Wawona Campground

We wanted to camp in Upper Pines Campground but all sites were booked for the Saturday night (1/28/2024). So we drove to Wawona Campground. It 's a First Come First Served campground (mid-October through mid-April). We saw a few sites occupied or yellow tabs attached on the posts. At first we couldn't find a good site but we were able to snag the best spot by the river (site 11) for Saturday night after the previous camper left at 11 am. You need to examine the tabs on the posts to see if the site is open because most campers leave expired tabs on the posts.

We used this campground as a basecamp for hike to Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias and Chilnualna Falls.
The next night we camped at Upper Pines Campground.

We paid $14 per night with my senior pass (50% off).

This campground was under renovations so dry camping and no bathrooms. No tent camping at the time. We had the place almost to ourselves in late October. Sites can be tricky for big rigs. Many are pull-out style, just pull slightly off the road. Presumably for tent camping. If you have a RV, I suggest interior sites on Loop C. Loops B and C are very nice. Short drive to Wawona Hotel and historical sites. Merced fork runs parallel to campground.

We had a great experience at Wawona. It was under construction for the sewage system so we had to be fully contained. Sites are odd in that you just park on the shoulder next to the picnic area of the site, but the benefit is that they're pretty level and easy to get into. We found that most people were facing the wrong direction in the C loop - we had to as well or we had difficulty putting our slider out.

Our spot was directly across from the river. There are several spots in a row that would be good for groups. The sites didn't feel like they were on top of each other, but they are close together. It was a nice balance for us.

The location was great as you're not so far into the park that it's hard to get out. We got lucky and there weren't any major crowds in the Valley, even on a weekend. But I would guess that staying at the sites in the Valley would be a bear to get out of the park unless you left pretty early.

As of 8/6/21, this campground is being advertised as RV only (self-contained required) due to ongoing sewage issues/construction. No tenters. There is no water or dump station available. Both available on Forest Drive near the Wawona gas station.

Based on the RV sites being promoted (up to 35'), one would think that a traditional 30'-35' Class A or C RV would be OK...NOT!!

Here are the glaring issues:

(1) This campground was originally designed for tenters, not for traditional sized RVs up to 35' with slide-outs or space to accommodate your entertainment side. Most RV parking spaces are 12'-14' wide road cut-outs/shoulders and do not actually allow you to back up or pull into the working site (they are blocked off by huge boulders). We were in A22 and could not open the road-facing slide-out for a Thor ACE 29.2 which is a small Class A. Spot A21 & many others were equally as bad. So the photos are MISLEADING showing the interior campsite, but your RV will essentially be hugging the road and NOT IN the campsite for most sites. We had about 1-2" clearance from the perimeter boulders to our entry door.

(2) MANY sites (especially those along roads perpendicular to the river - A22, A21, A19, A18, A15) are UNLEVEL-ABLE. Similar situation on the other loops. The sites previously mentioned were SIGNIFICANTLY unlevel. EG. Our Level-Mate Pro had our right-rear corner 21" lower from level. 21"!! How do you level that in a Class A or C!? Simply unsafe situation. As an exampler, Site A23 was parallel to the river and possibly level-able, but the entertainment side facing the river was very limited & uncertain if the road-facing slide could come out without obstructing the roadway.

(3) Other than being in Yosemite, this campground is not particularly scenic especially as you approach the river...tree debris everywhere between the campground and river...bring a machete. Maybe my expectations were too high, but the campground seemed kind of depressing.

Unless you are in a converted van, Class B, or smaller trailer, and don't mind being seriously unlevel, this may work out for you. If you are a 30'-35' RV with slide-outs, go elsewhere...you'll REGRET IT if you don't. We had 3 nights booked--we painfully did one night and then desperately trekked to Yosemite Lakes RV Park at much greater expense to salvage the trip.

As for cell service? Unless you have Verizon, you will have NO SERVICE. Rangers had strong Verizon sevice and we had nuggets on T-Mobile even with a Booster and high pole antenna.

PROs: Well, there weren't many, but the Rangers on duty were VERY helpful. They understood our above concerns and noted that several RVers were complaining about the same issues; apparently several of the vacant sites were due to disillusioned RVers who decided not to RV there shortly after arriving (who can blame them?). One Ranger was kind enough to research the Wawona tunnel particulars on her phone to ensure our rig would safely make it through - THANK YOU!

Suggetions: Go to Yosemite Lakes RV Park off CA-120 if you cannot get into North Pines or Lower/Upper Pines. We perused the Yosemite Valley campgrounds and they are fairly tight & busy, but they are centrally located and you'll be able to pull your rig into an actual campsite on a mostly level surface.

NPS/Recreation.gov should update their site as this campground is not, IMHO, suitable for Class A & C RVs 30-35'.

We saw that the recreation.gov rules said RV's only and it is because they are reconstructing the bathrooms throughout the entire camp. Many CA people did not care and brought 4 cars and tents with no self contained bathrooms as well as 12 family members.....and they were defecating all around the perimeter and in the river. The people that did have RVs (with CA license plates) were running generators all hours of the day and night.

Vault toilet / water available / no bathroom sink / no shower / table / fire pit / easy access / high shade.

Like you are at the South entrance of Yosemite park, on early June the campground was always full. But you can be lucky like us, and find a site at the least moment on recreation.com website. Price is really ok compare to other National Park Campground, I hope it will stay like this! The campground was nice, sanitaries were under repair, and it was cabin toilet. A big river - south fork Merced river - is just down the campground, and we can sleep with the sound of the river. The forest offer you shade, and you feel the wide is not so far. Be aware, you're in the bear county!

We arrived at dusk in early February and found lots of vacant sites in the only loop (A) open year-round. The rushing stream and deep forest were quite nice. Even though one camps just off the Hwy, there's virtually no traffic noise during winter nights--nice! Staying here for the one night allowed us to enter Yosemite Valley the next morning through the totally picturesque Wawona Tunnel in the early morning light--truly a special and private experience!