Demand for lodging in Yosemite Valley in both the hotels and the campgrounds is extremely heavy, so you need to book well ahead of time during the late Spring, Summer and early Fall, although there are often vacancies during the Winter, late Fall and early Spring.

Lodging
 • The Ahwahnee, Ph: (559) 253-5635. 99 luxury hotel rooms and 24 cottages in Yosemite Valley. The lodge is a national historic landmark and the most upscale lodging in the park, with rooms on one side of the hotel facing Half Dome and the other side facing Yosemite Falls. There is a small heated outdoor pool. Rooms and cottages start at $379 per night, with suites running as much as $936 per night.
 • Yosemite Lodge, Ph: (559) 252-4848. Located near the base of Yosemite Falls, this lodge offers 245 rooms, but be aware that no rooms have air conditioning. Internet access (wireless and kiosks) is now also available. Room rates are from $110 to $162, with slightly lower prices during the winter.
 • Wawona, Ph: (559) 253-5635. This historic lodge overlooks Wawona Meadow in the south part of the park along Route 41. Of the 104 rooms only 50 have a private bath. The lodge is rustic, with no telephones or televisions. Rooms rates are $175 for a room with a private bath, and $120 without. Rates are slightly lower in the winter.
 • Curry Village, Ph: (559) 252-4848. Located in Yosemite Valley, Curry Village offers a wide range of lodging options ranging from "hotel" accommodations to tent cabins. Be aware that tent cabins and some wooden cabins are primitive and do not have private baths. Rates for tent cabins are from $64 to $71 per night, while cabins and motel rooms are from $80 to $113 per night.
 • Housekeeping Camp, Ph: (559) 252-4848. Despite its name, Housekeeping Camp (located near Curry Village) offers 266 sturdy tents for visitor lodging. The "tents" have a concrete floor, concrete walls, canvas tops, and sleep six in bunk beds and double beds. Linen is not provided but may be rented for $2.50 per night. Rates are $67 per night (summer season only).
 • White Wolf, Ph: (559) 253-5635. Located along the Tioga Pass Road, White Wolf is open from July through September and offers 24 tent cabins and 4 cabins with private bath. The tent cabins are wood frame on a raised wooden platform and include beds, linen, and a wood stove. Rates are $67 per night for tent cabins, and $91 per night for cabins with bath.
 • Tuolumne Meadows, Ph: (559) 253-5635. Open from mid-July through September, Tuolumne offers 69 tent cabins in Tuolumne Meadows. These tent cabins have wooden frames, a concrete floor, and canvas walls. Bunks beds, linens, candles, and a wood stove are provided, while bathrooms and showers are located in a central facility. Rates are $75 per night.
 • High Sierra Camps, Ph: (559) 253-5674. The five High Sierra Camps are villages of tent cabins located in Yosemite's backcountry, with most of the tent cabins holding four people (be prepared for mixed gender sleeping arrangements). Due to their remote locations the High Sierra Camps are normally visited as part of a horseback package tour or a hiking trek, with each camped spaced a day's hike apart. All of the High Sierra Camps include gourmet breakfast and dinner, and eat-in only reservations may be possible for those not needing accommodation. Some lodges may have hot showers, and all require that you bring your own linens. Rates are $126 per night. Demand for the High Sierra Camps is so high that reservations are handled by a lottery held from October 15 to November 30 (call for an application) with final assignments decided by March 31. Be aware that it is sometimes possible to get a High Sierra Camps reservation later if someone cancels.

Camping
Camping is by far the cheapest way of staying within the park, but campgrounds fill quickly during summer months and may require making reservations months in advance. Reservations can be made from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. PST by calling (800) 436-7275 or (301) 722-1257 outside the United States. Written reservation requests can be made by including desired location, type of equipment you will be camping in (i.e., tent, RV,etc.), as well as method of payment. Send written requests to NPRS, P.O. Box 1600, Cumberland, MD 21502. All campgrounds offer bear-safe food storage containers, potable water, and flush toilets. Pay showers and laundry are located in Curry Village in Yosemite Valley.

Yosemite Valley

 • Upper Pines. $18 per night. Located in Yosemite Valley and open year-round, this campground requires reservations and offers 238 sites for both tents and RVs.
 • Lower Pines. $18 per night. Located in Yosemite Valley, this campground is open from March through October, requires reservations, and offers 60 sites for both tents and RVs. Three larger sites are also available for groups of up to 12 people for $30 per night.
 • North Pines. $18 per night. Located in Yosemite Valley, this campground is open from April through September, requires reservations, and offers 81 sites for both tents and RVs.
 • Camp 4. $5 per person per night (note that up to six people may be assigned to each site). This walk-in campground is located in Yosemite Valley, open year-round, and offers 35 sites on a first-come, first-served basis. All sites are tent only.

