Free camping near Yosemite Valley, CA
Within 25 straight-line miles of Yosemite Valley, CA there are 45 camps: 26 free, 19 fee. The closest is Dry Gulch Campground, 15 miles west of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Grizzly Creek, 16 miles out.
Who manages them: 44 on the Forest Service; 1 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Gulch Campground | 15 | Fee | — | 2.5 mi to El Portal | — |
| Dirt Flat Campground | 15 | Fee | — | 2.8 mi to El Portal | — |
| Grizzly Creek | 16 | Free | Grizzly Creek (stream) | 9.9 mi to South Wawona | — |
| Quartz Mountain | 16 | Free | — | 10 mi to Wawona | — |
| Grizzly Pass | 17 | Free | Bare Island Lake (water) | 8.3 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Summit Camp | 17 | Free | East Fork Chowchilla River (stream) | 2.9 mi to Wawona | — |
| Goat Meadow Dispersed Campsite | 18 | Free | Rainier Creek (stream) | 1.2 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Summerdale | 18 | Fee | — | 0.8 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| D Spur | 18 | Free | Lost Lake Creek (stream) | 10 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Dimond "O" | 18 | Fee | Mud Lake (water) | 1.5 mi to Mather | — |
| Anderson Valley | 18 | Free | Bull Creek (stream) | 4.7 mi to Sequoia | — |
| Upper Chiquito | 19 | Free | East Fork Chiquito Creek (stream) | 11 mi to Central Camp | — |
| Big Sandy | 19 | Fee | — | 3.3 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Fish Camp/Big Creek | 20 | Free | Big Creek (stream) | 5.2 mi to Sugar Pine | — |
| Beasore/Chiquito | 20 | Free | East Fork Chiquito Creek (stream) | 11 mi to Central Camp | — |
| Jerseydale | 20 | Free | Snow Creek (stream) | 1.9 mi to Darrah | — |
| Boggy Meadow 1 | 20 | Free | — | 5.1 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Fresno Dome | 20 | Fee | — | 5.3 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Muggler Creek | 21 | Free | Mugler Creek (stream) | 8.9 mi to Central Camp | — |
| Montgomery Gulch | 21 | Free | Bull Creek (stream) | 5.7 mi to Clearing House | — |
| Kelty Meadow | 21 | Fee | North Fork Willow Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Sugar Pine | — |
| Bowler | 21 | Free | Norris Creek (stream) | 14 mi to Central Camp | — |
| Nelder Grove | 22 | Free | California Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Sugar Pine | — |
| Tioga Lake Campground | 22 | Fee | — | 7.5 mi to Lee Vining | — |
| Texas Flat | 22 | Fee | — | 6.6 mi to Fish Camp | — |
| Clover Meadow | 22 | Free | Granite Creek (stream) | 16 mi to Lake Mary | — |
| Granite Creek | 22 | Free | Granite Creek (stream) | 15 mi to Lake Mary | — |
| Junction Campground | 22 | Fee | — | 7.1 mi to Lee Vining | — |
| Sawmill Walk-in Campground | 22 | Free | Lee Vining Creek (stream) | 1.5 mi to Bennettville | — |
| Sawmill Walk-In Cg | 22 | Free | Lee Vining Creek (stream) | 1.3 mi to Bennettville | — |
| Miami Staging Area | 23 | Free | Lewis Fork (stream) | 1.6 mi to Sugar Pine | — |
| Ellery Cg | 23 | Fee | — | 6.8 mi to Lee Vining | — |
| Saddlebag Lake Cg | 23 | Fee | — | 5.5 mi to Virginia Lakes | — |
| Miami Staging Area 1 | 23 | Free | — | — | — |
| Spinning Wheel | 23 | Fee | — | 5.8 mi to Buck Meadows | — |
| Soquel | 23 | Fee | California Creek (stream) | 4.3 mi to Old Corral | — |
| Middle Bridge | 23 | Free | Miami Creek (stream) | 2.4 mi to Sugar Pine | — |
| Greys Mountain | 24 | Fee | — | 4.9 mi to Bass Lake | — |
| Sweetwater | 24 | Fee | Middle Tuolumne River (river) | 1.3 mi to Colfax Spring | — |
| Warren Fork Th Cg | 24 | Free | Warren Fork (stream) | 2.1 mi to Bennettville | — |
| Cherry Borrow Site | 24 | Free | Cherry Creek (stream) | 6.3 mi to Femmons | — |
| Lower Bridge | 24 | Free | Miami Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Yosemite Forks | — |
| Silver Lake Campground | 25 | Fee | — | 1.6 mi to June Lake | — |
| Big Bend Cg | 25 | Fee | — | 4.4 mi to Lee Vining | — |
| Cherry Valley | 25 | Fee | Cherry Creek (stream) | 6.2 mi to Femmons | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Yosemite Valley, CA, not a driving distance — a camp four miles out across a canyon can be an hour of road. Cost is the audited three-state verdict on each camp's own record: free, fee, or unpriced where we could not confirm a price. A blank column is a gap in the record, not a statement that the thing is absent. Camps come from state and federal agency records, not from a visit, except the ones marked. Seasons, permits and fire rules change: confirm with the managing office before you go. Found a fee where we show free? Tell us on the contact page.