Some of our favorite family travel spots include the national parks. True, national parks are oft-visited and a bit crowded during peak season, which can be off-putting for the most ardent of nature lovers. Still, summer in Yosemite, the third most-visited national park in the U.S., does not disappoint, and tent-camping is definitely the way to go.
Here are a few tips for families who want to camp in Yosemite during the summer:
Staying in Yosemite valley is a must.
The three campgrounds for which you can make reservations in Yosemite Valley are North Pines, Upper Pines, and Lower Pines. You will regret camping anywhere else if you want easy access to family-friendly activities and facilities and if you want to get an early start on each day. We had relatives who stayed just outside the west entrance to Yosemite and that made for some late nights and early mornings, not to mention a whole lot of driving. Trust me when I say you will maximize your time by staying where the action is. Not to mention, we scored a site with a view. 
Reserving a site requires careful planning and fast fingers. Yosemite’s reservations open just five months in advance and I advise having at least two people on deck to secure one site. My husband and I each had a laptop and a mobile device on hand and the first few steps of the reservation process completed by the time the clock struck 7 a.m. Pacific time. He got a site. I didn’t. Thankfully, we only needed one.
Here’s a great tutorial for exactly how to successfully reserve a campsite in Yosemite. One added tip: If you don’t get a site within the valley at first, wait between 10-15 minutes (because each site is held for approximately 15 minutes before it is released to someone else if not paid for within that window).
Tent-camping is easy on the budget…unless you don’t bother planning out a menu and buying groceries ahead of time. Food in Yosemite is expensive, even purchasing ice for our cooler every day made me cringe a little… okay a lot. Your wallet will thank you if you have figured out what to eat for breakfast and lunch, bare minimum. We brought prepared breakfast burritos and breakfast sandwiches wrapped in foil that we heated on our camping stove in the mornings for a protein punch. Add to those plenty of fruits and veggies to snack on, stuff to make sandwiches and loads of granola bars and the kids were happy.
Do not underestimate how much hiking and biking around Yosemite will increase your kids’ appetites. I felt like we were feeding a small army. So glad I didn’t have to pay exorbitant prices to satisfy their hunger pangs. Still, with the money we saved by preparing breakfast and lunch, we opted for dinner at one of the several restaurants in the park each night and splurged on an ice cream cone at Half Dome Village.
If you have an irrational fear of bears, like myself, you can rest assured that Yosemite has all the guidelines in place to ensure that you will not encounter a bear ever. In the campgrounds, they strictly enforce rules to deter bears from visiting, right down to threatening a citation if you leave a parked car door open… while you’re sitting 20 feet away at your campsite.
The bear lockers they provide have ample room – we stored a large cooler, another storage container for non-refrigerated food, our toiletries bag(because toothpaste is akin to food, apparently), our trash bag, and a dirty clothes bag (I had my girls remove each article of clothing with any trace of food before setting foot inside our tent). With room to spare.
At the end of each day, I scoured our car for crumbs and removed anything scented to prevent break-ins, had wipes at the ready to keep faces and hands clean at all times (and then stored said wipes in the bear locker because yes, they’re scented) and we were good to go. With a little preparation you will be worry-free. And even without preparation, you’ll probably be fine because Yosemite will keep you in line. For real.
Lower Pines Campground does not have shower facilities – though I appreciated the flush toilets oh so much! You’re hard-pressed to find campgrounds with more than a hole in the ground in Idaho so the restrooms were luxurious in comparison.
Still, if you want a shower, you’ll have to pay a small fee at Housekeeping Camp. I did laundry there one morning and happened to notice that the lines were not long at all. This was at 9 a.m., though, I am sure nighttime is a different story. We didn’t bother using the showers in the four days we were there – we hopped in the Merced River for a swim and called it good. Brrrr. Nothing like a little melted snow to refresh you. We took the shuttle to stop 7 close to Swinging Bridge and found a nice little beach to take a swim.
Camping with kids ain’t for sissies, but it is the way to go if you’re looking to save a little cash and commune with nature. With a bit of preparation, you’ll be sitting in the shade of Half Dome at your very own hard-earned campsite having the time of your lives with the littles. Totally worth it.