In the last week the pieces have suddenly fallen into place for a week of climbing the last week of May (Memorial day weekend through the next weekend). It seems like weather wise Yosemite is the best bet at that time. I foolishly thought this would be enough ahead of time to get a campsite in the park but when I went to the website the true horror of the situation began to dawn on me.

Is it really as hopeless as the website makes it out to be? Would it be a fools errand to show up looking for a first come first served site during that time? Is there no other way? Is everyone who doesn't register in the first few minutes after they become available really just out of luck?

Thanks for any suggestions you might have for how we might still be able to climb for that week in Yosemite.

Camp 4 is a first come, first served campground. Arrive in the valley early in the morning and get in the line waiting for the ranger to show up. Or figure it out another way. Should have no problem. Hope that answers your question. Have a good time.

Pete,

I had a similar experience once - I searched the website for two nights in a row and they were all full. Then I searched each of The Pines campgrounds for just one night...and got one for both nights at different campgrounds. You might want to try the single-night approach on the website. And continue to try until your trip. There will be cancellations.

Getting a site in Camp 4 isn't an unsolvable problem; it is just a nuisance. If you are willing to go through the standard rigamarole, you should be able to get a site.

Essentially, you will need to line up at the Camp 4 campground nazi's kiosk at dark-o-clock in the morning to get a site. Others might be able to comment with more experience on what time to get there. Probably 5:00 am should guarantee a spot; later might still be OK. A typical plan is to bivy just outside the park the night before, and then drive in early to get in line. Generally, expect to lose that entire morning to getting a site, moving in, and probably to taking a nap after your super-early wakeup; don't plan any big routes for that first day there.

have you looked into sites just outside the valley up hwy 120? like tamarack flat, crane flat, porcupine flat? I usually have success there. It's about a 30 minute drive to the valley..not too bad and its quiet.

Do you think the showing up at 5am plan is likely to work even on a Saturday or are there predictable days when people are more or less likely to be leaving? Do camp 4 sites typically come open every day?

Crane, Tamarack, Porcupine flats don't open until July according to the website. I haven't looked into sites outside the park but I think that would be much farther.

Thanks again for your help!

Pete

Last I was there (2010) we camped right outside the park and woke up at about 6am and showed up to the line at around 7:30. We were perfectly the last four people they let in. We got lucky so I would advise that you show up earlier than that. We had a bit of a funny race to the line with a couple who parked right next to us, and unfortunately for them we pulled up a second earlier or so. Good luck and have fun its quite the experience. Oh and bring a chair we sat there for probably 2-2.5 hours.

A thought on weather - I used to think that the end May was the best time to climb in the Valley, but the last THREE years the weather has been absolute crap over memorial weekend. The last two years it has rained and snowed on June 1st in the Valley! Every year is a different, but something to think about before you pour your heart and sole into planning a trip.

NPS Site for Camp 4....should answer 90% of questions

Thanks for the info everyone! Sounds like camp 4 might be possible with sufficient determination.

It's a 7-day stay limit in the Valley from May 1st to Sept 15th. You will have to get in line VERY early on memorial day weekend to get a site. If you're there too early (like say midnight) the rangers might drive by and see you and kick you out. I'd say 3am is a good time to get there if you're serious about getting a site.