Upper Pines Campground

We were in loop 5 site #159 of Upper Pines Campground. The campground bathrooms were cleaned regularly, the sites were clean, table and firepit in good condition. We enjoyed walking to Mirror Lake and Happy Isles. Curry village was close for getting supplies, food, and snacks. We also walked to the Ahwahnee Hotel and Yosemite Village. Our small dog always like walking on the trails at Yosemite. For best experience with smaller crowds avoids 3 day holidays and the summer months.

We had an amazing time! We came the week before Memorial Day and camped at Upper Pines with our dog. Having my bike was very convenient because it’s too hard to find parking by any of the hikes and dogs aren’t permitted on the shuttle. My husband was healing from surgery and didn’t have a bike so when we went to the lower falls trail with dogs we ended up walking something like 7 mi round trip and he struggled. It would be great if they could allow dogs on the shuttle given how congested it gets with Cara everywhere but I can understand how sensitive others are about dogs being around them so I get it… we just ended up feeling a little limited by having the dog with us but the little bit of the park that we were able to experience together was incredibly beautiful!! If you’re camping, expect lots of daily shuffling around of other guests because people dance around between different spots a lot because of how hard it is to get campsites. We were VERY lucky our two separate reservations were both at the same exact camping spot and didn’t have to move.

Only complaint is that after checking in at the ranger kiosk at the entrance to the campground, every time we tried to drive back into the campground, we had to wait in line while other cars ahead of us were checking in for their respective campsite spot. Please add a second lane to enter the campground (there is room) so those campers that have already checked-in may go around those that are checking-in.

We had such a wonderful time. While the campsites are close together, we happened to be right next to a family with 2 kids similar in age and everyone ended up friends. We even got to see a Yosemite bear climbing a tree and scampering off into the woods after some coaxing from the rangers. Wonderful access to hiking and it was beautiful hiking up to Vernal Falls.

Site was perfect for our needs

Yosemite is a magical place, the valley floor is the center of that magic. The upper pines camp ground was great. People were pleasant, the bathrooms were reasonably clean. Everything was nice.
We left before the insane Memorial Day crowd fully got there, but we saw them arriving in the form of a couple miles long line of cars. I am happy I decided to leave before their arrival.
Yosemite management needs to reintroduce the reservation system for weekends and holidays or the park will be over run by visitors. That only damages the park and no one has a good time.

We liked this campsite. You get your own private area, the restroom was close by, and our spot was clean. Overall, we had a good experience.

Easy check in, great scenery, convenient location with shuttle stops nearby. We loved it.

Our campground hosts Mark and Mickey were beyond wonderful in helping us. They helped salvage a bad situation into an outcome that we now regard as another adventure. Dale from the garage was so helpful as well. We love Yosemite!

PROS: Campsites & bathrooms were clean & well maintained; all staff were friendly, helpful and appreciated; fellow campers were courteous & well behaved.
CONS: The Green-Route Valley Shuttle Bus was almost non-functional (i.e., crowded, too-few); the roadway, in the vicinity of Happy Isles, was falling apart with no signs of repair/maintenance; some individual vehicle drivers do NOT observe the 25 mph speed limits, even with hikers on the road.