RV Parks In Yosemite National Park, California

For RVers, the three Pines campgrounds on the Yosemite Valley floor are the prize because they put you in the heart of the park. Upper Pines is the largest and the only one open year-round, with an on-site dump station and room for RVs up to 35 feet. Lower Pines and North Pines take rigs up to 40 feet but are seasonal. Outside the Valley, Wawona near the giant sequoias and Hodgdon Meadow near the Big Oak Flat entrance are quieter year-round options. None have hookups, so for full hookups you stay in a gateway town like Oakhurst or Mariposa.

No. This is the single most important thing for RVers to know: there are no electrical, water or sewer hookups anywhere inside Yosemite National Park, at any campground. Every in-park site is dry camping. Upper Pines in the Valley has a dump station and the campgrounds have drinking water spigots, but you will run entirely on your batteries, fresh water and propane while inside the park. If you need full hookups, you must stay at a private or county RV park in one of the gateway towns, such as Oakhurst on Highway 41 or Mariposa on Highway 140, and day-trip into the park.

In-park campgrounds are inexpensive for the location: the Valley Pines campgrounds and the outlying Wawona and Hodgdon Meadow sites generally run in the $30s to low $40s per night for dry camping, a bargain given the setting, though the real cost is the difficulty of getting a reservation. Gateway full-hookup parks cost more, with High Sierra RV Park in Oakhurst running roughly $55 to $75 a night for 50-amp full-hookup big-rig sites. Add the park entrance fee on top. Budget the convenience of hookups against the magic of waking up beneath Half Dome.

Five months, and you need to be ready the instant they release. Yosemite Valley campgrounds, the Pines, open for reservations on Recreation.gov five months in advance on the 15th of each month at 7 a.m. Pacific time, and the most popular dates sell out within minutes, like buying concert tickets. Be logged in early, know your dates and have backup sites ready. For 2026, North Pines is using a one-time Early Access Lottery. Wawona and Hodgdon Meadow also require reservations in peak season. If you cannot land an in-park site, book a gateway park and day-trip in instead.

It depends on what you want to see. Spring, roughly April through June, is peak waterfall season when the snowmelt thunders off the cliffs, the most dramatic time in the Valley, but it is busy and the high country is still snowed in. Summer opens everything, including Tioga Road and Tuolumne Meadows, but it is the most crowded and hardest to book. Fall, in September and October, brings crisp air and thinner crowds, our favorite, though waterfalls run low. Winter is quiet and snowy with only a few campgrounds open and chains often required. Each season is a different park.

Within limits, yes. The Valley campgrounds cap RV length: Upper Pines takes RVs up to 35 feet and trailers up to 24, while Lower Pines and North Pines accept RVs up to 40 feet and trailers to 35. Outlying campgrounds vary, so always check the specific site length before booking. Remember there are no hookups anywhere inside, so a big rig will be dry camping. Many big-rig owners base at a gateway full-hookup park like High Sierra RV Park in Oakhurst, which has 50-amp big-rig sites, and day-trip into the park, using the free Valley shuttle once inside rather than driving the rig around.

In the gateway towns, since the park itself has none. Oakhurst, on Highway 41 south of the park, is the most substantial gateway, with a full grocery store, restaurants and fuel, and High Sierra RV Park there offers 50-amp full hookups and big-rig sites for roughly $55 to $75 a night. Mariposa, on Highway 140 to the west, has the Mariposa Fairgrounds RV Park with electric and water hookups and an on-site dump station, a practical year-round option. Groveland on Highway 120 to the west serves that approach. Basing in a gateway town and day-tripping into the Valley is the standard play for RVers who want hookups.

Yes, though they are limited. Upper Pines Campground in Yosemite Valley has an RV dump station that operates year-round, and there are seasonal dump stations elsewhere in the park such as near Wawona and, in summer, the high country. Because no campground in Yosemite has hookups, these dump stations and the campground water spigots are how RVers manage tanks during a dry-camping stay. Plan to arrive with a full freshwater tank and empty holding tanks, and service at Upper Pines as needed. For the full rundown on tank service in the area, see our guide to RV dump stations in Yosemite linked on this page.

Sometimes, depending on the year and season. In recent peak summers, Yosemite has required a separate day-use entry reservation to drive into the park during the busiest periods, on top of any campground reservation. The rules change year to year, so it is essential to check the official National Park Service Yosemite website for the current entry-reservation requirements before your trip. If you have a campground reservation, that typically covers your entry, but day-trippers staying in a gateway town may need the timed-entry permit. Do not assume, confirm the current policy so you are not turned away at the gate.

