Yosemite’s Secret Backpackers’ Campground

You will quickly discover why Yosemite’s secret backpackers’ campground is such a gem. I don’t know what Yosemite National Park was like before the age of computer backgrounds and Instagram, but I do know that now it is packed full of people all summer long, most of whom visit Yosemite Valley. The Valley is only 5% of the park, yet 90% of visitors flock here. Around 5 million people visit Yosemite each year.

The likelihood of getting a campsite in Yosemite is pretty slim with those stats, so I’m here to explain how you, the wilderness lover, can score a spot in Yosemite’s Secret Backpackers’ Campground.

A quick summary on how to get a campsite reservation in Yosemite National Park:

Campground reservations are available in blocks of one month at a time (at recreation.gov), up to five months in advance, on the 15th of each month at 7 am Pacific time. Whew. These often sell out instantly, so may the odds be ever in your favor. If you missed your chance, you can constantly check recreation.gov for canceled campsites, and you might get lucky. Yosemite no longer offers first-come first-served campsites during the summer.

You are not allowed to sleep in your car unless it is in an actual campsite. If you don’t have a spot reserved, you will have to drive out of the park and search for lodging.

Here’s where Yosemite’s Secret Backpackers’ Campground comes in.

Do you know how to backpack in the wilderness? Do you have all the gear and knowledge to survive in the backcountry? And do you promise to follow the Leave No Trace rules and respect Yosemite National Park?

If you answered yes to all these questions you may continue reading.

I’m not kidding. I take the wilderness very seriously, so if you plan on using this backpackers campground in the way you shouldn’t – don’t. It is for backpackers only, and I won’t feel bad at all when the park ranger kicks you out and you have to drive out of the park without accommodations. If people constantly broke the rules, this campground couldn’t exist. So don’t be a jerk and camp here if you’re not backpacking. Got it?

How the Backpackers’ Campground works:

If you have a permit to backpack in the wilderness of Yosemite, you are allowed to spend one night before your trip and one night after your trip in Yosemite’s Secret Backpackers’ Campground. After spending hours searching for open campsites in the Valley to no avail, I thought this was too good to be true. It is too good, and it does exist.

Yosemite’s Secret Backpackers’ Campground seems like Yosemite’s way of rewarding those who want to get off the crowded roads and trails and escape into the backcountry. It would be difficult to go backpacking if you had to drive in and out of the park at the start and end, so Yosemite uses this method to give you a chance to already be in the park. It’s truly awesome.

The Yosemite Village Backpackers’ Campground is open mid-April through early-October. You cannot camp here if it is closed.

Once you receive your backpacking permit, you will be given instructions on how to use the Yosemite Backpackers’ Campground. It is $8 per person per night, and you can no longer pay with cash or check. You need to download the recreation.gov app prior to backpacking and use the Scan & Pay tool once at the campground.

The Yosemite Backpackers’ Campground is not luxurious, but we’re all backpackers here, right? You do get a pit toilet but no potable water (you can get water on your walk in). There are designated sites, but a bunch of people set up tents in one site. It’s kind of a free-for-all, but there is a camp host who can come check for your backpacking permit. There are picnic tables and bear lockers in each campsite – and I actually consider that luxury 🙂

How to get to Yosemite’s Secret Backpackers’ Campground

There’s a reason I call this Yosemite’s Secret Backpackers’ Campground. It’s not even on the map.

If you look at this map, you will see North Pines Campground. The backpackers’ campground is just above that campground, above the little creek/river.

You will park your car at either Curry Village Parking or Trailhead Parking – these 2 parking lots allow overnight parking in Yosemite National Park. The closest parking lot is Curry Village.

Park at Curry Village Parking. When you exit the parking lot, stay right and follow the road. At the first intersection, turn left and go over the bridge. This will bring you to North Pines Campground on your left. Enter this campground, walk past the ticket booth, and stay to the right, following the road. You will pass bathrooms, and I suggest using them and getting water here. (There is no potable water at the backpackers’ campground.)

Stay even further to the right on a dirt path. You will see a small bridge over the river. Cross that bridge and you’ll be in the backpackers’ campground!

The flooded trail to the backpackers’ campground.

