Staying in yosemite for cheap?

I don't really understand how people stay in Yosemite 'for the season'. Camp 4 is limited to 7 nights in the valley during peak season, so where do you go after that for cheap?

Options I have been considering:

-somewhere outside the valley entrance (commuting every day? seems not very enjoyable)

-getting a wilderness permit and then parking car in backpacker lot, find places in valley such as in ledge 2 feet off ground to sleep technically on-route

Also, where do you leave your car if you are doing a big wall?

Couldn't find info on this kind of stuff. Any/all suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

I believe that most people who spend the season in the valley do so illegally so I'm not going to out them. Your ideas sound interesting though.

Most people park in el cap meadow, or manure pile buttress for routes on el cap, and I think the best spot to park for routes on half dome is the parking lot near glacier point apron.

If it was simple don't you think more people would do it ?

- get a job with DNC for the summer
- meet a DNC employee , develop a relationship/s , stay with them
- sleep in the forest or find a rock cave
- sleep outside the park like you mentioned

You need a little imagination and creativity to make it work , and you should definitely consider spending time elsewhere . After two summers living in the valley , I could not spend more than a week at a time there between the heat , the crowds , and the abundance of rock surrounding you in the Sierra...

Search:
mountainproject.com/v/yosem…

climber4173 wrote:I don't really understand how people stay in Yosemite 'for the season'. Camp 4 is limited to 7 nights in the valley during peak season

I think you are defining the "season" incorrectly. While summer may be peak season for the tourist hordes, it is hardly peak season for climbing. During climber's "peak season" (i.e. autumn), you are allotted 30 days of camping (after Sept 15th), which can easily (and legally) be stretched across a longer trip by spending time on walls (doesn't count toward camping), taking some rest days out of the park, etc. By the time your camping runs out, you'll probably be burned out on the Valley anyway, and ready to go elsewhere. No illegal shenanigans required.

As to the summer, the best plan for the Valley is to just not go. Hot, crowded. Lots of better places to spend your time in the summer. Camping--and weather-- is way better at the Needles, the High Sierra, Squamish, Washington Pass, etc. in the summer.

True...so I'll change my statement to: staying in May for the month.

Yeah, May is kind of the problematic month. Conditions are great for climbing, but the summer camping restrictions are already in effect. There really is no single good, legal solution.

We always just book a suite at the Ahwahnee for the month of May.

2 feet off the ground doesn't cut it for being 'on route.' I think you have to be a pitch up. A couple guys bivied on a portaledge on top of Bishop's Terrace for a few nights. And I know some folks who spent an uncomfortable night on top of p1 of Jamcrack when they didn't get a campsite.

As for "where to park when on the wall," it depends which wall. El Cap you can park either by the meadow/on the bridge, or on the side of the road across from the Manure Pile parking. For Leaning Tower I think you can park on the road right there. For Half Dome or the Column, backpacker's parking near Happy Isles is best. Those are all legit overnight parking areas. Make sure to put food in bear lockers.