Yosemite National Park is a MUST visit on ANY California road trip.  To learn about Yosemite, read up on the National Park Service website:www.nps.gov/yose/plan your visit/nrrs.htm

On this site you can plan your trip, learn about road closures, things to do, special programs and special offers. 

Of particular interest is the website’s list of park attractions: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/placestogo.htm

Camping in a Solar Camper at Yosemite

In Yosemite RV camping is unplugged camping for the most part. 

The great news is your camper has the battery capacity to keep you comfortable without shore electricity or generator power while enjoying the magnificence of Yosemite Valley.

Most campgrounds in Yosemite allow RVs and trailers, but you must have a campground reservation if visiting Yosemite from April through October. Sleeping in your RV overnight is not allowed outside of campgrounds.

Getting Around

Public Transportation

Public transportation is available both to Yosemite and within Yosemite. Since parking for RVs and trailers is limited in Yosemite, we strongly encourage you to park your RV outside Yosemite and use YARTS to travel into the park if you’re not staying the night in Yosemite. Once you’re inside Yosemite, or if you’re camping inside Yosemite, free shuttles and fee-based tours are available to get you to many areas of the park.

Driving

If you’re driving in or around Yosemite, most roads are adequate for RVs and travel trailers. However, some roads, particularly the Glacier Point Road, Mariposa Grove Road, and Hetch Hetchy Road, have restrictions that affect some RVs and most trailers. Some visitors find that Yosemite’s winding and often-steep mountain roads and traffic congestion on busy days make for intimidating or challenging travel conditions, particularly for those drivers with limited experience driving large RVs or trailers. If you notice cars behind you, use a turnout to allow them to pass.

Parking

Parking for RVs, trailers, and other oversized vehicles is limited and can fill by late morning during summer, especially on weekends. Parking for Sprinter motorhomes is available at Curry Village parking or at Yosemite Falls parking (in the parking lot west of Yosemite Valley Lodge, across the road from Camp 4). For smaller motorhomes, such as the Roadtrek SS Agile, parking is available in the day-use parking area at Yosemite Village or in the parking area west of Yosemite Valley Lodge.

Driving Safety

Yosemite’s roads are steep and winding, often having no shoulders, with steep slopes alongside them. You will frequently find stopped vehicles, people walking or standing on roads, and wildlife standing or crossing roads. The following tips will help make your driving experience in Yosemite safer.

• Drive no faster than the posted speed limit or safe conditions allow
• If you notice cars behind you, use a turnout to allow them to pass
• Stay in your lane: the lanes are wide enough for your RV
• Pay attention to your RV’s engine temperature; if it is rising, slow down or pull over into a turnout to let your engine cool
• Use low gear while traveling downhill to reduce brake usage
• If traveling in Yosemite from October through April, be prepared for tire chain requirements due to snowy or icy roads.

Bears and Food Storage

Hundreds of black bears live in Yosemite. While you’re unlikely to see a bear during your visit, be sure to protect yourself and bears by storing your food properly, day and night.

• You can store food (including drinks, toiletries, and other scented items) in your RV while you’re away from it, as long as:
• • the RV’s windows, doors, and vents are completely closed,
  • all food is out of sight (e.g., in cupboards), and
  • the RV is completely hard-sided

• Do not leave food, drinks, toiletries, or other scented items—including ice chests or boxes containing these items—strapped or otherwise attached to the outside of your RV.

FOR ROAD CONDITIONS

(209) 372-0299 ( Then 1, 1)

Tioga Pass is closed all winter

MAKING A RESERVATION FOR YOUR CAMPERVAN INSIDE YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

Yosemite visitation is in high demand: reservations can be difficult if you don’t plan ahead.  Reservation windows open 5 months PRIOR to your selected dates. Visit www.recreation.gov

The Motorhome/RV campsites that book 5 months ahead are:

UPPER PINES

LOWER PINES

NORTH PINES

HODGDON MEADOW

2 months prior, beginning on “the 15th at 7 am PST”

BRIDALVEIL CREEK

CRANE FLAT

2 months prior, beginning on “the 15th at 7 am PST”, some more sites are released

