Photo: NPSHodgdon Meadow Campground
★3.9(524 reviews)
High DemandYosemite National Park · Yosemite National Park, California🚛Big Rig FriendlyLake Access
Photo: NPSBest For
Campers entering via the Big Oak Flat entrance who want a forested base camp without fighting for Valley sites. Also one of the better options for shoulder-season visitors in November and December when last-minute availability is unusually high.
105
Sites
No
Hookups
Hodgdon Meadow sits at 4,875 feet near the Big Oak Flat entrance, 25 miles from the Valley — close enough for day trips but far enough to feel removed from the crowds. At 105 sites including hike-to, walk-to, tent-only, standard, and group options, it's one of the more versatile campgrounds in the park. The rating of 3.9 is the joint-lowest of any rated campground here, reflecting the distance tradeoff. Booking data shows an unusual pattern: November and December see 100% last-minute fill rates, making this one of the rare Yosemite campgrounds where a spontaneous fall or winter trip is genuinely possible. Peak months (May–September) are firmly in the Book in Advance category with 24–29% last-minute rates across thousands of reservations.
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 October 2023: 1,952
Address
Yosemite National Park, California
Coordinates
37.7989, -119.8658
Very high demand - sites typically fill up immediately when the booking window opens. Plan to book the moment reservations open.
Stanislaus National Forest
Yosemite National Park
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Stanislaus National Forest
Yosemite National Park
Sierra National Forest
Sierra 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.