Yosemite campgrounds through the year
- Page revised
- Dates checked against park sources on
The year at a glance
- Jan Campgrounds operating 4 of 13 campgrounds operating in 2026
- Feb Campgrounds operating 4 of 13 campgrounds operating in 2026
- Mar Campgrounds operating 4 of 13 campgrounds operating in 2026
- Apr Campgrounds operating 6 of 13 campgrounds operating in 2026
- May Most campgrounds operating 7 of 13 campgrounds operating in 2026
- Jun Most campgrounds operating 9 of 13 campgrounds operating in 2026
- Jul Every campground operating 13 of 13 campgrounds operating in 2026
- Aug Every campground operating 13 of 13 campgrounds operating in 2026
- Sep Most campgrounds operating 12 of 13 campgrounds operating in 2026
- Oct Most campgrounds operating 9 of 13 campgrounds operating in 2026
- Nov Campgrounds operating 4 of 13 campgrounds operating in 2026
- Dec Campgrounds operating 4 of 13 campgrounds operating in 2026
What the shading means
- No campground operating
- Campgrounds operating
- Most campgrounds operating
- Every campground operating
Yosemite's camping year is set by elevation. The Valley floor sits at about 4,000 feet and has a campground open in every month. Tuolumne Meadows sits at 8,600 feet and, in 2026, was open for less than three months. Between those two, campgrounds generally open later the higher they sit, and most of the high ones are shut again by the end of September.
The park lists 13 campgrounds with 1,443 sites between them. Only from early July to early September are all 13 scheduled to be open at once.
The 2026 season, campground by campground
| Campground | Elevation | Sites | Open in 2026 | How its dates are sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Pines | 4,000 ft | 236 | All year | Monthly, on the 15th, five months ahead |
| Camp 4 | 4,000 ft | 61 | All year | One week ahead for stays April 15 to November 29; first come, first served in winter |
| Wawona | 4,000 ft | 95 | All year | Monthly on the 15th for April 15 to October 26 (Loop A to November 29); first come, first served in winter |
| Hodgdon Meadow | 4,900 ft | 100 | All year | Monthly on the 15th for April 15 to October 26; first come, first served in winter |
| Lower Pines | 4,000 ft | 74 | April 21 to October 19 | Monthly, on the 15th |
| North Pines | 4,000 ft | 81 | April 21 to October 26 | Lottery, or monthly on the 15th |
| Crane Flat | 6,200 ft | 148 | May 21 to October 12 | Two weeks ahead |
| Tamarack Flat | 6,300 ft | 52 | June 22 to October 12 | Two weeks ahead |
| Porcupine Flat | 8,100 ft | 55 | June 23 to October 11 | Two weeks ahead |
| Yosemite Creek | 7,700 ft | 74 | July 1 to September 7 | Two weeks ahead |
| Tuolumne Meadows | 8,600 ft | 289 | July 1 to September 27 | Half two months ahead on the 15th, half 14 days ahead |
| White Wolf | 8,000 ft | 68 | July 2 to September 14 | Two weeks ahead |
| Bridalveil Creek | 7,200 ft | 110 | July 3 to August 14 | Two weeks ahead |
Bridalveil Creek was scheduled to stay open until September 7. It closed on August 14 after a lightning strike damaged its drinking water system and restrooms. White Wolf ran without water for the whole 2026 season. Both are reminders that the high-country dates are the least dependable ones in this table.
