camped here. Don't get a site boardering the bathroom, get at least 2 sites away. Everything echoed including the chattering little girls late and night and early in the morning. I also think the bathrooms needed to be cleaned a little more often. No showers or hot water in these bathrooms, but you can go to Curry Village and take a shower for $5 - a little steep considering the rules said to keep it to 5 minutes. How about instituting a timed shower where you put quarters in for what you need. Maybe if the price of showers weren't so steep, there wouldn't be as many smelly people riding around on the tram.

Despite the fact that through camping here with my British guy on Halloween night on a NON-hallow bear fiesta of all-night ravaging prior to hibernation time, I made Dateline NBC as a result of being a hapless victim to Minnie and her cubs' wiles with my poor Protege (finished in 7 mins flat)..... I would prefer camping here any day... over Curry Village and its nice amenities if you have come seeking some respite from the metropolis... who needs a cabin when you've got a clean bathroom, great facilities, a bear locker, and car camping in one of the most gorgeous National Parks ever? Memories of swimming calm pools on a dare, hiking until I was panting for my last breath, Glacier Point's heady views.... nature at its finest everywhere. Reserve ahead of time!! I repeat: if you're organizationally challenged.. then reform!! before you attempt a camping trip in Yosemite NP. That I live to tell this to you in 2010 is nothing short of a miracle. 3 bears.... 7 feet away.... nothing interesting in the trunk, and two meaty folk...surprised I didn't get eaten...and have substantially recovered from entering into mild shock, thank you for asking!

Campsite 7 is a disabled campsite; it's about five campsites away from the bathroom but, there aren't shower facilities here at Upper Pines Campground. The only places for hot showers are the following: Curry Village Housekeeping FYI: Campsite 20 is right next to the bathrooms. Tip: Bring your own hot shower! Buy at Wal-Mart Camp Chef Triton Hot Water Shower Heater, 10 Liter=$183.64 4.8 star rating (9) List Price: $281.25 You Save: $97.61 (35%)

Apparently campsite reservations are very hard to come by, so when an invitation was extended to go camping for the first time, I went! This was in September so it wasn't too overcrowded. And I was so happy with my decision. It was my first time going to Yosemite and we arrived at the park around 12AM. It's a different type of drive at night especially if it's your first time here so try to get here during the day, like most people. Lol.. Warning #1 : There are no internet/phone services once you hit a certain point within the park. There are no signs for the different campsites near the park entrance UNTIL you get closer to them. So just FYI, you'll be driving about 30-45 minutes (mind you, it was my first time here and it was night time) so you may get there quicker during the day. The signs they did have were of the different lakes and the major attractions, Half Dome, Glacier Point, etc. You'll know when you're getting closer to the campsite when you start smelling the smoke from the campfires. Warning #2 : Make sure you pump gas before entering the park. Warning #3 : If you love nature like I do, 3 days will not be enough to explore this beautiful park! Upon arrival of the campsite, I felt so at peace. I've never seen so many stars as bright and mesmorizing. There was a nice cool breeze going through the campsite, and the quiet made me realize how much noise pollution we're subjected to living in the city (LA for me). No sirens, planes, and car alarm sounds. We saw a group of what looked like coyotes but in the morning discovered they were probably the foxes that are native to the area. Waking up in the morning was the same experience, even with people getting up and moving around, there was still a peace and quiet setting. At night, you don't realize that the campsite is among a redwood forest with surrounding mountains and meadows nearby. The location of this camp is close to everything you want to go to. There's a river (kinda dry when we went) a couple of seconds away, the entrance to start the hike to all the different falls is minutes away, and there's shuttle services to get you to different places within the park like the little Yosemite village to get amenities. Also, if you aren't trying to make that 14 hour (or however long it is) hike all the way to Half Dome, it's only about a 20-30 minute drive from this campsite to the breath taking Galcier Point views. The people within the campsite are friendly and most kept to themselves and their area. Everyone cleaned up after themselves and there were storage bins assigned to each site for food to keep bears from coming around looking for food. In addition, each site has their own fire pit and vehicle parking. The only thing I didn't like was that we were a little close to the restrooms so we experienced a little bit of foot traffic on certain times of the day and bathroom tiolet flushes towards the end of the night and in the beginning of the day. But other than that, the bathrooms were kept pretty well cleaned and stocked with tiolet paper (bring your own hand soap). There were no showers, you have to walk a little bit further to a different campsite, if you wanted to shower. Just don't forget to bring sandals. Overall, it was a great camping experience and will probably do it again!

