BarrowfordBluesman

We have to travel in July due to a combination of insecurity at work and being tied to the school holidays. We're renting a relatively small RV 22ft and plan to spend 2 or 3 days in Yosemite. We're flying in to San Francisco July 19 and picking up our RV on 20th which means we are going to hit Yosemite on the weekend. 2 adults 1 child age 8. Heard a lot of nice things about Wawona, thinking about making the extra initial drive, basing ourselves there and getting the shuttle in. Any advice welcomed re accommodation/campgrounds. Realise our lateness is going to rule a few things out. We already obtained litereature from the park office but the plan is open. voyager58 at yahoo dot co dot uk.

Tomsd

Heading over to my trusty Starbucks but a couple quick notes. Not sure where you can park a motor home, but if you can find a spot in July - go for it - and take any means you can to get around Yosemite and the beautiful surrounding area.

There are other post in here on Yo - under California - but not sure if they address your specific question. Will try to find out more later, but just keep checking things out and good you have already contacted the Park.

Best.

nancytwo

That would be a very busy time of the year. Be sure you have reservations secured before going. Bus loads of Europeans/Japanese tourists.

enzian

If youndo not already have a campsite reserved it is going to be very tough. Check on the website recreation.gov for available campsites on the reservation system. There are also non- reserved campgrounds outside of Yosemite Valley, including half of Tuolumne campground. You should read on the Yosemite National Park about how to attempt to get a spot. Basically people line up early in the morning and wait for people tp vacate spots. If no one leaves, no new arrivals get campsites.

You might research RV camps outside of the national park just in case.

I am sorry to sound discouraging but Yosemite is so popular it is difficult if you don't plan well ahead and make reservations.

PaulRabe

> We're renting a relatively small RV 22 ft

Looks like you'll be fine in all parts of the Park

http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/restrictions.htm

But finding a place to camp on a July weekend? Better make reservations about six months ago -- or plan a long drive into The Valley. Here's a start:

http://yosemite.com/where-to-stay/ca...v-listings/all

If you want to camp in Sierra National Forest, just south of Wawona, here's a map of campgrounds there
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/si...187&width=full
and a description of each campground in that NF
http://www.recreation.gov/recAreaDet...encyCode=70903
Note that not all NF camps permit RV parking.

Barb_CA

There are some first come first serve areas above the valley, but to get a place in the valley will be almost impossible without reservations. Same with Wawona, which is on the southern side of the valley. Be prepared to park the RV and then do a lot of walking, or riding the shuttles that take you everywhere in the valley. Mariposa may have some camping sites, as well as Oakhurst, both of which are outside the park and at opposite entrances. There is a lot to see in the valley and you'll need a few days to really cover it, then there is a lot to see above the valley. Be prepared for a lot of driving.

enzian

I checked the reservation website and there are no reserved campsites available in the whole park beginning on July 20. And getting a "first come" spot will be impossible since you are driving up from the Bay area on Friday; by the time you get to Yosemite all will surely be taken.

You could check back each day for reservations in case someone cancels, but that is iffy. I think the safest thing if you want to RV is to book a spot at one of the RV parks close to Yosemite but outside the park boundaries.

I checked online and this place in Groveland:

http://www.yosemitepinesrv.com/about.html and this place in Oakhurst:

http://www.highsierrarv.com/index.html

have space for a 22' RV with hookups (water and electricity). Cost is around $40 per night. Each of these is close to one of the entrances on a major route into the park. Groveland is a better, shorter drive from the Bay area than Oakhurst. But the road into the park (Hwy 120) is narrower and more windy than the Oakhurst approach on Hwyl 41. Oakhurst is near the southern entrance and you would pas Wawona on your way to Yosemite Valley, but I don't know about RV parking there.

Perhaps people could suggest other possibilities as well.

And if you are not set on driving the RV, you might consider renting a car instead and booking lodging. Only Tenaya Lodge (at the southern park entrance) shows up for lodging "inside" the park, but there are other possibilities just outside the park at El Portal, Groveland, and other places. There are also private cabins available inside the park at the Redwoods, but they are expensive. Or you could try calling Yosemite West http://www.yosemitewest.com/ for a condo or cabin there.

Gardyloo

Having just returned from Yosemite (my first trip, and me a native Californian!) I'd just repeat Enzian's point. The RV will be more trouble than it's worth, and probably a lot more expensive - all in - compared to hiring a car and staying at motels. You almost certainly won't find accommodation (or RV camping sites) inside the park, which will mean you'd have to camp at one of the towns outside the park and drive in. That makes your RV a liability rather than an asset, since (a) even day parking can be hard to find in the valley, and (b) many of the roads are very narrow and steep, so driving will be nerve-wracking and slow.

