Payments made by partners impact the order of prices displayed. Room types may vary.
The listings of booking offers for each property take into account the compensation paid to us by our partners. Prices shown may be for varying room types. Prices displayed are the lowest available, corresponding to the least expensive room type available, as provided from our partners as of the time of the user’s search.
Northside Drive, Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, CA
Camp 4
39 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Apart from being one of the most famous camping sites in the world, this camp ground is all around amazing! It is situated smack dab in Yosemite National Park, with famous mountains like El Capitan and Half Dome within eyesight. One of the most famous bouldering rocks is right next to the site, and there are multiple trails that start right outside the campground boundaries. The campsite is equipped with showers and bathrooms, and metal food lockers to help avoid bear encounters. This is also a historical campsite, as many of the greatest climbers from the golden era of rock climbing all stayed, trained and prepared at this very site. All in all a great campsite!
Read more
Date of stay: July 2022
Location
Room Tip:Â There are two campsites, one new and one older. The older one does NOT have showers, but the new...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Being winters it had self registration and it was super easy to do so. It has 36 areas that accommodates 6 tents per area. There are benches and tables and fire pits. Bathroom with charging points and water filling taps. It's 6$ per adult per night. Elders and children at half the price. Has ample parking. Cheapest place to camp within the park.
Read more
Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Just completed a four day stay here and thought I would post a few tips about the first come first serve process.
*Number of Available Spots* The Ranger posts the number of available spots that are scheduled to open up the next day on the kiosk window (see picture) before she leaves each day. On Monday there were 122 spots, Tuesday 67, Wednesday 61 and Thursday 77.
*Where to Line Up* There is a sign that tells you where the line starts. You can't "hold" spots for people. There is also a sign on the window that says that if you are "in line" (read sleeping) before 6 a.m. you could be cited for camping without a permit but I don't know how tightly this is enforced.
*Parking* You need a permit to park in the "Camp 4 Only" parking lot which you only get if you are registered. I parked without a permit while waiting in line and this seemed ok. Lots of spaces if you arrive early.
*Registering* The Ranger arrives around 8 a.m. and cheerily gives you the details Basically, she hands you a plastic number. You have to be physically in line to get a number, even kids. You can then go wander around while she processes each person in order. This takes a little while because it is completely paper based. You have to have cash. There is an ATM machine across the way at the Yosemite Lodge (which by the way also has wifi and a food court that opens at 6:30 a.m.)
*Camp Sites* The Ranger will assign you a site but she will let you pick from available sites if you know which one you want. There is a map in the kiosk window so you can see where everything is. Lots of shade but you may not know exactly how it falls until later in the day when the sun is high enough.
*Bear Lockers* These are included and close to your site. You have to use them (and should). Also, you can't leave stuff around the camp even for a second because of aggressive squirrels. There are 4 lockers for each site and are pretty good sized. No gigantic coolers, but medium ones fit well and still leave good amount of space.
*Water* No showers (bathhouses are located at Housekeeping and Half Dome Village for $5). There are 2 single stalls and 2 multi stalls bathrooms with proper flush toilets and sinks. There is potable water at a large basin sink.
*Trailheads* Upper Yosemite Falls trailhead is right by the kiosk. Get a trail map from the Ranger. Shuttle stop 7 is just across the road and gets you everywhere in the valley. Biking is better though if you can bring your own. Rentals are pricey. You can make reservations and buy ($) bus rides for some one-way hike options. All at the Yosemite Lodge across from Camp 4.
*Final Note* NO GUARANTEE of course, but I found that most people I talked to were able to get a site as long as they were in line between 6 and 8 a.m. On Monday (see my first note), there were still spots even in the afternoon. And note that I did not stay any weekend days (Friday to Sunday). Either way, you will have a pretty good idea as soon as you arrive in the morning since you can count how many people are in line in front of you and how many are available on the posted sign.
Read more
Date of stay: July 2016Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We used Camp 4, 16 years ago and used it again July 2013. We love Camp 4 because it requires no reservations and it's located in Yosemite Valley. Camp 4 offers a camp site with food storages and a picnic table. It has restrooms with running water and sinks to clean up, in addition it has an area where one can fill up water for cooking or drinking. Showers are located across the street at Yosemite Lodge for $5 or use Housekeeping (located in Curry Village) for free. It's $5 per person per night to stay at Camp 4 and everyone seems to be friendly.
**Strongly recommend to arrive way before 5 A.M. to secure a camp site. We arrived at 4:15 A.M. and there were already 5 people infront of us. By 7:30 A.M. there were about 25 people behind us. Though Winter time I doubt it's busy but it's better safe than sorry**
I saw campers of all ages, families with children and it's safe. The Park Ranger Lori was informative and provided us with a map of Yosemite Village and suggested we use the free shuttle bus to get around to prevent us from being stuff in traffic. The only time we used our cars we to drive to Housekeeping for showers. Twice we walked across the street to have drinks at the bar located at the hotel. Overall it was and still is a perfect place.
Read more
Date of stay: July 2013
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I like camping in cold weather and was at Camp Four this past Christmas. A snow storm blew through as soon as we set up camp but we only got about 3-4 inches in the following 18 hours. This was my first experience at Camp Four, but I discovered it is a great place to winter camp.
