High Sierra Topix

with the Tuolumne backpackers campground being closed for the '24 season, can anyone recommend good options nearby for backpackers campgrounds in the area? I'm flying into Fresno July 21st with my permit for Nelson Lake and beyond the 22nd. Glacier is quite a ways (and i suspect it will be jam-packed). Would prefer to stay somewhere in the valley, but I know how hard getting any campsites on the valley floor can be.

I miss living in SoCal and just driving up in the early AM!

Sidenote: This will be my first time going out of Tuolumne. I tend to avoid crowded THs and popular trails, but have an easy 6-day trip planned with a basecamp, and fishing and exploring. A change of pace from the usual adventures and a chance for a one-day Sierra Slam. Hoping we can stay far enough off the beaten path, especially now that the High Sierra Camps are back open for '24. Should be a fun time regardless!

If you have a wilderness permit for the 22nd, you can stay at the backpackers campground in the Valley the night before. It's $8 and you pay now via the Recreation.gov app, which you need to have on your phone when you arrive. You can take the Tuolumne Meadows Hikers Bus up to TM in the morning; it leaves from Curry Village at 8a (not sure on the cost - you can find info via the Yosemite public transport page).

I usually sleep just outside the park on Harden Flat Rd. You won’t be alone. Other dirt roads provide more solitude if you drive a bit further afield.

But yeah, Yosemite Valley backpackers camp is the way to go. A day hike in the valley the evening you arrive and the morning before you head out on your trip is a nice way to start.

In the past, a backpacking permit was all you needed to use the backpacker's campground night before and night you got back. You put your payment in the slot at the campground when you arrive. It is per-person camping. Each "campsite" is considered a group site up to 6 people- you may have someone join you. Have they changed that? Camp4 in the Valley is different- although sites are still 6-person limit, a reservation are needed.

There are plenty of really nice FS campground along the creek west of Lee Vining. I think some of them are still first-come.

Wandering Daisy wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2024 9:04 am In the past, a backpacking permit was all you needed to use the backpacker's campground night before and night you got back. You put your payment in the slot at the campground when you arrive. It is per-person camping. Each "campsite" is considered a group site up to 6 people- you may have someone join you. Have they changed that? Camp4 in the Valley is different- although sites are still 6-person limit, a reservation are needed.

There are plenty of really nice FS campground along the creek west of Lee Vining. I think some of them are still first-come.

im pretty sure they are all first come first serve unless something has changed recently

The question is if you can still pay cash when you arrive. That is the way I have always done it. I think you could even write a check. I prefer to pay when I arrive because sometimes plans change. Once I came down Yosemite Falls Trail and lucked out and was able to get a Camp4 first-come cancellation. Camp 4 is a bit more convenient (you can park close by and the store is easy to get to) but much more crowded than the backpackers campground.

By the way, if you have a senior pass the camp fee is half price. You must have the pass ID number. You can get your lifetime senior pass when you turn 62 (I think the age is still the same for that).

You can also camp at the backpackers campground at White Wolf, which is closer to your trailhead.

These sites are at the back of the White Wolf Campground. Open mid-July through early September (approximately); camping in the campground is only allowed when the campground is open. Pay at the entrance station.

Wandering Daisy wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2024 6:41 pm The question is if you can still pay cash when you arrive.

Not anymore, alas - for every backpackers campground *except* the one at Hetch Hetchy, it's required to download the Rec.gov app and pay that way once you're at the site.

There probably is not cell coverage at Hetch Hetchy. Do you recall if the life-time senior pass discount can be applied whey you pay via internet?

Wandering Daisy wrote: ↑Thu May 16, 2024 2:34 pm There probably is not cell coverage at Hetch Hetchy. Do you recall if the life-time senior pass discount can be applied whey you pay via internet?

I’ve been able to apply the discount on Forest Service and NPS campsite payments when I was reserving online. Not sure why you couldn’t do the same when paying for a first-come first-serve site, if that’s what you are talking about.

I’ve also been able to use it when using the pay envelope method where you drop your payment into a box.