Only a few. Upper Pines in the Valley is the year-round RV-friendly campground, and Wawona and Hodgdon Meadow also stay open through winter, while the other campgrounds close seasonally with the cold and snow. Winter camping in Yosemite is beautiful and quiet, with snow draping the Valley, but it demands preparation: tire chains are frequently required on the approach roads, nights are cold, and you will be dry camping with no hookups, so manage your furnace, batteries and water lines carefully. Tioga Road and the high country are closed all winter. If you want a serene, snowy Valley, winter delivers, just come ready for it.

It comes down to access versus comfort. Camping in the Valley at the Pines puts you minutes from Yosemite Falls, Half Dome and the trails, and lets you enjoy the park at dawn and dusk when it is quietest, but you are dry camping and the reservations are brutally hard to get. Gateway towns like Oakhurst, Mariposa and Groveland offer full hookups, big-rig room, groceries and easier availability, at the cost of a scenic but sometimes slow drive into the Valley each day. Many RVers compromise: a couple of hard-won nights inside, then a comfortable hookup base outside for the rest of the trip.

Three main highways reach Yosemite, each with trade-offs for RVs. Highway 140 from Mariposa follows the Merced River and has the gentlest grades, making it the easiest big-rig route. Highway 41 climbs from Oakhurst to the south entrance near the sequoias. Highway 120 has two arms: the western Big Oak Flat approach from Groveland, and the eastern Tioga Pass, which is steep, very high and closed in winter. Inside the Valley, park your rig at the campground and ride the free shuttle, since Valley roads and lots are congested and tight. The nearest airport is Fresno (FAT).

An incredible amount. From the Valley you can walk or shuttle to Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Fall, and the base of Half Dome and El Capitan, hike the Mist Trail to Vernal and Nevada Falls, and bike the Valley loop. Drive up to Glacier Point for a jaw-dropping overlook, tour the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias near the south entrance, and in summer cross Tioga Road to Tuolumne Meadows and the high country. Rock climbing, fishing, photography and stargazing fill out a stay. Yosemite rewards multiple days, which is exactly why landing even a few nights of camping here is worth the effort.

For RVers, the three Pines campgrounds on the Yosemite Valley floor are the prize because they put you in the heart of the park. Upper Pines is the largest and the only one open year-round, with an on-site dump station and room for RVs up to 35 feet. Lower Pines and North Pines take rigs up to 40 feet but are seasonal. Outside the Valley, Wawona near the giant sequoias and Hodgdon Meadow near the Big Oak Flat entrance are quieter year-round options. None have hookups, so for full hookups you stay in a gateway town like Oakhurst or Mariposa.

No. This is the single most important thing for RVers to know: there are no electrical, water or sewer hookups anywhere inside Yosemite National Park, at any campground. Every in-park site is dry camping. Upper Pines in the Valley has a dump station and the campgrounds have drinking water spigots, but you will run entirely on your batteries, fresh water and propane while inside the park. If you need full hookups, you must stay at a private or county RV park in one of the gateway towns, such as Oakhurst on Highway 41 or Mariposa on Highway 140, and day-trip into the park.

In-park campgrounds are inexpensive for the location: the Valley Pines campgrounds and the outlying Wawona and Hodgdon Meadow sites generally run in the $30s to low $40s per night for dry camping, a bargain given the setting, though the real cost is the difficulty of getting a reservation. Gateway full-hookup parks cost more, with High Sierra RV Park in Oakhurst running roughly $55 to $75 a night for 50-amp full-hookup big-rig sites. Add the park entrance fee on top. Budget the convenience of hookups against the magic of waking up beneath Half Dome.

Five months, and you need to be ready the instant they release. Yosemite Valley campgrounds, the Pines, open for reservations on Recreation.gov five months in advance on the 15th of each month at 7 a.m. Pacific time, and the most popular dates sell out within minutes, like buying concert tickets. Be logged in early, know your dates and have backup sites ready. For 2026, North Pines is using a one-time Early Access Lottery. Wawona and Hodgdon Meadow also require reservations in peak season. If you cannot land an in-park site, book a gateway park and day-trip in instead.

It depends on what you want to see. Spring, roughly April through June, is peak waterfall season when the snowmelt thunders off the cliffs, the most dramatic time in the Valley, but it is busy and the high country is still snowed in. Summer opens everything, including Tioga Road and Tuolumne Meadows, but it is the most crowded and hardest to book. Fall, in September and October, brings crisp air and thinner crowds, our favorite, though waterfalls run low. Winter is quiet and snowy with only a few campgrounds open and chains often required. Each season is a different park.