Pros: - The bathroom was semi-heated - The sink water was luke warm (rather than frigid cold like most other taps) - Camp Four gets much more sun than Upper Pines (the other open campground on the Valley floor) and so is warmer during the day - No reservations (perhaps a con in the summer)... and not needed in winter...only 4 other tents around! - Just a few minutes walk to Yosemite Lodge for supplies or hot meal if you need - Cheaper than Upper Pines if fewer than 4 people
Cons: - You have to park in a parking lot and walk in (distance depends on which site you choose) - No individual sites - you'd have to share grill and space when it gets crowded
Read more
Date of stay: December 2012
Value
Location
Cleanliness
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Located right in the valley, a 5 minute walk to Yosemite Lodge, 15 minutes to Lower Yosemite Falls, across the street from a shuttle stop and at the beginning of trail to Upper Yosemite Falls. Predominantly serves as a staging point for serious hikers and rock climbers, it is a walk in campground with space for 210 people (35 campsites, each campsite is for 6 people, expect to share a campsite with others!)
My wife and I camped here for 4 nights with our two young daughters, our primary goal was securing a space without a reservation that allowed us to easily access the valley. Camp 4 was perfect. If you are camping during the tourist season, make sure you are in line before 7 am and expecte to wait for at least 2 hours to get your spce. If traveling with a large group and you want to all be located next to each other, make sure you get there even earlier and get one of the first spots available.
The campground itself is fine, running water, flush toilets, fire pits. Because the campground is predominantly used by hikers and climbers, most people staying at the campground are either solo or two people. We stayed for 4 nights, over the course of the 4 nights we shared for two nights each with two different groups of two. Only drawback is that cars must be parked in the general lot for the campground, so all equipment and baggage must be carriers to the site, which deeding on the site can be a bit of a walk. Major pluses are that it is located in the middle of the valley, reservations are not required (not even accepted), and it is tent only camping! Will definitely use again in th future.
Read more
Date of stay: June 2011
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This was our second trip to Yosemite and camping in the valley is an absolute must! INCREDIBLE!
Logistics:
I can confirm all of the reviews talking about arriving early for a few spots. It's Yosemite Valley. Who wouldn't want to be there?
After landing at SFO we drove to Merced to cut our early travel time up.
What was supposed to be an hour drive into the Valley turned into 2 1/2 because of a rock slide the night before.
We arrived at 5:00 am and there were 35 people in line already. Some arrived as early as 2! (Perhaps overkill?).
There were 78 spots available on the Tuesday we arrived. Plenty got turned away. On Friday that week there were only 26 spots and people were waiting at 10pm the night before! (Def overkill)
The park ranger arrived just after 8 and we were checked in at 10 (again just like all the other reviews).
Tips:
Mid-day is the busiest (obviously).
We avoided the crowds by getting up early (5 am) each day for photography. We also began our hikes earlier too.
We laid low at our campsite on days we weren’t hiking and went back out around 5 as families and day trippers left.
We used the showers at the Yosemite Lodge pool ($5 to swim and shower) and at House Keeping Camp ($5 for the week).
The Cafeteria at the Lodge was decent there are outlets to charge camera batteries.
There is wifi at the Library in the village but its slow.
Atmosphere:
I think everything comes down to who camps at your site with you. Everyone we shared site #1 with felt like family.
We stayed a full week. It was tiring, our backs were sore, every piece of clothing smelt like smoke and we loved every second of our time here!
Read more
Date of stay: June 2017
Rooms
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Arrive early!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Purely amazing! It's amazing you can camp right in yosemite valley for so cheap. You just have to make sure you can get there in the morning early enough to wait in line to get a campsite. I got there around 7:30 and was one of the last ones in line. They pass out cards 1-75 each person who wants to camp needs to be inline! No place holders! And as long as you get a # you get a spot. I wasn't checked in until about 10:30...
Read more
Date of stay: June 2013
Value
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Last weekend, I stayed at this campsite for 2 nights. I arrived at Yosemite very late at night, so I was expecting all the campsites to be full and was already preparing to stay in my car for the night. During a midnight hike, we came across this campsite and found that there was still plenty of room for us. It was very inexpensive to stay in, and it had a great feel to it. It's a very basic campsite, with toilets, picnic areas, and potable water, but it was more than enough for us.
Read more
Date of stay: March 2015Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Camp 4 is located in the heart of the valley, a short walk from Yosemite Lodge. Originally, our group were to stay in Upper Pines, but through misinformation from the fine individuals of Recreation.gov, we were stranded without a campsite until a knowledgeable park ranger instructed us to try our luck at Camp 4.
The campground is on a first come first served basis. After a frantic morning of scouring campgrounds in the valley, we arrive at Camp 4 around 10am. We were stunned that there were a few spots left.
According to the campground rules, each campsite is for 6 people but we were managed to sleep 8 people without any hassle. The registration kiosk was vacant when we got there. There were little supervision from rangers through the night and seems that our neighbors also snuck in a few extra. It costs $6/person/night. Even though we registered 6 people, we paid for 8. I urged you to do the same since the money helps fund our national parks. I believe there are only 4 bathrooms in the entire campground. Expect long lines at all hours when the campground is full. There are multiple shared fire pits around.
The trail to Upper Yosemite Falls conveniently starts at the campground. If you plan to hike up there, this is a great place to spend the night prior.
Read more
Date of stay: February 2016
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Yosemite National Park area.
LOCATION
United StatesCaliforniaYosemite National Park
NUMBER OF ROOMS
35
Prices are provided by our partners for one room, with variable occupancy rules as provided by the property, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
Is This Your Tripadvisor Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
