1 / 6

Rustic Camping near Yosemite

83%
·
· Groveland, Tuolumne, California
3 acres hosted by Alek C.
1 RV/tent site
Avatar
Near Yosemite National Park
Within a 60-minute drive from the Big Oak Flat Entrance.
The Perch is a perfect private hilltop to stage your Yosemite adventure! Address is 10800 Merrell rd, Groveland CA. Follow Merrell Rd for about 2 miles, following signs for the dump / transfer station :) Google is pretty accurate. At the top of the hill make a sharp right and find a gray ranch gate with a POSTED No trespassing sign on it and beefy brass lock. Don't worry, that's my sign, and that's your camp! I will message you with the code when you book. Located 5 minutes from"downtown" Groveland, you have access to food, amenities, and the main road to Yosemite. Check out The Iron Door Saloon for bad food, cheap drinks, and loads of local charm! The site is unimproved. Lots of level areas, very safe and private, and close to town. There is a rudimentary fire circle, and I request that you do not use it or make fires on the land.Pitch your tent or park your RV: you have 3 acres of open land to use! You wont see neighbors. Only stars and a nice view into the central valley. 5 minute drive to lovely Groveland, and right off the 120. This is a perfect staging ground for a Yosemite trip. Note: there is a clear, flat area about 100' beyond the gate. This is a great place to set up camp. Views and easy access for any car. NO WOOD FIRES You are free to use your stove, but please do not burn anything on the ground, or with embers that can fly away. Burning down Yosemite will make a lot of people very angry and be widely regarded as a bad move. NO TOILETS AND NO DUMPING This is dispersed. Please pack in and out. I will check out the site between visits. Respect the land. If the scrub jays see trash they will be up in my business for weeks, and nobody wants that ;)
Activities
Hiking
Wildlife watching
Natural features
Mountainous
Select a site
Filter by
Loading sites...
83%
3 ratings · 2 reviews
Avatar
Thomas K.recommends
September 8, 2023
The Perch
Great location
The location is incredible. We wrapped up a whitewater rafting trip with All Outdoors and this land is right by the drop off. Alek's direction were easy to follow and he responded quickly to my messages.
Avatar
Adilenne M.
July 25, 2023
The Perch
A little unfinished… but stars!
Mixed review from my partner and I. We use Waze to navigate and after putting in the coordinates, it took us up a sketchy dirt road called Jackass Creek Access. Much easier to go straight to Groveland, then follow Host’s directions. With it being the middle of the night we didn’t realize how close to town it was so it seemed more backcountry. Heavy yellow jacket presence. Will fight you, literally, for any type of food you have. Cooking meals was a little hard because of them but no bites thankfully. Normal bug activity otherwise. Host no longer has it as a 2 party location like when we booked. Host mentioned a second party halfway through our stay and told them to stay further downhill. With no bathroom or “privacy” we asked what to do instead of drive 5-7 minutes into the closest public bathroom. Host replied “go downhill”… where our neighbors were staying… Site was close to the road which caused occasional car and truck noise along with locals yelling. Had a rowdy group of kids hold the horn up and down in order to wake people up. Locals down the street also have a large bulldog mix type of dog that they let loose every morning. He came by barking and peeing every morning while we were there. He’s spooky looking since you don’t know him but doesn’t do much other than loud bark at you, pee, and keep walking. Lastly, if you’re there for pretty stars, this is the place. If you're there for Yosemite, the closest trailhead is a 45+ minute drive!
Location
Groveland, Tuolumne, California, United StatesTraditional, ancestral territory of Miwok and Me-Wuk (Central Sierra Miwok) First Nations according to To respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking
Avatar
Hosted by Alek C.Joined in December 2020
Things to do nearby
More camping spots nearby

Safety at Hipcamp

Inclusion Policy
Inclusion Policy
Inclusion Policy
Hipcamp Hand

Safety partners

Recreate Responsibly

About us

Hipcamp is the most comprehensive resource for beautiful private campsites.

Discover and reserve tent camping, RV parks, cabins, treehouses, and glamping.

Download the Hipcamp App

Hipcamp is created with ❤️ and hope for our future.