Campsites

Alrighty,

So I've done my research on campsites and I've narrowed down some of our options.

Your choices within the park are Upper Pines and Lower Pines campgrounds. All of the campgrounds within the park have very cramped sites and it can be kind of noisy. The plus with camping within the park are the amenities. You'll have flushing toilets, running water, a shower and near by stores. You will also be camping around the iconic scenery with easy access to the trails . This would be a lot like the camping we did at Morro Bay, flat and no real barriers between campsites. There are some campsites that sit right next to the river which can be a little more calming. Photos of Lower Pines and Upper Pines campgrounds.


Crane Flat is a nice campground located about 25 minutes outside of the actual park. The sites are more spread out and the trees between sites give you more privacy. There is running water and toilets but there are no showers. You also have to either drive or take the shuttle 25 miles down to Yosemite to do your day hikes. There is a near by store and gas station if we need it. The nights are more peaceful here and there is still a nice view of the outdoors. This would be my choice if it were up to me. Here is a site with some photos Crane Flat campground

There are also a number of other campgrounds outside of Yosemite but they are on a first come, first serve basis. Most don't have running water and toilets so if you want to shit in the woods that is your deal. Bring a shovel if we decide to do that. Bridalveil or Tomarck would be my choices if we for some reason decided to do that.


Either way the camping will be fun. It all depends on what everyone wants. Ease of amenities or more seclusion. The price of Camping is around $20 per night and that covers up to 6 people, so if we camp for 3 days that will be $15 per person if there are only four of us going. Not bad at all.