Our experience getting to Yosemite’s Backpackers’ Campground – A Warning

We visited Yosemite in mid-June, and the whole park was experiencing a huge amount of snow run-off. This meant incredible waterfall viewing, but it also meant that the river in front of the backpackers’ campground was completely flooded.

We arrived at night and were warned about the water that we’d have to slosh through to get to the campground. What we were not warned about was how freaking cold that water would be. Duh, it’s snow run-off, but holy cow. It was the type of cold water that makes your legs throb. “It hits you like a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body” for those who love a good Titanic quote.

Anyways, we were in a panic because it was dark and our legs were quickly going numb. The water was up to my thighs when I heard Kyle yell, “there’s a bridge!” Kudos to anyone who just thought of Rose saying “there’s a boat!” I was so disoriented that I had been heading directly into the river instead of using the bridge to get to the campground.

If you experience this, please don’t panic, know that yes you are heading to the campground, and please use the bridge.

Looking for an adventurous 3 day Yosemite Itinerary, check mine out. Be ready for a lotttt of hiking.

How to Reserve a Backpacking Permit ahead of time

In order to stay at the Yosemite Backpackers’ Campground, you will need to get a wilderness permit and go backpacking. Luckily, obtaining a wilderness permit is WAY easier than finding an open campground.

Only a certain amount of wilderness permits are released from each trailhead to give everyone the chance for solitude on the trail. 60% of the permits for each trail are reserve-able 24 weeks in advance. It is $10 per reservation and $5 per person to reserve a wilderness permit ahead of time. I highly recommend guaranteeing your spot ahead of time, especially if you have a particular hike in mind. If 2 of you are going, it will cost you 15 bucks to reserve your permit, and I’ve never been mad about giving a National Park a little extra money.

This is the site to try to reserve your permit. You can submit the form 24 weeks before you plan to go backpacking and up to 7 days before. I will go over how to decide which ones to apply for in a moment – you can apply for 8 backcountry itineraries in one form.

The application period is from Sunday at 12:01 a.m. (PT) to Saturday at 11:59 p.m., with email notification of outcome sent by the following Monday. Successful lottery applicants must confirm their reservation by Thursday at 11:59 p.m.

Pick up your permit from one of the five wilderness centers once you arrive in the park. You must pick up your permit by 10am the day of your hike or it will be released to other campers.

Decide which backpacking permit to reserve

For backpacking trail options, this is the official Yosemite page.

For 11 backpacking trek ideas, head here.  We hiked the entire Pohono Trail from Glacier Point to Tunnel View, and it was INCREDIBLE. We camped at Dewey Point and witnessed an epic sunset – I highly recommend this backpacking trip.

This page shows you which trailheads are full for each night in the park. For example, if you want to hike Cathedral Lakes, you will look at the dates listed. Any date listed means you will not be able to reserve your backpacking permit to start on that night. Either pick a different night or pick a different trailhead.

Pick a few different trailhead options when you fill out your permit request, especially if you have a specific date that you need to camp. I got choice #2 even though my #1 choice still looked available when I applied. The dates are not always fully updated, so give yourself some options.

Sunset at Dewey Point, where we back country camped.

How to Obtain a Backpacking Permit a Week Ahead of Time

This process recently changed.

You can now reserve online at the same website instead of going to a wilderness station in the park. This is the info from recreation.gov: The remaining 40% will be released on a first-come, first-served basis on recreation.gov seven days in advance of the start date at 7am (PDT). Popular trailheads will fill very quickly; be logged on and ready to reserve promptly at 7am (PDT) seven days in advance of your desired start date. The latest you can make a reservation is three days before a trip, subject to remaining availability.

So there you have it! Yosemite’s Secret Backpackers’ Campground.

Please remember to respect the wilderness and the park while you are enjoying your time in this epic place. Backpacking the Pohono Trail was the highlight of our trip, so I hope you head out into back country like we did. I also wrote a detailed itinerary of our incredible 3 days in Yosemite so you can do the same adventurous trip! Hopefully this guide helps you to know a little more about the backpackers’ campground! Happy hiking!

If you’ve checked out Yosemite and now want to visit my favorite National Park (Glacier), go here!

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