Yosemite Help for a total n00b here!

tsk1979

Hi guys,
Past few months every weekend has been spent exploring california by car. Driving around,starting morning and coming back late night.
We thought to do Yosemite the same way, but I guess its going to be tiring, and also we will miss everything.
So we thought why not camp in the park for a night.
Now in India our holidays have been go somewhere, stay overnight in a hotel and then come back the next day.
We want to do the same for Yosemite, but this time do it in a tent.

The problem is that I don't know where to start.
Google suggested reservation.gov to reserve a site(it will probably cost us $5/person), get there by our car and pitch up the tent.

We are hoping to do the trip this weekend, but we don't mind postponing it to next weekend too.

So I need a help in choosing a campsight.
1. Should be near to the parking lot so we can lug our tent easily
2. higher the better.
3. Should have nice views and good hiking trails where we can go.
4. If there are flush toilets somewhere near the site its great
5. Water near the camp site is good too. A power point is optional, but if there is one somewhere near the site(at some central station maybe?) its good too.
6. Lesser crowd is good. I don't mind driving up real steep trails, since the car will be a small sedan or a jeep.

So please give some suggestions. If needed we can delay it to 30th September(I leave for India on Oct 7 you see).
I think end september is the off season, right?

Any help appreciated guys.
And one last thing, how much time does it take from San Jose? I reckon about 4 hours?

J.T.

tsk1979 wrote:

Hi guys,
Past few months every weekend has been spent exploring california by car. Driving around,starting morning and coming back late night.
We thought to do Yosemite the same way, but I guess its going to be tiring, and also we will miss everything.
So we thought why not camp in the park for a night.
Now in India our holidays have been go somewhere, stay overnight in a hotel and then come back the next day.
We want to do the same for Yosemite, but this time do it in a tent.

The problem is that I don't know where to start.
Google suggested reservation.gov to reserve a site(it will probably cost us $5/person), get there by our car and pitch up the tent.

We are hoping to do the trip this weekend, but we don't mind postponing it to next weekend too.

So I need a help in choosing a campsight.
1. Should be near to the parking lot so we can lug our tent easily
2. higher the better.
3. Should have nice views and good hiking trails where we can go.
4. If there are flush toilets somewhere near the site its great
5. Water near the camp site is good too. A power point is optional, but if there is one somewhere near the site(at some central station maybe?) its good too.
6. Lesser crowd is good. I don't mind driving up real steep trails, since the car will be a small sedan or a jeep.

So please give some suggestions. If needed we can delay it to 30th September(I leave for India on Oct 7 you see).
I think end september is the off season, right?

Any help appreciated guys.
And one last thing, how much time does it take from San Jose? I reckon about 4 hours?

You should look at the yosemite / nps website as there is a link that shows the acutal locations of all campsites in and near the park. Campsites should be easier to come by now since school's back on and the major holidays are over for now. I went about a month ago and everything was booked all up but fortunately I found something in Curry Village last minute. CV is always a good option, especially if you want to be near civilization and a place to grab a cold beer afterwards!

Try finding a campsite near the place you want to visit, i.e. Half Dome, Tenaya Lake, the Meadows, etc. It will make it easier when you leave early in the morning and have to hike to your spot.

Some sites have a common restroom area but not all. Check that site as I think it indicates if there are showers, restrooms, etc.

San Jose is about 4-4.5 hours depending which way you go. Good luck!

OffTopic

If you want to stay in one of the Curry Village tent cabins, I just received an e-mail with a special rate of $39 night through November 18 using the code CV39FALL. You can read about them here.

If you want traditional tent camping here is the link to the various campsites.

tsk1979

Thanks for the tips guys.
I want to stay in our own tent for that "experience".
In India probably both of us would never get to live in a tent, but over here, its a great chance.
I checked at reserve.gov and most campsites can be reserved for 20$/night. They are max 20 people.
There are a few questions though
1. We are just 2 people, so is it okay to reserve a big campsite?
2. Most campsites are already reserved. 30th sept is off season!
3. They say check in time 12:00pm, but we will reach by 3pm, so I hope they don't give the site to someone else?

