Best For
Campers who want a large, forested campground with good RV access close to both the Valley and the Tioga Road corridor. Reopened after a four-year hiatus and rehabilitation, making it a relatively refreshed option in the park's lineup.
148
Sites
No
Hookups
Crane Flat sits 17 miles from Yosemite Valley at the junction of Big Oak Flat Road and Tioga Road, offering 148 sites in a dense forest setting. The campground was recently rehabilitated after a four-year closure — new plants and shrubs are establishing, so campers are asked to keep wheels on pads. Booking data shows May as the opening month with 100% last-minute fill across 267 reservations (likely an abbreviated opening window), while June through September see 35–45% last-minute rates across 3,000+ reservations per month — some of the most accessible last-minute numbers of any campground open during peak season. The 40-foot vehicle maximum makes it one of the better large-RV options in the park, and the 14-day stay limit is generous.
Content from Yosemite National Park park guide
May and June offer the best balance of good weather and last-minute booking opportunity — May park-wide runs 44.5% last-minute across 17,031 reservations, and Valley campgrounds like Lower Pines hit 36.4% last-minute that month. July through September is peak season with 38–41% last-minute rates park-wide, but Valley sites fill hardest, with North Pines showing 40.4% of August reservations made 6+ months in advance. October is counterintuitively the hardest month park-wide at 34.8% last-minute despite being post-summer, driven by fall visitors; November and December drop sharply to 43–44% last-minute for those willing to camp in cooler conditions.
The free Yosemite Valley Shuttle operates year-round and is the primary way to move between campgrounds, trailheads, and facilities without driving — essential during summer when parking lots fill by mid-morning. Tioga Road (Highway 120) is typically open late May or June through November, unlocking Crane Flat, White Wolf, Porcupine Flat, Tamarack Flat, and Tuolumne Meadows campgrounds; check NPS road conditions before any Tioga Road trip since opening dates vary by year. Glacier Point Road, which accesses Bridalveil Creek Campground, has its own seasonal opening tied to snowpack.
Total reservations in May — 2024: 267 · 2025: 1,139
Address
Yosemite National Park, California
Coordinates
37.7639, -119.8444
Very high demand - sites typically fill up immediately when the booking window opens. Plan to book the moment reservations open.
Yosemite National Park
Stanislaus National Forest
Yosemite National Park
Sierra National Forest
Sierra National Forest
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Stanislaus National Forest
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The park entrance fee is $35 per vehicle for a 7-day pass. Nightly camping rates vary by campground but generally run $26–$36 per night for standard sites. The America the Beautiful Annual Pass ($80) covers the entrance fee for the pass holder's vehicle and is worth it if you're visiting two or more federal fee sites in a year — it does not reduce the nightly camping fee. Horse campsites at Wawona and Tuolumne require separate reservations from the standard campground bookings.
The 7-day stay limit applies at Valley campgrounds (Upper Pines, Lower Pines, North Pines, Camp 4, Wawona, Wawona Horse Campsites); most other campgrounds allow 14 days. Cell service is unreliable throughout much of the park, particularly at high-elevation Tioga Road campgrounds — download offline maps before arrival. The nearest full-service towns for supplies are El Portal (just outside the Arch Rock entrance) and Mariposa to the south; Yosemite Village has a grocery store but expect premium prices and crowds.