North Pines Campground

Other than being in Yosemite (yay!), this campground was very ‘just OK’ for me. We had site 310, so we were smack in the middle. The campsites were *packed* with RVs; we were the only tent-​only campers I saw. So: lots of generators, although people observed the limited generator hours. It was packed with people, too. This is NOT a commune-​with-​nature campground, more like a stay-​cheaper-​than-​in-​the-​village campground. And for what it is, it is just fine.
At night, it was so, so smoky. I know people like to burn stuff cause it is fun… and then they get in their climate-​controlled RVs, leaving us tent people to breathe their stinky smoke. Please bring and burn dry wood, people, if you really must burn…
Bathrooms were basic and not filthy, but only cold water with the type of faucet you have to hold to keep on. Bring soap and towels each time you go. No showers; flush toilets; one-​ply tissue.
The campground is bound by Tenaya Creek on the one side and the Merced River on the other, and I agree with others that the waterside sites are the best. Really pretty.
The stable is next to the campground, and the smell is very very strong in the mornings. I don’t find the smell of horse poop so bad, so I didn’t care too much. But just a heads up.
Bring bikes for to-​and-​fro to the Village. It isn’t that far away, but if you have to make several trips a day, bikes are just great to have.
Oh, and… use your bear locker for everything. For reals, there are bears.

Very nice and clean camp ground! You do need to book reservations as soon as the time slot you want opens! They go within seconds! We camped there with a 31 foot travel trailer. It is tight to get in there, but spot 500 is very nice and open. It was quiet and the park has specific times to run a generator if you need too. Easy access to the Merced river as well. Lots of Deer in the camp, we didn’t see any Bears, but have heard they will come around from time to time.

We went June 5,2014 we had site 101 in the North Pines campground, right next to the river, ranger booth and horse stables. The site was great, just steps from the river and our kid wanted to visit the horses every morning. The breeze off the river keeps bugs away, the site is kind of close to the street, but I am pretty sure they all were. We did have deer hang out in our site every morning and 1 bear pass through our site the other bear was walking over by the horse stables, but rangers are always clapping their hands and scaring them out because the bears have trackers on them. We road our bike to most places encountered a bobcat up close and personal and numerous deer.

The best are the spots next to the river near the entrance, starting at 101 and going to around 109. These seem to be the least crowded. You really can’t go wrong with this campsite though!
Bathrooms are relatively clean and have toilet paper FYI.
The campsite is walking distance or a quick shuttle ride to all the main trailheads in the Valley.

I stayed here for two nights. Compared to other campsites I’ve stayed at, these campsites are definitely closer to each other. But, you still have plenty of space and we didn’t feel cramped. As long as your neighbors are respectful in regards to quiet hours it’ll be fine. I was curious about the size of the bear box, rest assured they are large. I would say about 36″ wide and 24″ deep.
There is a stop for the Yosemite Village bus system right at the front of the campgrounds and the Merced River is close by if you want to take a dip. All of the rangers we spoke with at the campgrounds were all very friendly.
The restrooms were clean.

Some nice people we found on mt project were willing to share their campsite with us, which was awesome because the campground was full! They were camping in their supercharger van and we set up a tent. There were 5 of us total at the one site and a very large dog named Ansel (after Ansel Adams of course).
There are restrooms with lights, running water and flush toilets. Luxurious amenities! Some of the sites were located near the river. Lucky if you can snag one of those! We happened to be closer to where they kept the burros. Heeehawww, we only got a whiff of poo if the wind shifted.
The campsite is smack dab in the middle of the valley and convenient to shuttles. It’s an ideal spot to camp if you can snag a site.

One of the ways to have a great time visiting Yosemite is to stay in Yosemite. While a night at the Ahwahnee is $ 500 for only 20 dollars you camp in same woods. North Pines is the quietest of the three campground that allow RV’s and drive-​in camping. The sites are close together but at least when we were there people were respectful of the quiet hours between 10pm and 6am and the neighbours were all friendly. All sites come with a fire ring and a picnic table.
The roads to the sites are narrow and while we were there an rv hit a tree getting out. Camping arrangements ranged all from tents to luxury moterhomes.
While there restrooms with flush toilets there are no showers and the only showers available are in Curry village for 5 dollars. I’m not sure if camp showers are allowed. There are also free drinking water stations as well as a place to dump gray water and garbage.
It’s an easy walk to curry village and a long walk/​short bike ride to Yosemite Village. It’s also close to some trail heads to waterfalls.