Really enjoyed camping here. The downside to this location is it's very crowded however I felt as if everyone was very respectful during quiet hours and didn't have any issues. The campsites are a bit small, but that is made up by how many things there are to do around the area. Just down the road there is this awesome river and some hiking trails to go to the falls. Def recommend!

Just spent the weekend camping here. It was our second time at this campground, we love it here! Last time we went at peak time, early May and it was very busy and full. This time, early March, it was quiet and barely any one around. Keep in mind it gets very cold at night in March so make sure you pack accordingly! Campsites are spacious and have a bear box for food and toiletries, picnic table and campfire ring with a food grill. We had sites 75 and 76. Its right at the curve of the road, so they felt a bit bigger, plus no one is directly behind you, only a small meadow and stream during the rain season. They were close to the restrooms but not too close. And a short walk to the Free Shuttle, stop 15. Yosemite is one of my favorite places, we can't wait to go back again and explore even more!

Stayed here with a climbing group and had three sites #71-73 for three nights. Site #73 was probably big enough to fit all of our group. Each site has a picnic table, fire pit with grill and one bear box which was clean and big enough for seven people. They also have overflow parking which we definitely utilized. Bathrooms were also clean with an electric hookup in case you need to recharge your camera or phone. The good: Great for big groups Walking distance to Curry Village in case you need or forgot something Hiking trail nearby for Vernal Fall, Nevada Fall, and JMT Nature Center at Happy Isle also nearby Climbing spots right on campground Shuttle stop #15 so you can hop on and off Views Half Dome Bikes great, lots of pave paths and bike trail. Awesome night bike ride on a full moon The bad: If you're not a fan of crowds. Even on low season, it can still be crowded for those who like the peace and quite of nature. The weekend we stayed here, there was a TJ lemon kitchen hand soap in both the women and men's restroom. So appreciated especially with the hanta virus outbreak within the last few months. Thanks a million to the person who left it!! PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE anything out for bears. We left a whole pumpkin out to get into the Halloween spirit and received a warning from the ranger. Bears is a serious concern in Yose.

AWESOME! wasn't able to find a campsite for reservation two weeks in advance but a week before one freed up in this campground. It's near the crystal lake trail. and you can see all the domes surrounding the camp ground which is super nice. fire pit wet when it has snowed or rained. We saw a pack of coyotes just chilling on the ice. that was super cool. also theres a lot other camping around us which makes bear attacks less of a worry in my mind. make sure to put away all foods crumbs in your locker, unless you want coons to climb all over your car because they smell food crumbs.

Stayed here last weekend while on the Yosemite Facelift project. The facelift is a huge event aimed at cleaning up Yosemite after a year of heavy use. What a fantastic event and actually a lot of fun. The event organizers put us in the Upper Pines Campground and most of us had to share a site with people we didn't know. It worked out well, actually. Although the campground was very full and there were many extra cars, the overflow lot was walking distance from the campground so that was easy. The bear boxes are large and accommodated all of our coolers and bags of food. There is ample space for tents. Only thing I would suggest is a pair of earplugs. Although Yosemite valley is usually full of people, you can get away from them easy by walking up one of the trails out of the valley.

Stayed here last week. I regularly check recreation.gov for cancellations and had a few options for April. Weather changes quickly so when the park closed I was happy I had the next weekend booked as a backup. One weekend's rain was another weekend's perfect weather. I felt this was the noisiest campground that I've stayed at recenty. Not in a bad way but I definitely think people push the limit on the 6 guest maximum. I think because reservations are hard to get people maximize their visit and make it a special time... so more people and more RV and larger setups. I didn't notice tent only sites, which is what I prefer. Bathrooms aren't very clean and not heated, and very cold running water. Lots of ravens scouring the campsites. The shuttle stop is close and it's a close walk to many hikes and Half Dome Village. Aside from the few minor things I mentioned I still give it 5 stars all based off being in one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

