Upper Pines Campground

Upper Pines: not for getting away from people. You are crammed in. People will walk through your campsite. But it really can't be beat location wise. You can shower at Curry Village. Bring a bike! And something to float on in the river. And cold beer.

November is a perfect time to camp in Yosemite. The weather is moderate, the bugs & tourists are gone, campfires are more enjoyable & most roads are still open.

Easily accessible to Curry Village, Mirror Lake (albeit a bit of a walk) and a multitude of hiking trails makes Upper Pines a fantastic site to pitch a tent and call home.

If solitude, peace and quiet is what you want, this is not the campground. However, it is conveniently positioned near major trail heads. Though the spaces are small and cramped, the other campers are respectful and obey quiet hours. Bathrooms are clean!

I try to get this site every time we go to Yosemite (at least annually). Such a great spot location-wise. Definitely not a ton of privacy, but it's much quieter than the rest of Yosemite's sites. Mild winters make for great off-season camping

Five of us stayed in Upper Pines campground this weekend (November 11-13). Although it is the "off season" it seemed like every spot was full, but it is Yosemite. We were in site number 70. It was on the inside of the loop, which I think gave us a smaller campsite. We had three tents and were pretty close to other campers. We didn't spend too much time in the campsite, because we were in Yosemite and wanted to explore! It was pretty cold in our site, and that side of the valley. The sun is often hidden behind the cliffs. But the location cannot be beat. You are in the valley with all the adventures right there! If you want a less crowded campsite you might want to camp elsewhere.

Woke up at 7am on wed and thinking about the mountains and 15mins later packed and drove 310miles to Yosemite to see this beauty. Didn't know the weather was going to drop 26-29degrees for 2 nights but I survived the cold and the hike. You just have to be there to see the valley and the pine trees 🌲. Telling you how gorgeous Yosemite is just won't cut it.

Don't come on a three-day weekend! Its already a crowded spot.

Cute and homey. The combination of people camping in actual tents and the retro bicycles everyone is renting and the smell of wood smoke make for a surreal scene straight out of that kind, magical woodland world you're nostalgic for but that never really existed, except here in Yosemite Valley: one of the most beautiful places on earth.

The campground was full but we let a random Asian kid share our site with us, because everyone should get to experience this place.

Definitely rent a bike and ride the trails around the campground. And walk over to Awahnee Lodge to check out the awesome decor.