For example, we turned up at the southern entrance (from Oakhurst) at 9 AM on this past Saturday and were told that the only parking for the Mariposa Grove (Giant Sequoias) was at Wawona (5 miles north) and when we got to Wawona the queues for the parking there, and for the shuttle bus to go back to the trees, were both really long.

Note this was before most schools (and I believe virtually all California schools) have finished for the year, so the situation in July will only be worse. If you're planning "2 or 3 days" I fear you could spend way too much time hunting for a place to stay overnight and/or riding the shuttle to and from RV-capable parking areas.

Yosemite is a gorgeous place, and well worth visiting. However it's clear to us that one must accept the logistical limits imposed by the park's popularity, and plan your own visit with an eye to making it as simple as possible.

PaulRabe

Found another URL that will be useful for you:
http://www.yosemitethisyear.com/lodging-rv

Rastaguytoday

This is the official reservations site for Yosemite.

http://www.yosemitepark.com/yosemite-lodge.aspx

The website is a bit funky to use, but you can get where you want, eventually.

I honestly don't know about all those other websites, but so be it.

Tomsd

Call the reservation line (be patient - it might take time to get through) - and ask for somebody - a live person - who knows something about RV parking/camping.

They should hopoefully be able to give you the real low-down, or refer you to somebody who can help.

janisj

Not a great idea -- sorry but in Summer it just isn't feasible. Read Gardyloo's post.

What is the rest of your itinerary? A motor home may or may not make sense depending on where you are traveling.

janisj

Meant to add -- if your screen name means you are from Lancs, here traveling by car and staying in motels is often much easier/cheaper than renting caravans/motorhomes.

A lot of our motels have kitchens/kitchenettes (many more than in the UK) so it is still possible to self cater to ease the budget.


(If you aren't from oop north - forget all of this )

enzian

I am not sure what Tomsd means by " call the reservation line.". Which reservation line? The official reservation website for lodging inside the park is yosemitepark.com as posted above. But they do not handle campground reservations and will not be able to give anyone the " real low-down" on RV reservations. It would be a wasted call from the UK.

The reality of Yosemite campground reservations is that they book up completely within minutes after the reservation " window" opens on the 15 th day of the month, 4 months before. For valley campsites, it may only be 45 seconds for spaces in the summer. We camp in Yosemite ( not in the Valley) almost every summer and I have watched this happen on the website. All that is left after that is the first- come, non- reserved camping spots, and whatever may appear later due to cancellations.

Lodging reservations are actually easier to obtain. Curry Village is the last to book up and one can often get last- minute spots there. And the private enclaves within the park, which I mentioned above, are a good option, especially for families. Bottom line is the Rv may sound appealing, but without advance planning and reservations, it is not realistic, unless you get really lucky.

Tomsd

Did I not read that they had already reserved the RV - and seemingly want to use it? And I just googled and found this - and there have to be others. http://sierrameadowsrv.com/

Hey - have driven all through and around Yosemite - and you can find places to park an RV - within some kind of "commute" range from the park. Would also check on where you can shuttle in from - and park the RV in a lot near that place.

Tomsd

Here is the map and it's outside of Oakhurst. http://sierrameadowsrv.com/mapdirections.html

Tomsd

Geesh: Just googled some more - and here are other RV facilities/campgrounds close to Yo.

http://www.yosemitepinesrv.com/directions.html

And Koa has two campgrounds - at Coarse Gold and Mariposa. http://tinyurl.com/7jomzqq

Tomsd

Uno Mas: People cancel all the time - so just keep checking and checking the various places/websites if you can't call/telly.

And if you can at least secure one night somewhere - you could check more when you arrive about where else you could try to find a spot - even if it means getting in a line somewhere.

Thought this site by PaulRabe was a good one: http://yosemite.com/where-to-stay/ca...v-listings/all

Tomsd

And this other site by PaulRabe has some good info.

Again, just keep checking and checking and something will probably pop up.

Tomsd

And just in case - here are the contact points for the official reservations site - and you could send an email. Also - I used to call/telephone all the time and once you get a real person - you find out a lot more info.

Yes, that would be more expensive from the UK - but you might try it through some of the compute apps. My sister was able to use those when she was living in Central America and they worked fairly well.

Again, keep trying - and unless you are a nervous nelly type - think it will work out one way or another.

http://yosemitepark.com/AboutUs_ContactUs.aspx

and:
Lodging Reservations (801) 559-4884

For Reservations questions, email us directly at [email protected].