Within limits, yes. The Valley campgrounds cap RV length: Upper Pines takes RVs up to 35 feet and trailers up to 24, while Lower Pines and North Pines accept RVs up to 40 feet and trailers to 35. Outlying campgrounds vary, so always check the specific site length before booking. Remember there are no hookups anywhere inside, so a big rig will be dry camping. Many big-rig owners base at a gateway full-hookup park like High Sierra RV Park in Oakhurst, which has 50-amp big-rig sites, and day-trip into the park, using the free Valley shuttle once inside rather than driving the rig around.

In the gateway towns, since the park itself has none. Oakhurst, on Highway 41 south of the park, is the most substantial gateway, with a full grocery store, restaurants and fuel, and High Sierra RV Park there offers 50-amp full hookups and big-rig sites for roughly $55 to $75 a night. Mariposa, on Highway 140 to the west, has the Mariposa Fairgrounds RV Park with electric and water hookups and an on-site dump station, a practical year-round option. Groveland on Highway 120 to the west serves that approach. Basing in a gateway town and day-tripping into the Valley is the standard play for RVers who want hookups.

Yes, though they are limited. Upper Pines Campground in Yosemite Valley has an RV dump station that operates year-round, and there are seasonal dump stations elsewhere in the park such as near Wawona and, in summer, the high country. Because no campground in Yosemite has hookups, these dump stations and the campground water spigots are how RVers manage tanks during a dry-camping stay. Plan to arrive with a full freshwater tank and empty holding tanks, and service at Upper Pines as needed. For the full rundown on tank service in the area, see our guide to RV dump stations in Yosemite linked on this page.

Sometimes, depending on the year and season. In recent peak summers, Yosemite has required a separate day-use entry reservation to drive into the park during the busiest periods, on top of any campground reservation. The rules change year to year, so it is essential to check the official National Park Service Yosemite website for the current entry-reservation requirements before your trip. If you have a campground reservation, that typically covers your entry, but day-trippers staying in a gateway town may need the timed-entry permit. Do not assume, confirm the current policy so you are not turned away at the gate.

Only a few. Upper Pines in the Valley is the year-round RV-friendly campground, and Wawona and Hodgdon Meadow also stay open through winter, while the other campgrounds close seasonally with the cold and snow. Winter camping in Yosemite is beautiful and quiet, with snow draping the Valley, but it demands preparation: tire chains are frequently required on the approach roads, nights are cold, and you will be dry camping with no hookups, so manage your furnace, batteries and water lines carefully. Tioga Road and the high country are closed all winter. If you want a serene, snowy Valley, winter delivers, just come ready for it.

It comes down to access versus comfort. Camping in the Valley at the Pines puts you minutes from Yosemite Falls, Half Dome and the trails, and lets you enjoy the park at dawn and dusk when it is quietest, but you are dry camping and the reservations are brutally hard to get. Gateway towns like Oakhurst, Mariposa and Groveland offer full hookups, big-rig room, groceries and easier availability, at the cost of a scenic but sometimes slow drive into the Valley each day. Many RVers compromise: a couple of hard-won nights inside, then a comfortable hookup base outside for the rest of the trip.

Three main highways reach Yosemite, each with trade-offs for RVs. Highway 140 from Mariposa follows the Merced River and has the gentlest grades, making it the easiest big-rig route. Highway 41 climbs from Oakhurst to the south entrance near the sequoias. Highway 120 has two arms: the western Big Oak Flat approach from Groveland, and the eastern Tioga Pass, which is steep, very high and closed in winter. Inside the Valley, park your rig at the campground and ride the free shuttle, since Valley roads and lots are congested and tight. The nearest airport is Fresno (FAT).

An incredible amount. From the Valley you can walk or shuttle to Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Fall, and the base of Half Dome and El Capitan, hike the Mist Trail to Vernal and Nevada Falls, and bike the Valley loop. Drive up to Glacier Point for a jaw-dropping overlook, tour the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias near the south entrance, and in summer cross Tioga Road to Tuolumne Meadows and the high country. Rock climbing, fishing, photography and stargazing fill out a stay. Yosemite rewards multiple days, which is exactly why landing even a few nights of camping here is worth the effort.

Yes — there are free RV waste disposal options available near Yosemite National Park.