Upper Pines Campground

After a couple years of trying to get a spot here in the Fall, I landed a spot in the farthest loop for mid October 2023. Upon entry, I stopped at the dump station before the check in gate and did a complete fresh water fill and clean out of my tanks. The entry was easy with no one in line on a Monday. I had spot 222, which was easy to get to and to back in my trailer. All of the sites were reserved as you would expect but not all campers actually stayed those nights, with about 10% vacant. Everyone seemed to have a common goal of a nature experience so there was no unacceptable generator noise, partying or other issues you experience at private campgrounds. All of the loops have multiple trash dumpsters for waste and each spot has a bear-safe container. I have Verizon cell service, and without my WeBoost had 3 bars of cell but sketchy data. With my WeBoost activated I had 4 bars and ran data fine to access Internet and run streaming TV. Upper Pines as you likely know is perfect to situated to the main valley attractions, and centrally situated to the outer drives and hikes. I got up at 5:30 and got ahead of the crowds for the best access to views where I did t want to fight for a good spot to park or take pictures. By 9AM event the smaller Fall crowds create a bit of a jam, so plan your day accordingly. The villages offer great grocery and memorabilia shopping that is reasonably priced. There is gas about 30 minutes away if you need to fill up. Overall this is one of the best campgrounds run by the parks. If you are looking for an off-grid experience here, please adjust your expectations. It’s an awesome federal campground and 100 times better than A Thousand Trails… but there is a good number of campers. It just seems to work well given that’s the case.

After a couple years of trying to get a spot here in the Fall, I landed a spot in the farthest loop for mid October 2023. Upon entry, I stopped at the dump station before the check in gate and did a complete fresh water fill and clean out of my tanks. The entry was easy with no one in line on a Monday. I had spot 222, which was easy to get to and to back in my trailer. All of the sites were reserved as you would expect but not all campers actually stayed those nights, with about 10% vacant. Everyone seemed to have a common goal of a nature experience so there was no unacceptable generator noise, partying or other issues you experience at private campgrounds. All of the loops have multiple trash dumpsters for waste and each spot has a bear-safe container. I have Verizon cell service, and without my WeBoost had 3 bars of cell but sketchy data. With my WeBoost activated I had 4 bars and ran data fine to access Internet and run streaming TV. Upper Pines as you likely know is perfect to situated to the main valley attractions, and centrally situated to the outer drives and hikes. I got up at 5:30 and got ahead of the crowds for the best access to views where I did t want to fight for a good spot to park or take pictures. By 9AM event the smaller Fall crowds create a bit of a jam, so plan your day accordingly. The villages offer great grocery and memorabilia shopping that is reasonably priced. There is gas about 30 minutes away if you need to fill up. Overall this is one of the best campgrounds run by the parks. If you are looking for an off-grid experience here, please adjust your expectations. It’s an awesome federal campground and 100 times better than A Thousand Trails… but there is a good number of campers. It just seems to work well given that’s the case.

Upper Pines CG is the only one open to RV during off-season in Yosemite Valley. It's right next to Curry village with easy walk to Mirror Lake and Misty Trail and served by the shuttle bus through the valley. It is very crowded in layout. I can't find the path to the nearest restroom and had to walk between campsites (the best I can figure out the boundary). The campsite I'm assigned to is fairly small but with enough parking space for the RV. 6 feet behind the food storage locker are the tents of my neighboring sites!
As noted in the Yosemite website the CG in the valley is shaded by both the trees and the cliffs. There's no direct sunshine after lunch and the RV is under the tree so that the solar panel is not charging the battery forcing me to turn on the generator.
There is a checkin booth at the campground entrance. If you miss the 10am-4pm time slot when a ranger is onsite checking you in, you must go back before 12 noon the following day; check-in and check-out are both 12 noon.. I had more than 1 site for the 3 days, so I had to go back for each new site during the 24 hours that I stay in that site. It's a pain and unique over many NPs I visited; but I can understand: 1. make sure people show up for his reservation, 2. make sure campers know how to keep the food properly stored against black bears!
It is quiet during the stay; it's noisier than other NPs due to the crowdedness. Yosemite valley has become a tourist attraction now with its beauty; probably 99% of visitors to Yosemite NP visit the valley only!

