Grab your best camping tent – Yosemite National Park has announced it will open all of its campgrounds to the public this month for the first time since 2019.
The announcement from the National Park Service on Wednesday confirmed that all 13 campgrounds at the iconic California park will open, adding approximately 500 campsites, all of which require a reservation from April through October.
"Camping in this park is truly a magical experience, and we want to provide the opportunity for as many visitors as possible," says Acting Yosemite National Park Superintendent Ray McPadden.
Tioga Road's White Wolf Campground, which closed at the end of 2022 for work on water and sewage lines, will reopen on June 20. However, park officials warn that drinking water is not available, so you'll want to carry a water filter or purifier, and only portable toilets are provided.
Also on Tioga Road, Tamarack Flat Campground, which remained closed in 2024, will open on June 23. Potable water is also not available here, though the campground does have vault toilets.
Reservations for both campgrounds will be released daily starting on June 15 at 7am Pacific time and become available two weeks in advance at Recreation.gov.
Additionally, the following temporary reservation on-sale date changes have been announced:
- June 15: Reservations for arrivals from September 15 through October 14 for Upper Pines, Lower Pines, North Pines, Wawona, and Hodgdon Meadow will release.
- June 15: Reservations will begin releasing daily (two weeks in advance) for White Wolf (no drinking water; portable toilets only) and Tamarack Flat (no drinking water; vault toilets). White Wolf opens for the season on June 20. Tamarack Flat opens for the season on June 23. We will announce soon when reservations for Tuolumne Meadows Campground will release (after June 15).
- June 17: Reservations will begin releasing daily (two weeks in advance) for sites 1–40 in Yosemite Creek (no drinking water; vault toilets), which opens July 1.
- July 15: Reservations for arrivals from October 15 through December 14 for Upper Pines, Lower Pines, North Pines, Wawona, and Hodgdon Meadow will release through their reservation season dates. As of July 15, we will be back on our regular release schedule.
The announcement follows Interior Secretary Doug Burgum's April 3 Secretarial Order, which mandated all National Park sites to "remain open and accessible" despite crippling staffing shortages caused by the administration's hiring freeze and budget cuts. The cuts have seen Yosemite scientists forced to clean restrooms to make up the staffing shortfall.
Despite these difficulties, McPadden says: "We're very excited to have these campgrounds open to the public as we enter the busy summer season."
Even with the additional availability, the park warns that reservations remain extremely difficult to secure. Park officials recommend you set your alarm and log in to Recreation.gov before 7am Pacific for the best chances.
Read our article on navigating the National Park system's reservation system for tips on visiting busy parks this summer.
- Stay cozy in the wilderness with the best sleeping bags
- Cook up a hot meal at camp, with the best camping stoves