So I am looking for some campsites I can get, lets see! Will keep you posted

ian408

Group sites are for groups. Why not get some of your friends to go along and take the group site? Yosemite is a popular destination and most accommodations are taken well in advance. Whether tent camping or staying in the lodge, busy place

Check-in just means that's when you can have access to the site to get setup, etc. You will want to tell them if you'll be especially late. Otherwise, arriving at 3 shouldn't be a problem.

tsk1979

ian408 wrote:

Group sites are for groups. Why not get some of your friends to go along and take the group site? Yosemite is a popular destination and most accommodations are taken well in advance. Whether tent camping or staying in the lodge, busy place

Check-in just means that's when you can have access to the site to get setup, etc. You will want to tell them if you'll be especially late. Otherwise, arriving at 3 shouldn't be a problem.

Travelling here for a short time, so havent had time to make adventerous friends here.
So what kind of tent site should two of us try and book.
On the 29th of september, is it a good idea to arrive by 12:30pm at a site which is not available for reservation but first come first serve.
Even at that time do we have all the sites full? (Its off season after all!!)

cb4photo

tsk1979 wrote:

Travelling here for a short time, so havent had time to make adventerous friends here.
So what kind of tent site should two of us try and book.
On the 29th of september, is it a good idea to arrive by 12:30pm at a site which is not available for reservation but first come first serve.
Even at that time do we have all the sites full? (Its off season after all!!)

I was lucky enough to get to live in Yosemite, and there are alot of campsites that are first come first serve. You need to be carefull cause all the campsites are starting to close down towards the begining October. One of my favorites is Tamarack Flat and leaving from the campsite is the trail to the top of El Cap. The view is breath taking. This camp site is not in the valley. First come first serve on the valley floor you are really limited to Camp4 it lacks that great camping feel, it is mostly a climbers campsite but you can almost always get a site. Loud, tents REAL close to eachother.
Dont get me started cause I can go all night talking about Yosemite
www.cb4photo.com

cb4photo

cb4photo wrote:

I was lucky enough to get to live in Yosemite, and there are alot of campsites that are first come first serve. You need to be carefull cause all the campsites are starting to close down towards the begining October. One of my favorites is Tamarack Flat and leaving from the campsite is the trail to the top of El Cap. The view is breath taking. This camp site is not in the valley. First come first serve on the valley floor you are really limited to Camp4 it lacks that great camping feel, it is mostly a climbers campsite but you can almost always get a site. Loud, tents REAL close to eachother.
Dont get me started cause I can go all night talking about Yosemite
www.cb4photo.com

View from the top
http://www.cb4photo.com/gallery/1049901/4/15862762/Medium

tsk1979

After having driven a lot in california in the past month(3000 miles in 5 weekends) we are contemplating a full day stay in Yosemite now.
The plan.
Reach by 12:00pm.
Tour the park at a leasurly pace.
See the sunset at around 7:00pm.
Let it get dark.
Go to some vista points an enjoy the view in moonlight and take some pictures(Is this safe?)
And then start back to bay area at 11:30pm or so, reach by 2-3am

We are two drivers so it wont be tiring too!
What say fellas?

ian408

tsk1979 wrote:

After having driven a lot in california in the past month(3000 miles in 5 weekends) we are contemplating a full day stay in Yosemite now.
The plan.
Reach by 12:00pm.
Tour the park at a leasurly pace.
See the sunset at around 7:00pm.
Let it get dark.
Go to some vista points an enjoy the view in moonlight and take some pictures(Is this safe?)
And then start back to bay area at 11:30pm or so, reach by 2-3am

We are two drivers so it wont be tiring too!
What say fellas?

Oh yeah!

If you want a great spot to view the valley, hit Sentinel Dome. It's off the
Glacier Point road--which btw, you should go to Glacier Point.

The dome is about a mile or so from the road (round trip).

You should be safe after dark. But as with anything, be careful of your
surroundings and take the precautions you would normally.

Have a great time!

tsk1979

ian408 wrote:

Oh yeah!

If you want a great spot to view the valley, hit Sentinel Dome. It's off the
Glacier Point road--which btw, you should go to Glacier Point.

The dome is about a mile or so from the road (round trip).

You should be safe after dark. But as with anything, be careful of your
surroundings and take the precautions you would normally.

Have a great time!

thanks ian,
This weekend its most probably Tahoe side, next weekend(which is prolly my last weekened in USA for this trip) we head to Yosemite.

You know what, my LPS participation is suffered quite a bit since I am mostly driving.

Phil Hawkins

try this site

http://yosemitefun.com