Yosemite has fallen behind the other National Parks in the upkeep of their campgrounds. The sites are crammed together with no privacy between sites. The parking pads range from asphalt to pot-holed, uneven dirt sites. I did not use the bathrooms, but they did have water bottle filling sites and recycle bins. The location is perfect because you are staying in the park (thus the 2 stars). Like all popular sites, getting a reservation is crazy difficult.

I wanted to add some balance to some negative reviews I’m seeing for this campground. It’s literally in one of the most beautiful places on earth. The camp staff were friendly and the bathrooms and facilities were totally acceptable the whole time we were there. The people who complain about it being crowded… well, it’s a public space meant for everyone to enjoy. It’s supposed to be shared - appreciate the fact that so many people love this place enough to spend their vacations here!!

Great location. First time camping in our new travel trailer so we got to test out the solar options - which all worked perfectly in site 115 and the fresh water tank. The site was just big enough for a 21 ft trailer and full size truck (literally JUST big enough). Just a note because I never saw anything about this on the NP website: they have water bottle refills at each camping loop outside the restrooms (flush toilets and sinks available). Also there are bear boxes that are huge and each campsite has it's own - we were able to fit a small Weber grill in there! This is a perfect location - about a mile walk from Yosemite Village and a perfect base camp. I only wish I'd been able to stay longer. I'd also like to note that the staff were all very professional and friendly.

We have visited at least 25 National Parks and have always walked away impressed. But this time we left very disappointed. Upper pines was full and is the only campground within the Park open in the winter . Sites are on top of each other. No privacy. But we had read the reviews and accepted that going in. What was so disgusting were the mens and womens bathrooms. Floors to lit paper, window sills were littered with womens personal product's and on the wall was smeared "poo." It was that way the whole time we were there. When we politely spoke to the ranger at the campground' entrance, she responded by saying it was just because they are full and waved us forward. Like when aren't they full???

Due to COVID-19, Upper Pines is the only open campground in Yosemite Valley at this point late-March 2021, and it's being filled only up to loop containing site 156... and only every other site is being filled.

That said, even at reduced capacity, you are a heck of a lot closer to your camp neighbors than is pleasant for most people seeking the outdoors. Camping in the Valley has always been a parking lot affair, so be prepared for that. Noise is an issue due to proximity (but pray for neighbors who are actually talented at singing and it's not too bad). We could hear some folks in the distance running generators in the AM as soon a the 6am quiet hours ended.

There are sparse tall trees for shade, but the geography of the valley in this area means the sun doesn't really come up over the mountains until mid-morning and the direct sunlight window is less than 6 hours (~10am-3pm or so). Keep that in mind if you are reliant on solar power.

Just as a bonus to make life a little more inconvenient, every single one of the drinking water dispensers at the restrooms was inoperable or disconnected at this point in the season, so if you don't have a water bandit or other means to fill from the sink faucet, plan accordingly. I saw one poor soul literally was filling his gallon water jugs using a small plastic cup.

Nearest supply of firewood is the Village Store ~2 miles away (closes at 9pm), so plan ahead. For $10 a box though, the locally sourced wood they provide is very well-seasoned and will burn quickly and completely once you get it going. Not sure when Curry Village services will be back in operation (~0.25 mile away) for the season.

As others have stated, a lot of the sites are super close together. It's hit or miss and impossible to tell by looking at the map while making your reservations. But in such a spectacular setting, it's easy to just be happy no matter what! Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be designated paths to ANY of the bathrooms so it's quite likely folks will cut across your site to get to them and you'll have to do the same.
We love the beautiful pine trees but they don't provide much privacy and they do provide a lot of shade. Probably wonderful in the summer heat but a little chilly in November. Be aware that it's all dry-camping and your solar panels won't charge up easily.
We stayed in one spot for 3 days then had to move for our last two. It worked well b/c we were able to dump the tanks and fill up with fresh water. We then took part of that day and drove to a very sunny spot in the valley (the batteries charged right up!) and just hung out with our binoculars watching the climbers on El Cap.....AMAZING!!
*A couple recommendations: take some of the free, guided Ranger tours in the village. Very informative and will give you a better appreciation of the valleys' geology and it's history.
*Bring your bikes. We had e-bikes and it was a blast exploring the area, stopping for picnics, etc.
Would we go back? You bet, again and again....