Month by month
The "on sale" column applies to the campgrounds sold monthly: Upper Pines, Lower Pines, North Pines, Wawona and Hodgdon Meadow. Each release happens at 7 am Pacific on the 15th.
| Month | What is open | Goes on sale on the 15th |
|---|---|---|
| January | The four year-round campgrounds. Upper Pines by reservation; Camp 4, Wawona and Hodgdon Meadow first come, first served | Arrivals May 15 to June 14 |
| February | Same four | Arrivals June 15 to July 14 |
| March | Same four | Arrivals July 15 to August 14 |
| April | Reservation season begins April 15 at Camp 4, Wawona and Hodgdon Meadow. Lower Pines and North Pines open April 21 | Arrivals August 15 to September 14 |
| May | Crane Flat opens May 21. The park offers no first-come, first-served camping from late May through October | Arrivals September 15 to October 14 |
| June | Tamarack Flat (June 22) and Porcupine Flat (June 23) open | Arrivals October 15 to November 14 |
| July | Yosemite Creek and Tuolumne Meadows (July 1), White Wolf (July 2), Bridalveil Creek (July 3). Every campground open | Arrivals November 15 to December 14 |
| August | Every campground scheduled open | Arrivals December 15 to January 14 |
| September | Yosemite Creek closes September 7, White Wolf September 14, Tuolumne Meadows September 27 | Arrivals January 15 to February 14 |
| October | Porcupine Flat closes October 11, Crane Flat and Tamarack Flat October 12, Lower Pines October 19, North Pines October 26. Wawona loops B and C end reservations October 26 | Arrivals February 15 to March 14 |
| November | Back to four campgrounds. Camp 4 and Wawona Loop A kept taking reservations through November 29 | Arrivals March 15 to April 14 |
| December | The four year-round campgrounds | Arrivals April 15 to May 14 |
From mid-October to mid-April, the monthly release only matters for Upper Pines, the one campground that takes reservations all winter.
What the park says about busy months
The National Park Service does not publish occupancy by month. It does say three things plainly:
- Monthly releases sell out within minutes of 7 am.
- Campground reservations are very difficult to get from spring through fall, and also during winter holiday periods.
- There is no first-come, first-served camping from late May through October. Outside that stretch, the first-come campgrounds often fill on weekends and holidays.
Read together, those describe a park with no easy summer month and a winter that is easier on weekdays than weekends. The loosest part of the calendar on paper is midweek from December through March, when four campgrounds are open and three of them need no reservation.
The two-week campgrounds
Six campgrounds never appear in the monthly release. Crane Flat, Tamarack Flat, Porcupine Flat, Yosemite Creek, White Wolf and Bridalveil Creek open a new arrival date each day, 14 days ahead. Half of Tuolumne Meadows works the same way. For a July or August trip this is a second chance that arrives long after the Valley has sold: a date you missed in February comes up again in a different campground two weeks before you leave.
These are also the campgrounds with limits worth checking before you count on them. Tamarack Flat does not take RVs or trailers, and Porcupine Flat has four RV sites. At Tamarack Flat, Porcupine Flat and Yosemite Creek the only water is from a creek and has to be boiled.
After a month sells out
The park's own advice is that people cancel camping reservations frequently, and that the way to find a returned site is to search one night at a time starting with your first night. Recreation.gov has a bell above each availability calendar that sets an alert for a campground and date.
OpenCampsite offers a second way to keep watch: pick supported Yosemite campgrounds and your nights, and it texts or emails you if one of its checks turns up a fit. Either way the booking happens on Recreation.gov, and neither kind of alert holds the site.
Watch Yosemite dates with OpenCampsite
Short answers
- Which Yosemite campgrounds are open in winter?
- Four are listed as open all year: Upper Pines, Camp 4, Wawona and Hodgdon Meadow. Upper Pines takes reservations in every month. The National Park Service says Camp 4, Wawona and Hodgdon Meadow are first come, first served during winter and can still fill on holidays and weekends.
- When does Tuolumne Meadows Campground open?
- In 2026 it was open from July 1 to September 27. Half of its sites are released two months ahead on the 15th and the other half 14 days before arrival.
- What month should I book a July trip to Yosemite Valley?
- February or March, depending on the day. Arrivals from June 15 to July 14 go on sale February 15, and arrivals from July 15 to August 14 go on sale March 15, both at 7 am Pacific.