Our first time coming to Yosemite. Couldn’t have picked a better camp site!
First, the areas have tons of space so you are not on top of each other.
Second, the bathrooms are clean
Third, each site has everything you need — bear container (which you are required to use), picnic table, and fire pit with a metal piece to BBQ on.
Lastly, it’s close to everything or close enough to a shuttle to take you where you want to go — bar to drink, trail to hike, Yosemite store, Curry Village.
We will definitely be coming back in May to hike Half Dome and we will pick out North Pines again.

This is a great campground in the Yosemite valley. It’s in the tourist-​y spot so if you’re looking for peace and quiet, this is not the place for you (Try Hodgdon Meadow). The campsite is right along two rivers, which in August, 1 still had ample water in it, the other was dried up. You will see very friendly squirrels, blue jays, enormous crows, families of deer and quite possibly a black bear or two. This is a great site because your car is right next to your spot, the bathrooms are CLEAN, the ground is level for your tent, and the proximity to hikes (short walk to Yosemite, Nevada and vernal falls, 4-​mile hike, mirror lake, happy isles), close to curry village for your peets coffee or anything else you need– literally, even showers which are $ 5. Do not go here if you are averse to children screaming and running around, it is definitely a family campground.
P. s. try to bring your bikes, you will not regret it. Biking through the valley is much easier than driving!

Feels a bit less developed than Upper Pines campground, and one step further from the Curry Village hubub. Both pros, in my mind.
We were there in early August, and there were a TON of yellow jackets (bees), so you may want to consider a plan for avoiding trying to fight 30 bees over your sausages/​anything-​with-​meat. They didn’t bother us over pancakes, apple slices, or cold cheese, but everything else got a bit exciting. You’ll also have to chase squirrels and birds away on occasion. But it’s camping at Yosemite, where the daytime summer human population seems like it is probably a couple million. The «pests» are going to be geared toward trying to get human food, probably. :)
The campsite is between and alongside Tenaya Creek (I think) and the Merced River. The Merced is lovely for swimming and water play, so if you have water-​safe kids or are a grown-​up, be sure to bring swim suits and towels, and even a raft. In August, the water was low enough to be fairly slow-​moving and safe for swimming. If you have toddlers, you may want to be sure your campsite is not one of the ones up against the river/​creek when you check in.
It is a 0.8 mile hike to Happy Isles (below Vernal Fall), and a 0.5 walk to Curry Village (so you can walk to get ice or coffee, so you don’t have to deal with/​hope for parking).
The horse stables are right next to the campground. I don’t mind a mild wiff of horse-​smells now and then, but if that bothers you, you may want to try for a different campground.
Most of the campground was in the shade, which was a relief, but it meant that even though we were at the foot of North Dome and the Royal Arches, and right next to Half Dome, we couldn’t see them really from our campsite (#527). We could, however, see the mountains across the valley from North Dome and above Curry Village (where Glacier Point is?).
This was our first time camping in the valley – generally I’ve tried to avoid the valley during the summer. I will probably resume that plan until our girls are old enough to bike well. It was insanely crowded – people were unfriendly in parking lots and on the shuttles due to things being so packed, I think. Bikes allow you to travel the entire valley floor area without as much hassle, from what I could tell. Since the valley is mostly flat, I think you’d just need to be able to easily bike a couple of miles at a time for it to be really helpful.
They do have bear problems, but I was amazed at how, even with a very stern warning as we checked in, I still saw people leave food out (I saw an ice chest ON A PICNIC TABLE when I made a middle-​of-​the-​night bathroom run). So, be smart about it, vacuum your car before you come if you, like me, have small children who occasionally snack in your car, and put all food and toiletries in the bear containers. My sense, by the end of our trip, was that probably most if not all of the bear problems are due to people not following these simple rules. So don’t be scared away; just follow the guidelines and you will be fine.
The bathrooms were pleasantly clean and did not smell (!).
Some parts of the campground looked more crowded than others, but you’ll probably be fairly close to at least one other group no matter where you are.

