Yosemite National Park is one that you can’t skip if you’re in California. The endless waterfalls visible for miles and beautiful hikes attract everyone from new RVers to avid backpackers and climbers. But… it can be hard to get a campsite, especially this season. As two full time RVers that don’t book in advance, we’re excited to share the best Yosemite first come first serve camping for 2021. 

Does Yosemite have first come first serve camping?

No, Yosemite National Park does NOT have first come first serve camping in 2021. Do not drive into the park expecting to get lucky this season! That being said, the best first come first serve site is just outside the park (even closer to Yosemite village than some of the campgrounds in Yosemite itself).

So where is this Yosemite first come first serve camping?

About 20 miles southwest of Yosemite in Midpines, CA, you’ll find BLM land along the Merced River. This spot is a favorite for locals and people looking for last-minute campsites at Yosemite.  

You’ll enter this BLM area by turning west onto a dirt road at Merced River Recreation area. There’ll be a fun little spot on your right where people launch whitewater rafts and splash around. Drive right on past that spot towards the single-lane Briceburg Suspension Bridge. 

Note: this bridge is not recommended for trailers over 18 feet long and has a posted weight limit of 15 tons. We have a 2WD 23’ RV and made it to the campgrounds just fine – high clearance and 4WD is not needed.

Briceburg Suspension Bridge leads to 3 different first come first serve campsites just outside Yosemite: 

• McCabe Flat Campground
• Willow Placer Campground
• Railroad Flat Campground

Here’s a Google Maps route that’ll take you from Yosemite to each of these first come first serve camping areas.

Of these campgrounds, McCabe and Railroad are known as the two most popular. However, we stayed at Willow Placer and absolutely loved it! It has fewer sites with private beach access, so you get more privacy and beautiful views of the flowing Merced River. 

These sites are primarily designed for tent campers, but each campground has a few sites that are perfect for short RVs like ours and Class Bs or sprinter vans. This is a boondocking-friendly site, so you won’t find electric, water, or sewer hookups. But you will find pretty decent pit toilets, trash bins, recycling bins, a fire ring per site, and bear-safe food storage box. 

It’s hard to tell where some of the sites end and others begin. Each site has its own bear-safe box and fire pit, so look for these if you’re confused where your first come first serve camping area is.

Now that you know how to find the sites, let’s get into how you actually claim one as your own!

How do first come first serve campsites work?

Many first come first serve campsites have self-pay stations with deposit envelopes. You fill out your information on the envelope, keep the tear away perforated card that’s attached to the envelope, put your cash or check into the envelope, and drop the envelope in a self-pay dropbox. 

The information you’ll need for Yosemite first come first serve camping is:

• Your name
• Your campsite number
• Make, model, license plate number, and state of registration for your vehicle(s)
• Number of days you’re staying
• Interagency pass number (aka America the Beautiful pass)
• Driver’s license number

Once you drop your fee, you take the perforated card to your site and clip it on the post with your site number. Do not skip this step! This lets other campers know the site is taken when you go into the park to explore. 

Some people accidentally leave their card attached to their site’s post after they leave. You can easily walk around each campsite to see if any of these cards are from prior dates. If so, they’re up for grabs! 

The best part about these sites: they’re $10/night for most campers and only $5/night if you have the America the Beautiful or senior pass! 

Pro tip: you can purchase the America the Beautiful pass at Yosemite’s entrance to get the most out of your annual pass if you don’t have it yet.

It’s truly one of the best deals we’ve found in California. It’s also the best sleep we’ve ever had because the rushing river gives the perfect soundscape for restful slumber (soundscapes coming soon on our YouTube channel).

How early is first come first serve campsite?

These Yosemite first come first serve camping areas go FAST (especially because there aren’t any inside the park)! You should arrive early in the week to get one of these sites before the weekend. The best days to arrive are Monday-Wednesday. If you come Monday, you may want to arrive closer to noon to give people time to pack up and leave.

Once Thursday hits, these Merced River campgrounds are usually full. There’s a chance you’ll snag one but it’ll be pure luck if you do!

How do you get a camping spot in Yosemite?

Campsites inside Yosemite are only available on Recreation.gov. Even if you go to the check in desks at each campsite, they will direct you to book online. 

Pro tip: cancellations for Yosemite’s campsites open up online at 11:45am-12:00pm each day. You can use one of the first come first serve camping areas for part of your stay and try to snag a site due to cancellation for part of your stay as well.

Yosemite first come first serve camping is a great way to enjoy this beautiful national park without making a campground reservation, but don’t forget that you must have a park entrance pass for the 2021 peak season to go into Yosemite National Park. This is separate from the America the Beautiful pass and is designed to limit the number of people entering the park daily. 

The good news is that these entrance passes are valid for 3 days, so you may only need one during your stay. We highly recommend visiting the park during the weekdays – not only because the Yosemite first come first served camping is much easier, but also because you’ll be more likely to get a park entrance pass on weekdays compared to weekends.

Pro tip: Yosemite National Park is open 24/7. Leave your campsite very early in the morning (8am or earlier)  to avoid lines that can be hours long when entering the park. We like to pick up breakfast sandwiches at the El Portal Market or make breakfast once we’re in the park to ensure we’re there as early as possible.

Drop a comment if you’ve been to this campsite or have other campgrounds you’d recommend in the Yosemite area – we’d love to hear from you!

And as always, subscribe for more RV and remote income content.