Wawona

 • Wawona. $18 per night in summer, $12 per night from October through April. Wawona campground is open year-round, requires reservations, and offers 93 sites for both tents and RVs.

Glacier Pass

 • Bridalveil Creek. $12 per night. The Bridalveil Creek campground is located along the road to Glacier Pass and is open from July through early September. The campground's 110 sites are first-come, first served, and sites are available for both tents and RVs.

Crane Flat

 • Hodgdon Meadow. $18 per night in summer, $12 per night from mid-October through mid-April. This campground is located north of Crane Flat near the park entrance and is open year-round. Reservations are required from May through September, and offers 105 sites for both tents and RVs.
 • Crane Flat. $18 per night. Crane Flat is open from June through September, requires reservations, and offers 166 sites for both tents and RVs.

Tioga Pass Road

 • Tamarack Flat. $8 per night. Open from June through early September, this campground is located off of the Tioga Pass Road near Crane Flat and offers 52 tent and small RV sites on a first-come, first-served basis.
 • White Wolf. $12 per night. White Wolf is open only from July through early September and is located along the Tioga Pass Road. The 74 sites are first-come, first-served for tents and small RVs only.
 • Yosemite Creek. $8 per night. Open from July through early September, this campground is located off of the Tioga Pass Road and offers 75 sites on a first-come, first-served basis for tents and small RVs.
 • Porcupine Flat. $8 per night. Porcupine Flat is located off of the Tioga Pass Road and offers 52 tent and RV sites from July through early September on a first-come, first-served basis.
 • Tuolumne Meadows. $18 per night. The Tuolumne Meadows campground is open from July through September and offers 50% of its sites as reservation only, while 50% are first-come, first-served. 304 sites are available for both tents and RVs. Be prepared for chilly nighttime temperatures.

Backcountry
Backcountry permits are free and are required year-round for all overnight trips into Yosemite's wilderness. Wilderness areas operate under a quota system that limits the number of people who may begin overnight hikes from each trailhead, each day. While permits may be reserved, at least 40% of each trailhead quota is available on a first-come first-served basis the day of, or one day prior to, the beginning of your trip.

Permits can be obtained in person from the wilderness stations in Yosemite Village, Big Oak Flat, Tuolumne Meadows, Badger Pass, Hetch Hetchy and Wawona. In addition, permits can be reserved in advance from mid-May through September for a $5 fee. There are three ways to reserve a wilderness permit:

 • By phone. Reservations for summer trips are accepted from 2 days to up to 24 weeks in advance by calling (209) 372-0740. You must know your entry and exit trailheads prior to calling.
 • By mail. Reservation requests for summer trips are accepted from 2 weeks to 24 weeks in advance by writing to Yosemite Association, PO Box 545, Yosemite, CA 95389. See for a list of information that must be included in written requests. If your requested trailhead and dates are available, you will receive a confirmation letter in the mail. A check for $5 payable to the Yosemite Association should be included in your request.

All backcountry campers are expected to leave the wilderness in the same condition as they find it, meaning no trash, fire scars, or other evidence of your visit should be left behind. Backcountry campsites must be at least four trail miles from Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite Valley, Glacier Point, Hetch Hetchy or Wawona, or at least one trail mile from any road. Groups are limited in size to 15 people. Pets, weapons, bicycles, strollers, and mechanized vehicles of any kind are not allowed in the wilderness areas, while fires are only allowed in existing fire circles, and are not allowed above 9600 feet elevation.

Bear canisters are required in areas within seven miles of a park road and highly recommended in all other areas. These canisters should be used for food storage, as well as for storing scented toiletries such as soap, deodorant and toothpaste, and should be stashed at least 100 meters from your campsite. Canisters can be rented from the ranger station where you pick up your backcountry permit for $5, good for up to two weeks.

Nearby
The least expensive motel option is to stay outside the park itself; the nearby towns of El Portal, Mariposa, Fish Camp, and Lee Vining have economical lodging. Be aware that despite names like "Yosemite View", no lodging outside the park has a view of the Valley. Lodging is particularly close to the park near the Route 140 entrance and the Route 120 East entrance. In addition, Yosemite is surrounded by National Forests that offer numerous campgrounds.