North Pines Campground

Even with as many campsites as there were and people, it was surprisingly quite. You just can't beat being below Half Dome and the Royal Arches. All the stern bear warnings had us on edge all night long though... even though we did everything we could to eliminate smells and food from our camper van!

Site 109 in North Pines Campground abuts the Merced River, a pleasant view and plenty of space with only two neighbors. You have shared access to the shore of the river and could easily get in and out of the water if you wanted to wade. Nice views of the granite wall from some spots in the campsite. Bathroom is right across the way.

Easy in and out, well marked and identified. Shuttle access to the rest of the park was just across the bridge from the campground entrance, which was fantastic

The only cons are, it is right across from the bathrooms and bear-proof receptacles. And it's close enough to the entrance that all vehicles entering or exiting the campground pass by, but that didn't seem to be an issue with noise for me.

This campsite is a dream come true! It was a HUGE lot with lots of options to place a tent. We opted for a location against the fence and we could see Yosemite Falls through our tent window. My boys loved playing in the river right by the site, particularly the quiet waters off to the side and climbing over tree logs. It was a roomy and spacious site, to say the least. There are many trees that provide shaded spots, so the site stays cool and the sun doesn't reflect off the cliffs down on the campsite, as it does with other sites. It does come with some caveats, however. Note that only 6 campers are allowed at the site after hours, so, no large gatherings despite the ample space provided. Also, the land next to the river is technically public so during the daytime we had people bike in and camp out on the riverbank. So, even though it was our campsite, we had probably 50 people on bikes, BBQing, walking through our site, relaxing right on the river all day. We eventually had to ask the Ranger to help us to ask them to leave. Just be aware!

Campground is loud, all the sites are on top of each other. There were multiple groups that were loud through late in the evening with little respect for other groups and little enforcement from Rangers or host. Also the bathroom lights are very bright and don't turn off so doesn't get very dark within the campground. Having camped at many NPS campgrounds, felt that this one was lacking and was very clearly an attempt to fit as many people in the campground as possible. On the positives, the campground is conveniently located in the valley, multiple trail accessed directly from campground or nearby (Mist trail/Nevada & Vernal falls, Mirror lake). Curry village with nearby store and showers.

Campground was clean with ample amount of space. Some areas of the campground needed some trimmings but overall decent conditions. Walks to the restrooms were only 1 minute and very close by in either direction you choose.

Clean and quiet

Sites are too close to each other

Terrible location for tent camping. Better for RV. The site is dusty& noisy, & not enough space between sites for tent camping. I was only there for one night, both I & my friend got sick, with a bad dry cough can hardly speak, 6 days later still a dry cough.

Very friendly Rangers and volunteers. Good instruction. Great location.

Crowded and smoky but it’s in the valley.