Camping at Yosemite

dealgrabber2002

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I have never been there and planning camp there for about 2 nights during August or Sept. I looked at the site and noticed there are more than one place to camp. Do anyone know where which one has good views and maybe a lake/river? We mainly do tent/regular camping..we too poor for RV style camping. Thanks.
 

tygger

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Most of the campsites in Yosemite are nice. I like Porqupine Flat campground. Its higher in elevation (8000 feet/@2400 meters) which means its cool in summer, and its ususally not very crowded. Campsite #52 is nice. :twothumbs Be careful with food and store all food in the metal bear boxes. All trash goes into metal trash bins. This is very, very important. If you leave food/trash out, bears will come. Have a great trip.
 

HarryN

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A lot of the camping in Yosemite is in so called "tent cabins". These are semi-permanent structures with a raised wooden floor and a sort of old fashioned tarp tent. IIRC, the bedding is a cot with wool blankets, which is very handy if you camp in the spring.

There are a couple of reasons for this kind of setup - some of them are good, some are questionable. When Yosemite flooded out a few years ago, it pretty much made the park floor unusable. In the interest of managing the over use of the park, they sort of bunched all of the camping into specific areas, and the raise platform tents fit into the reduced wear on the park concept. The downside, is that you are reasonably close to your neighbors.

Once you get there, Yosemite is nice to visit, and I wish we went there more often. Getting there is kind of a PITA IMHO, as no attempt has been made whatsoever to make this a family friendly road. A strategically placed bridge would cut the long and winding road time by 80%, but perhaps this is too progressive for such an area.

There is food sold in the park, but I suggest bringing some of your own also that does not need to be cooked. The restaraunt is open for meals, but at least when we went, not other times. If you are out hiking and return with a hungry family at "non meal times", you are limited to potato chips.

There most definitely are black bears in the park. The park provides food lockers for your stuff and make sure to use it. Even an empty food bag will attract them to your car at night, and they are just amazingly strong.
 

dealgrabber2002

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Thanks for the info guys!

I was able to find details on Porqupine Flat, but cannot find any info on camp #52. It's a good thing that some don't require reservations. What are the chances of going there mid-August and able to find a campsite with openings?
 

tygger

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Mar 15, 2002
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Florida
Just get to a campground before 12pm and you should find a spot no problem. Yosemite Valley is always crowded and the hotels definitely need reservations, but most other campgrounds you can find a spot.
 

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