I was in Yosemite in late November (it slipped my mind to write a review until now), so I wanted to preface this that while I did go in the Winter(ish) months, it wasn't a December/January month. I'd wanted to go for a while, so I picked out a hostel in San Francisco (Green Tortoise Hostel) and a camper van company (Lost Campers) in San Francisco, and rented a campsite about two months out (late Septemberish) for the week of Thanksgiving at Upper Pines. I tried to rent for three nights, but the best I could do was the day before Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving Day. The campgrounds were easy enough to find from the entrance of Yosemite, and check in was around 12pm noon on November 25th. It seems like Upper Pines is the same (standard nonelectric), which means there isn't a convenient number of plug ins for you to charge things (only in the bathroom), so it's definitely much more of a typical camping experience. I made sure to check the regulations on Caravan/Camper Vans because that's what I had. I had several options when I picked mine, so I chose one that was easily accessible to a restroom and on the same side as shuttle pick up. My check out was two nights later, on November 27th, and though there wasn't a physical person for me to drop off my pass to, there was a slot where I could turn it in. Easy enough. Yosemite in November is cold. It didn't snow while I was there, but I'd say it was definitely less than 20 degrees every night. When I left in the mornings (9/10ish) there was very often frost on the ground, and sunrise was probably around 7 every morning. Since Upper Pines is sort of in the shadow of the mountains, it starts to get dark around 5:30/6:00pm every night, so that by 6:30pm it's pitch black and freezing. People were really very quiet. There were no loud parties or drinking into the wee hours of the nights and the few times I had human interactions it was because people were astonished I was there by myself. It was mostly families or youthful hikers in groups. Each campsite has an area for a fire pit, a picnic table, and a large bear box. The bearproof box could have fit about 3-4 regular sized coolers, and my one cooler fit very comfortably, with plenty of space. PROS: Quiet, spacious campsite. People kept them themselves. You can pick which space you want on their website, so you can pick one far from the road, near the road, near a bathroom, etc. Bathroom was nearby my campsite, which was great in the middle of the freezing night. Bathroom had plugins (but that's the only place that did). Shuttle bus picks up right at the beginning of the campgrounds and it can take you almost anywhere you need to go. Reasonably priced at $20/night. CONS: Bad cell reception, but that's basically all of Yosemite. Started getting dark pretty early every night, and it was pitch black by 6:30. There wasn't any soap in the bathrooms. THE VERDICT: Upper Pines seems like one of the larger campgrounds, and it was the only place that hadn't sold out when I went looking. It's reasonably priced, close to the Curry Campgrounds (I walked there for the general store), and just an overall pretty nice place. There's ample storage and set up for a group of up to 4, I'd say, at each campground. I'd probably pick another campground if I go back, just to get another experience. Tips: Bring hand sanitizer. The bathrooms had no soap. Bring a flashlight. Don't rely on your phone (especially in November). Bring snow chains in the winter months. (it's illegal not to have them!) If you have a camper van/caravan make sure it fits the campsite length requirements. They can turn you away if it doesn't! This is a campground for families and quiet time. Choose another one if you're looking for rowdy twenty something who will invite you over for a drink.

There are 3 most popular campground (TENT) Upper/Lower/Northern pines, of the 3 this is the best. Like others said this isn't really roughing it . There are restrooms, stores, restaurants and showers just a short distance away. You will be inundated with the sounds of RVs, kids screaming, and loud over sized groups . The reservation system states you can have up to 6 people but most sites are well over the limit during the summer, the rules are not enforced. PROS 1. Plenty of trees 2. Close to water. 3. Easy access to all amenities 4. Good size sites 5. Price is decent $20 CONS 1. Loud obnoxious groups 2. Overcrowded TIPS 1. Get a site which is on the perimeter, these sites are less crowded that the ones which are in the center of the horseshoe (street). If you are older than 62 get the Senior pass it get you in the park for $10 instead of $20 and half price on the camping sites!!! If you can make it early in the season, late April / May it is much better, less people and easier to get a reservation. DO NOT GET A SITE WHICH IS THE CLOSEST TO THE RESTROOM. YOU WILL WAKE UP LISTENING TO PEOPLE TAKING A KENNY LOGGINS. ALSO PEOPLE WILL WALK THROUGH YOUR SITE WHILE YOU'RE COOKING DINNER SO THEY CAN TAKE A CRAP, HOW ROMANTIC!

