North Pines Campground

We feel so fortunate to have booked through the reservation lottery on our first try. It was my partner and my first time visiting Yosemite as adults and California natives. What a treat to wake up and have Half Dome right above you and the Merced river flowing beside! The Rangers and volunteers who rode by said we had the best site in the grounds. The campsites are relatively small and not clearly separated, so our neighboring site had a tent immediately next to our bear box and we chose to put our tent up a little further than where our pad was located. Having 2 tents would have been snug. Going during the week in July we found it no problem to drive and park in the valley, instead of taking the shuttle. Still very busy and was glad to have a campsite to return to that wasn't Curry Village and not as impacted. Highly recommend the Valley Floor Tour, exploring the village (including the cemetery) and lunch at the Awanhee with the free historical tour at 2pm daily. Looking forward to coming again and would stay at North Pines again in a heart beat.

Best campsite in the valley

Pretty good site! Close to the river but butts up against an adjacent site pretty closely.

We checked in after hours but our info was on the white board. Very helpful and welcoming. We had a wonderful week and the facilities were great! We hope to return next year and do it all again!
Thanks to the staff and Rangers for keeping us informed and safe!

Bring tubes to float in the river.

Campsites 306 and 308 had grass way over grown.
Had to use my axe for 2 hours to take back the brush. Limited shade.
Been coming to Yosemite for three decades and always love it, but really had to work to make the site decent.

Had some initial confusion on where we were setting up, because we didn’t have a camping reservation, but the Park Ranger got us situated! There’s an unloading area to park drop off gear so you don’t have to haul everything from the overnight parking lots. Plenty of sites to choose from, and easy, but somewhat tedious process to sign in for the night. Clean toilets, no sinks or faucets. Conveniently located near Curry Village in case you need a restock on supplies. Overall, great spot that set us up for a backpacking trip!

Yosemite is a special place. We love North Pines campground, especially our most recent stay in site 502. It's next to the river at the back of the campground. Due to it's location you get reduced vehicle traffic, but increased foot traffic traversing the site to get to the river - a price we are happy to pay for the location. 502 is a bit off the river, closer to some stagnant water, so the mosquitoes were a bit of a challenge. As a bonus, we saw a bear traverse the river before we left - such a memorable experience. All-in-all, we loved it and hope to return next year!

It’s a beautiful campground in the heart of Yosemite. The sites are decent and the people respect the quiet hours. Wildlife is nearby, we saw a bear just a couple of yards from the campground.

Pros: in Yosemite and you don’t have to worry about finding a parking spot. Shuttles through out the valley picking you up as close to your campground.

Cons: no shade. No privacy. Very close to other sites. No fire before 5pm and after 10pm. Rangers do not come clean up sites after campers.