TAMARACK FLAT ( ½ the campground)

WHITE WOLF (1/2 the campground)

2 weeks in advance on a “rolling daily basis”

CAMP 4

YOSEMITE CREEK

PORCUPINE FLAT

TAMARACK FLAT ( the other ½)

WHITE WOLF ( the other ½)

CONSIDER A CAMPGROUND “NEAR” YOSEMITE

https://www.yosemite.com/places-to-stay/camping-and-rv/

KOA- SOUTH LAKE TAHOE

760 US Highway 50, South Lake Tahoe, CA

From SLT, take the 88 to the 4 to the 108E to 120E in Toulome to Big Oak Flat Rd.

4.5 hours to Yosemite

KOA-COLEVILLE, CA

110437 US 395

4 hours to Yosemite. A good plan if you want to visit Mammoth Lakes and Mono Lake then travel thru Bridgeport. There is also an RV park in Bridgeport. You will then be entering thru the Sonora Junction.  This route travels thru the Stanislaus National Forest up to Toulomne to Sonomas to Groveland into the park.

INDIAN FLAT-Off Highway 140

25 RV sites, water and sewer. Very RV friendly driving near entrance El Portal. 10 min from Arch Rock Entrance Station. 30 mi to Yosemite Valley Visitors Center

SUMMERDALE CAMPGROUND- Off Highway 41

1.5 mi from entrance gate

Water, Grills, Picnic tables- no hookups

1 hour to the Visitors Center

But 3 mi to Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias!!

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/mg.htm

MARIPOSA COUNTY FAIRGROUND- Off Highway 140

Full Hookups/dump station

YOSEMITE RIDGE RESORT-Off Highway 120

Buck Meadows

12 mi to West Entrance

Full hookups

YOSEMITE WESTLAKE CAMPGROUND & RV PARK

24 RV sites

24 mi to the West Entrance, close to 3 lakes

Within a 15 mi radius are services, market, gas in Greeley Hill

LAKE McCLURE-LAKE McSWAN-

Off Highway 132

8 mi E to Coulterville

Access the lakes from Merced Falls

27 mi to Merced

25 mi to Mariposa via Cathey’s Valley

BAGBY CAMPGROUND-

BARRETT COVE

McCLURE

HORSESHOE POND

McSWAN

Booking your Yosemite Campervan Reservation in 2024

1. Set your clock and calendar. Don’t be late!
2. Login to www.recreation.gov Start the reservation process before 7 am so you can be ready by 7 am
3. Have SEVERAL members of your group trying

Yosemite Entrance Reservations in 2024
A reservation will be required to drive into Yosemite during two different periods in summer 2024. Keep reading for details about the two systems; the two systems are different.

• January 1 through February 9: No reservation required to drive into Yosemite.
• February 10 through 25: A reservation is required 24 hours per day on Saturdays, Sundays, and on Washington’s Birthday (Monday, February 19).
• February 26 through April 12: No reservation required to drive into Yosemite.
• April 13 through June 30: A reservation is required from 5 am to 4 pm on Saturdays, Sundays, and on holidays (May 27 and June 19).
• July 1 through August 16: A reservation is required from 5 am to 4 pm every day.
• August 17 through October 27: A reservation is required from 5 am to 4 pm on Saturdays, Sundays, and on holidays (September 2 and October 14).

February 2024 Reservation Requirement

Horsetail Fall can glow orange when it’s backlit by sunset, which can make it appear to be on fire. This unique lighting effect happens only on evenings with a clear sky when the waterfall is flowing and when the sun is at the right angle in mid– to late February. This event attracts many visitors to a small area, causing traffic congestion, parking issues, safety concerns, and impacts to natural and cultural resources. In order to manage this event, a reservation will be required to enter Yosemite National Park on the weekends of February 10–11, February 17–19, and February 24–25, 2024, even for those not visiting Horsetail Fall. Visitors who arrive Mondays through Fridays (except Monday, February 19) won’t need a reservation. The $35/car entrance fee is valid for entry for seven days, regardless of day of arrival.