Yosemite National Forest (U.S. National Forest Service)

2024 Appointment Requirements Horsetail Fall: February 2024 Appointment Requirements Campground bookings will be needed for Camp 4, Hodgdon Meadow, and Wawona Campgrounds beginning February 9– February 25, 2024(these camping areas normally run on a first-come, first-served basis in February). All February appointments for Wawona, Camp 4, and Hodgdon Meadow Campgrounds will be launched on December 15 at 7 am on Recreation.gov. Upper Pines Campground bookings are always offered approximately 5 months in advance.

Horsetail Fall can radiance orange when it’s backlit by sunset, which can make it appear to be on fire. This unique lighting result takes place just on evenings with a clear sky when the waterfall is streaming and when the sun is at the ideal angle in mid– to late February. This event draws in numerous visitors to a little location, causing traffic congestion, parking problems, safety concerns, and impacts to natural and cultural resources.

In order to manage this event, bookings will be required for entry to Yosemite on: February 10– 11, February 17– 19, and February 24– 25, 2024.

If you have a camping site reservation for Upper Pines, Camp 4, Wawona, or Hodgdon Meadow Campgrounds, you don’t need an extra booking.

Mid-April through October 2024 Booking Requirement

A reservation will be requiredto drive into or through Yosemite National Forest on some days from April 13 through October 27, 2024, for those driving into the park in between 5 am and 4 pm as follows:

• April 13 through June 30: An appointment is required from 5 am to 4 pm on Saturdays, Sundays, and on vacations (May 27 and June 19).

• July 1 through August 16: A booking is needed from 5 am to 4 pm every day.

• August 17 through October 27: A reservation is needed from 5 am to 4 pm on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays (September 2 and October 14).

Driving through the park will likewise need a booking if going into between 5 am and 4 pm. If you are preparing to go to after peak hours, please do not get here before 4 pm; cars blocking roadways will be mentioned.

The short-lived reservation system will help handle blockage and offer a quality visitor experience. We are explore a couple of different concepts for this summer as we deal with the Visitor Access Management Strategy.

Reservations are required for all camping areas from approximately April through October. Appointments are extremely difficult to get: you must make a booking as early as possible. Read answers to frequently asked concerns and suggestions for making reservations.

There are 3 first-come, first-served camping sites available in late fall, winter, and early spring. These often fill, specifically on weekends and vacations. First-come, first-served outdoor camping is not readily available from late May through October. However, some camping sites noted below have bookings offered two weeks ahead of time from around July to mid-October.

Campfires and Wood Smoke

Campfires are enabled (in a fire ring and when participated in), other than they are just allowed from 5 pm to 10 pm in Yosemite Valley campgrounds and Hodgdon Meadow Campground. Nevertheless, consider decreasing fire use or not having a fire! Emissions from campfires can deteriorate air quality in and near camping sites. This is specifically true during the night and in morning, when inversions trap and concentrate fine particles from those campfires near the ground, creating local conditions that are possibly unhealthy for sensitive people.

Yosemite has 10 camping areas that can accommodate Recreational vehicles and trailers (including 5th wheels) of varying lengths. If you prepare to spend the night in your recreational vehicle, you should be in a designated standard or recreational vehicle campsite– you can’t park in a parking lot, along the side of the roadway, or in a tent-only camping site.

• Reservations: campgrounds requiring appointments are normally full from around April through September. You must make an appointment as early as possible. If you do not have bookings, learn more about camping without appointments.
• Electrical, water, and sewage system connections are not readily available in Yosemite, although dump stations (with fresh water) are offered at Upper Pines Campground (all year), near Wawona Camping area (summer just), and near Tuolumne Meadows Campground (closed until 2024, then summertime just). Generator use is permitted, but only between 7 am and 9 am, midday and 2 pm, and 5 pm to 7 pm. Generator use is not allowed at other times.

• Optimum RV/trailer lengths: In Yosemite Valley, the optimum recreational vehicle length is 40 feet and maximum trailer length is 35 feet, nevertheless, only an overall of 8 websites of this size are available (6 websites in Lower Pines and two in North Pines, which are open spring through fall). Much more sites exist in Yosemite Valley and in other places in Yosemite that can take Recreational vehicles approximately 35 feet or trailers approximately 24 feet.

• Recreational vehicle length and trailer length are not the same! Please note that many campgrounds have different optimum lengths for Recreational vehicles and trailers. This is because a lot of the camping sites are back-in sites with restricted turning radius. We do not enforce the length restricts as long as the RV or trailer can fit on the parking pad in the website. Nevertheless, if you schedule a website for devices aside from what you bring, and the website can’t accommodate your RV or trailer, we will not be able to find a various campsite for you.

• Food storage: You might keep food in hard-sided Recreational vehicles and trailers, as long the food runs out sight, and windows, doors, and vents are closed when you’re not in your campground. Food may not be stored in pop-up or tent trailers, or other soft-sided campers.

Camping area Details

• Campground opening and closing dates in the “Open approx.” column are tentative and can vary from year to year. View historical camping site opening and closing dates.
• Faucet water and creek water: Camping areas listed as having creek water have vault toilets (not regular restrooms). Camping areas noted as having tap water have routine bathrooms.
• Showers are offered at the Curry Village pool showerhouse for a charge. Showers are not available elsewhere in the park.
• Dispose stations are offered at Upper Pines Campground (all year), near Wawona Camping site (summer season just), and near Tuolumne Meadows Campground (summertime only). No campsites in Yosemite have hook-ups of any kind.
• Check out Yosemite’s camping site policies.

Opening, Closing, and Appointment Updates

How rapidly campgrounds open in spring or early summertime depends on a variety of aspects. Dates are tentative and subject to alter.

• All camping areas will need a reservation from around April through October. First-come, first-served outdoor camping is not offered throughout this time. Any canceled bookings will be offered on Recreation.gov up until the arrival date.
• All appointments for North Pines Camping site were readily available through the early gain access to lottery game. Any reservations still available after the lottery game will be available on the routine on-sale dates 5 months beforehand on the 15th of each month.
• Tuolumne Meadows Camping site is undergoing a major rehabilitation project and will remain closed in 2024.