Upper Pines Campground at Yosemite National Park

AWESOME! wasn’t able to find a campsite for reservation two weeks in advance but a week before one freed up in this campground. It’s near the crystal lake trail. and you can see all the domes surrounding the camp ground which is super nice.
fire pit wet when it has snowed or rained.
We saw a pack of coyotes just chilling on the ice. that was super cool. also theres a lot other camping around us which makes bear attacks less of a worry in my mind. make sure to put away all foods crumbs in your locker, unless you want coons to climb all over your car because they smell food crumbs.

As always, you basically cannot get a spot in Yosemite’s campgrounds unless you plan and book your trip 6 months in advanced. Thankfully we snagged a spot in the Upper Pines for a whole week during early June, we decided to camp here because of its close proximity to the trails that lead to Vernal/​Nevada Falls and eventually Half Dome. It’s a 10 minute-​ish walk to the trail head depending on where your campsite is located (we were in the second to last loop). Our neighbors were all quiet and courteous, most people weren’t even there at the campsite for most of the day since they were out hiking/​doing other activities. Even though it says maximum 6 people per campsite and limit 2 cars, we came with 10 people and 3 cars and the rangers had no problem with it. Just make sure to be courteous to other people and don’t block the road with your extra cars and you’ll be fine. Our campsite was humongous and although located next to a bathroom, there were little disruptions from other people. Usually campsites located near a bathroom have extra space, and our campsite could’ve fit probably 5+ large tents if we wanted to, but we only put up 1 large 6 person tent and 3 small 2-​person tents. Again, no problem from the rangers. Overall I would camp here again for sure!

Stayed here with a climbing group and had three sites #71−73 for three nights. Site #73 was probably big enough to fit all of our group. Each site has a picnic table, fire pit with grill and one bear box which was clean and big enough for seven people. They also have overflow parking which we definitely utilized. Bathrooms were also clean with an electric hookup in case you need to recharge your camera or phone.
The good:
Great for big groups
Walking distance to Curry Village in case you need or forgot something
Hiking trail nearby for Vernal Fall, Nevada Fall, and JMT
Nature Center at Happy Isle also nearby
Climbing spots right on campground
Shuttle stop #15 so you can hop on and off
Views Half Dome
Bikes great, lots of pave paths and bike trail. Awesome night bike ride on a full moon
The bad:
If you’re not a fan of crowds. Even on low season, it can still be crowded for those who like the peace and quite of nature.
The weekend we stayed here, there was a TJ lemon kitchen hand soap in both the women and men’s restroom. So appreciated especially with the hanta virus outbreak within the last few months. Thanks a million to the person who left it!
PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE anything out for bears. We left a whole pumpkin out to get into the Halloween spirit and received a warning from the ranger. Bears is a serious concern in Yose.

We got here the weekend before Labor Day so the day crowds were down a little but the park was still real crowded. It was hot but there is plenty of shade just about everywhere. They had a large bear box and fire pit. The bathrooms were pretty clean and all around. Hot showers at Curry if you wanted and plenty of restaurant choices in the park; there is a pretty large grocery store too.
Make sure the permit is under the person’s name who is signing in otherwise you may not get in.