We got here the weekend before Labor Day so the day crowds were down a little but the park was still real crowded. It was hot but there is plenty of shade just about everywhere. They had a large bear box and fire pit. The bathrooms were pretty clean and all around. Hot showers at Curry if you wanted and plenty of restaurant choices in the park; there is a pretty large grocery store too. Make sure the permit is under the person's name who is signing in otherwise you may not get in.

Indeed difficult to get reservations ... but have you tried simply buying them off CraigsList..?!? Generally $60/night. Get them here: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/tix Upper Pines is arranged on roads laid-out like six horse shoes. You might try and stay away from the campsites at the bends in the roads - those spots are tighter together. But it's all wonderful no matter what site you get. Map here: http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/upperpines.htm Shower over at Curry Village. 5 minute walk. But be mindful of the hours the showers are closed for cleaning (10 p.m. - 11 p.m., and various times in the mornings). You can generally shower for free if you bring your own towel. Or rent one for $5/shower. Showers have soap and shampoo. Buy wood, burgers, veggies, chilled Champagne, etc. at the local Yosemite market. Each campsite comes with a fire pit and bear box for your food. Definitely buy a newspaper for kindling; the firewood box says it comes with kindling, but this is a joke. Might even need some lighter fluid. We were visited by a bear one of three nights. It lumbered along the edge of our camp, then made a left into the next campsite where there were brownies on a picnic table. Scary at first, but Yosemite bears really are just looking for the easy score - leftovers in the garbage or unattended food on a table. These are not meat-eating (e.g. tourist-eating) bears. This is Yosemite people, not Alaska. Enjoy!

A campground in the Happiest Place on Earth? Of course it gets five stars. Yes Upper Pines can be the epitome of all that is bad in Yosemite in the summer. Sites are close together and small, it is crowded, too many cars, and too many people. Unless you go in the winter like I do. But it might be too cold for you. You can generally get the best sites in the campground. These sites have no one really close and Happy Isles and the Merced River are very close. A short stroll cross country through some poison oak and you find yourself at Curry Village where you can get groceries, beer, wood, pizza and the famous 'YosemiTea'. Sorry... no Long Islands sold here. Careful on the way back, if your hands are full of pizza and you've consumed too many adult beverages, you might find yourself contemplating the flavor of 'Poison Oak' pizza. Generally in the fall and winter months the last loops of the campground are closed down. It does force people into a smaller area but that means fewer cars and less people. Oh yeah, most of the people during these months are in motor homes so it does tend to get very quiet quickly. Also there are less people in the bathrooms taking up sink space while using their curling irons and applying makeup at 10:30PM. Do you think the bears care if your hair is fixed your lipstick is perfect? One of the best things about Upper Pines is the sound of the Merced as it lulls you to sleep while masking the sound of those curious bears. The good news is the NPS is switching out all the older bear boxes for larger ones that can fit a surprising number of ice chests and quite a lot of food. Watch out for those Rangers who are out at night scaring off the bears who insist on coming too close to the campground. Oh yeah...about those best campsites. Good Luck finding them. It took years of return visits to winnow out the best ones and lots of practice with the reservation systems. Can you guess which site I will be in this week-end?

It's super crowded, but I understand since Yosemite is so freaking beautiful! We could only get one day here- luckily it's the day before the date we got permits for Half Dome! Upper Pines Campgrounds - is away from the curry village. - mist trail is near by, just after a 5-10 minute walk. - have real bathrooms near by. also lit up at night. - bears and deers roam the area. it's their home. - too many mosquitoes at this campground. :/ - free bus around the village. It comes every 5-10 minutes. - there are showers! There used to be a river near by, but I guess it's gone now. It's just muddy now.

Stayed four nights mid May 2018 in a 23' Airstream. Great national park campground with significant population pressure. Very popular dry camping with dump station. Water at restrooms. Park your vehicle and use the shuttle for excellent hiking and photography. Would stay again. It's Yosemite. What more would you want?