We stayed here a day before starting backpaking to Half Dome and Cloud Rest.
We had a bad traffic so we arrived at this campground after the sunset. It was hard to find a place for 5 people, but people there are very friendly and looked for the space together. I like this campground.

Had an amazing time here! As a first time camper, the bathroom was definitely a plus. Everything was so clean. The fellow campers around us were friendly, and I thank them for putting up with us without complaints even though we were a bit loud at times.
Our space was right by the creek. It was delightful. I would most definitely recommend this site for camping!

For a camp ground, it was great. Clean bathrooms, plenty space between camp spaces. Close to Curry Village and to the bus stop. We will definitely go back. We had camp ground 315.

What can I say? It’s in Yosemite. It’s right along the Merced with sandy beach areas for swimming in the summer. Only drawback is the stables are right next to the campground so it can get very aromatic. Oh yeah, the backpackers camp is right here as well with all the berry bushes. Bear sightings are routine. Have your camera at the ready!

Best campsite we have stayed in any campground! BEAUTIFUL VIEWS, RIGHT ON THE RIVER AND CLOSE TO RESTROOMS.
Our campsite number was 107, but 105, 109 and 111 are also just as goo d (those were the ones close to us)

This is a great camp ground. Nice space, clean facilities, great proximity to the Merced. Very friendly neighbors because everyone is psyched to be there. The views are priceless.

This is the best campground of the Valley campgrounds. Even though it gets crowded during the summer, the fact its on the outer edge of the valley means only campers are around you. I recommend sites 520 or 502 which are larger than the others and right on the river. The free shuttle picks you up right outside the camp entrance so once you get there, your car does not have to move.
If your taking kids, I recommend taking bikes as the valley should not be to difficult for kids to ride around.
The only problem is the limited availability of sites. Do your homework and make the reservations 6 months in advance.
I love going to Yosemite each year and North Pines Campground is my destination of choice.

I camped here with my family in early August and had the most amazing time. I’m giving it 5 stars because I had the best campsite in the entire North Pines (#506). It was large, shady, as private as you could get in North Pines, and right by the river.
We even had a little utility area by our campgroup where a group of us was able to play a friendly game of wiffle ball with some fellow campers.
We were directly next to the river, but it was not swimmable. But steps away, the river was calm with a small area of sand and shallow water. This is perfect area for kids to wade around and build sand castles, so don’t forget the sand toys. You can bring innertubes for the kids, but also bring long utility string so you can hang on to your kids. The current can pick up if they edge too close to the river.
I cannot stress this enough… IF YOU CAN BRING BIKES, PLEASE DO! The entire Yosemite Valley is flat and easliy ridable. My friends and I rode through meadows and passed waterfalls. You can also easily ride to the village store for groceries. Bringing a bike greatly increases the fun, I promise!
Also, not sure what user Nan W is used to, but these restrooms are some of the better campsite restrooms I’ve seen. They had lights at night, which is huge! Attempting to use the restroom with a flashlight is no easy task for a lady!

Out of the three campgrounds in the valley (upper pines, lower pines and north pines) this is the best one of the three of them. The river surrounds most of this campground and it has more trees and shade compared to the other two.
You have to remember that if you are staying in the valley, no matter what camp ground that you’re at, it is crowded since all of the attractions are in the valley and good trailheads also start from there as well. You will see other peoples tents around you there is no avoiding it.
So far I’ve stayed at 6 of the 13 campgrounds, and this is my 3^rd favorite campsite. 1^st being Bridalveil Creek and 2^nd being Tamarack Flat.

We had a grea time here in the valley at this campsite. If you are thinking about hiking Vernal Falls or Half Dome, I would choose this campground. Our location happened to be quite spacious and the people were considerate with the quiet hours.
This may be unnerving for some, but a deer and a bear, yes a bear, walked right behind our campsite around 6pm! I was thrilled and loved it, but for some, that might deter them.
I hope to hike Half Dome next year and will be aiming for this campground for that hike.