Camping in Yosemite valley on the upcoming September.

Hey All,

I'm coming to the US and Yosemite on the upcoming September. I saw all the new regulations, the reservations that need to be done a head of time and everything.
The only thing i wasn't sure about - the only campground that is operating in the Valley is the upper pines ? lower/north/camp4 are all close ?

Means that there is no "approved" place to camp for the night in the Valley (except of upper pines which is fully booked ofcourse..) ?
And one more thing, the park gates are open during the night (after normal operation hours) like it was before COVID19 era, or do they close it now ?

Thanks and climb hard!

I was also wondering if it is still possible to drive into the park after hours ? Anybody have experience with this in the past month? 

You can drive in after hours..but if you're caught in the park without a valid reservation the fine is STEEP.

Note: the permit is a big piece of paper you keep in your front left windshield.  It is quite possible a ranger will notice it (or its lack) in your car.

Old Prospectorwrote:

I was also wondering if it is still possible to drive into the park after hours ? Anybody have experience with this in the past month? 

You would be commuting a crime by sneaking into the park without a permit. -- see below

By order of the Superintendent of Yosemite National Park and under authority of Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 1.5(a), Section (a)(1) and Section (a)(2):

Under this public use limit, all vehicles entering Yosemite National Park must possess and display a vehicle permit issued by Yosemite National Park. Presence or operation of a vehicle inside Yosemite National Park without a vehicle permit is prohibited. (36 CFR 1.6 (g) (1)).

The vehicle plate and expiration date of this permit must be visible through the lower left corner of the windshield while a vehicle is within the legislative boundary of Yosemite National Park.

Tampering with or modifying any vehicle permit immediately renders the permit void.  All vehicle permits are non-transferable. 

Violating any term or condition of the vehicle permit is prohibited (36 CFR 1.6 (g)(2)).

All violations are subject to a maximum of $5,000 fine and/or 6 months in jail.

Yes, all of the campgrounds besides upper pines are closed. If you're planning on renting a vehicle there's places to car bivy on forest land outside of each of the gates to Yosemite. I can give you the beta on that offline if you send me a DM. 

As said above, the gates do not close so you can enter and exit providing you have a valid pass. The day use permit only allows entry between 5am and 11pm. The only way to legally enter the park after 11pm and before 5am would be to have a camping permit, a backcountry permit, a bigwall climber's overnight parking permit, or live and/or work in the valley. 

Don't do it dude. My buddy Levis was caught and fined just this week driving on 120 at 4:30 AM without a permit. Thing is, he had a permit that kicked in the next day and thought he would sneak in an extra day by entering the park at 4 AM. Ranger said it's obvious being the only car on the road in the off hours and that they're racking big stacks off these violators recently (I think their jails are full already!). Ranger said that 5 grand is a relatively small fine for trespassing on federal land. The fine and/or 6 months in the slammer is the same penalty for possession of weed in the park btw, which is heavily enforced. They got dogs at the gate, all the campgrounds, and I'm starting to see them bring the dogs out to the popular crags! 

Fail Fallingwrote:

Yes, all of the campground besides upper pines are closed. If you're planning on renting a vehicle there's places to car bivy on forest land outside of each of the gates to Yosemite. I can give you the beta on that offline if you send me a DM. 

As said above, the gates do not close so you can enter and exit providing you have a valid pass. The day use permit only allows entry between 5am and 11pm. The only way to legally enter the park after 11pm and before 5am would be to have a camping permit, a backcountry permit, a bigwall climber's overnight parking permit, or live and/or work in the valley. 

Thanks, I sent you a DM.

Watermelon Pizzawrote:

Don't do it dude. My buddy Levis was caught and fined just this week driving on 120 at 4:30 AM without a permit. Thing is, he had a permit that kicked in the next day and thought he would sneak in an extra day by entering the park at 4 AM. 

So didn't bother to reserve a day use ticket for the day he decided to enter the park. I don't think the fact that he had a reservation for the next day is relevant at all. Unless his permit was a camping permit, it's not like he couldn't have just selected the day before as well when he got his day use permit from the website. (And even if he had a camping permit, it's not like he couldn't have gone onto the site and gotten a day use permit for the day before his camping permit for a grand total of $2) 

Jerremy Stroman wrote:

The fine and/or 6 months in the slammer is the same penalty for possession of weed in the park btw, which is heavily enforced. They got dogs at the gate, all the campgrounds, and I'm starting to see them bring the dogs out to the popular crags!

They do not have dogs at the gates. 

They do not have dogs at the single campground open. 

They do not have dogs at the popular crags. 

There are barely even any climbers in the valley right now because of the heat and people's perception that one can't get in. 

Watermelon Pizzawrote:I think their jails are full already!

I wonder who’s bright idea if was to incarcerate bodies during a pandemic.  It’s not even one of those fun and fancy for profit prisons is it ?