I was in Yosemite in late November (it slipped my mind to write a review until now), so I wanted to preface this that while I did go in the Winter (ish) months, it wasn’t a December/​January month.
I’d wanted to go for a while, so I picked out a hostel in San Francisco (Green Tortoise Hostel) and a camper van company (Lost Campers) in San Francisco, and rented a campsite about two months out (late Septemberish) for the week of Thanksgiving at Upper Pines. I tried to rent for three nights, but the best I could do was the day before Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving Day.
The campgrounds were easy enough to find from the entrance of Yosemite, and check in was around 12pm noon on November 25^th. It seems like Upper Pines is the same (standard nonelectric), which means there isn’t a convenient number of plug ins for you to charge things (only in the bathroom), so it’s definitely much more of a typical camping experience. I made sure to check the regulations on Caravan/​Camper Vans because that’s what I had. I had several options when I picked mine, so I chose one that was easily accessible to a restroom and on the same side as shuttle pick up. My check out was two nights later, on November 27^th, and though there wasn’t a physical person for me to drop off my pass to, there was a slot where I could turn it in. Easy enough.
Yosemite in November is cold. It didn’t snow while I was there, but I’d say it was definitely less than 20 degrees every night. When I left in the mornings (9/​10ish) there was very often frost on the ground, and sunrise was probably around 7 every morning. Since Upper Pines is sort of in the shadow of the mountains, it starts to get dark around 5:30/6:00pm every night, so that by 6:30pm it’s pitch black and freezing.
People were really very quiet. There were no loud parties or drinking into the wee hours of the nights and the few times I had human interactions it was because people were astonished I was there by myself. It was mostly families or youthful hikers in groups. Each campsite has an area for a fire pit, a picnic table, and a large bear box. The bearproof box could have fit about 3 – 4 regular sized coolers, and my one cooler fit very comfortably, with plenty of space.
PROS:
Quiet, spacious campsite. People kept them themselves.
You can pick which space you want on their website, so you can pick one far from the road, near the road, near a bathroom, etc.
Bathroom was nearby my campsite, which was great in the middle of the freezing night.
Bathroom had plugins (but that’s the only place that did).
Shuttle bus picks up right at the beginning of the campgrounds and it can take you almost anywhere you need to go.
Reasonably priced at $ 20/​night.
CONS:
Bad cell reception, but that’s basically all of Yosemite.
Started getting dark pretty early every night, and it was pitch black by 6:30.
There wasn’t any soap in the bathrooms.
THE VERDICT:
Upper Pines seems like one of the larger campgrounds, and it was the only place that hadn’t sold out when I went looking. It’s reasonably priced, close to the Curry Campgrounds (I walked there for the general store), and just an overall pretty nice place. There’s ample storage and set up for a group of up to 4, I’d say, at each campground. I’d probably pick another campground if I go back, just to get another experience.
Tips:
Bring hand sanitizer. The bathrooms had no soap.
Bring a flashlight. Don’t rely on your phone (especially in November).
Bring snow chains in the winter months. (it’s illegal not to have them!)
If you have a camper van/​caravan make sure it fits the campsite length requirements. They can turn you away if it doesn’t!
This is a campground for families and quiet time. Choose another one if you’re looking for rowdy twenty something who will invite you over for a drink.

One of the few campgrounds you can reserve in advance in March. Little did I know, Yosemite reservations fill up the moment they go up for grabs. Luckily, we found the one weekend with space left, and on pretty short notice too. $ 20 per night.
This is a very crowded campground. Sites are not spacious. We chose a corner site on the main road (#157) and it turned out to be a good idea because we had a little more room than most, and we found that cars were not a problem. Our neighbors were not loud, but we could hear a large group two sites down. We were next to the dumpster but it never bothered me. The site contains a large bear box as well. The ground was very rocky and it was hard to stake our tent.
Firewood is not cheap in the park, so bring plenty. There is a Wal-​Mart on the outskirts of Fresno that we went to on the way, but they didn’t have much stock, so we had to pick up some at Curry Village after all.
The restrooms were not far but they were bright! I recommend getting a site away from them. No soap available, but they are clean and decent. Showers are at Curry Village (drive).
Parking at sites is limited. The aforementioned large group brought an extra truck and had the guts to ask our neighbor to share their driveway. Don’t be those people. I believe you can park at Curry Village if you brought too many cars.
March was freezing at night, but nice during the day for hikes. I assume in a non-​drought year, you will find snow at that time.
I give Upper Pines 3.5 stars.

I came here with two of my friends recently for a mid-​September camp before school started again. Because of the recent fire by Half Dome, many of the sites were open and we literally booked only a few days before arriving.
I really enjoyed my stay here. The park rangers were really friendly and did occasional check-​ups to instruct people about using bear locks and such. I liked where we camped in particular because of how much open space there was (Campsite 24). I noticed that a few of the other sites were much more cramped. Considering that this was a really cheap campsite ($ 20 per night) with running water and clean bathrooms, I thought it was a great deal. It also has a nearby creek and trail heads. I would highly recommend looking at a map of this place before booking because as I said before, each site varies in space, but not in cost.
Be kind to your camping neighbors! It will make the trip a lot more enjoyable for you both. Happy camping!