How to Reserve a Campsite at Yosemite | 3 Tips to Success | Updated for 2023

In this video I show you the 3 things you must to in order to successfully make Yosemite Camping reservations. The basics of the 3 steps are: (1) Be flexible with dates, (2) Practice and Prepare, (3) Use multiple devices and family and friends. For each of the steps above I show you how to implement the steps and share everything I know to help you make reservations to this magical place.

[@mssflamingo]

Y’all are awesome! This video helped me book an Upper Pines site. So many good tips I applied such as multiple devices, world clock (game changer), refresh and patience. Though I was stressing out, I was able to book a site on my MacBook! Way easier that way. Thank you for helping us out!!

[@GoldenK9Campers]

Yay !! Congrats. We got reservations to lower pines last month (going in September). Gonna do the HalfDome hike again.. so amazing. Have fun.. thanks for watching and commenting. So glad when i'm able to help folks out !!

[@malinimajithia451]

This video was super useful. Thanks to your tips, four devices all ready to go, plus a lot of luck, we got our desired campsite in four seconds at Lower Pines for this summer. Thank you so much!

[@GoldenK9Campers]

Amazing!! Lower Pines is so awesome.. Have Fun.. Do the half dome hike if you dare !! Lottery is available now !! - kzbin.info/www/bejne/gaLGc6J8jZh9r7c

[@stuartdesborough3348]

Booked today using a PC and 4 mobile devices, crazy how quick they went but got one first time !!!! PC was definitely the way to go . Mobile devices were very hit and miss !

[@GoldenK9Campers]

Yep.. web is definitely better. Congrats. I'll be trying next month. Maybe I need to take my video down for a month !! Too much competition !! Have a great time!!

[@stuartdesborough3348]

@GoldenK9Campers Thanks, can't wait. Good job really as we had the RV and flight from thevUK already booked 🤣! Sequoia on the other hand gave up and booked Stoney creek

[@CDRDDJ]

You have no idea what a huge help your tips were! Last year we camped and I came to realize how hard it was to reserve a site at popular destinations. My problem was thinking that I had enough time until summer came. So preparing months ahead is key! The clock helped a lot too, I had to laugh while watching the video because unless you are the one booking site you have no idea how it feels to stop the world to reserve it😂 we were able to get a site at a campground within the park! Thank you so much for giving your tips and making our summer vacation planning easier 😊

[@GoldenK9Campers]

That's so awesome. Really gratifying when someone takes the time to thank me for the video. So glad you we're able to get a site. I've got 2 months before I try to get our site in September again. Have a great time.. the park is so amazing. I hiked Half Dome last year.. and doing it again in September !!

[@CDRDDJ]

Just wanted to pop in here and tell you, we just got done visiting Yosemite. The place is beautiful! The park has beautiful views. We stayed at Lower pines. We visited during the heat wave🥵 but it was still awesome! We hike the Mist Trail to the falls. Looking at Half Dome I am amazed at how you can hike it! Amazing! Thanks for your help😊

[@saboryando7762]

Thank youuuuu🎉🎉🎉🎉 we could make it thanks to you ❤

[@GoldenK9Campers]

My pleasure 😊. Good luck !! Let's do this !!

[@kessiareis7007]

This is super helpful. Thank you so much! Sounds like I need to take a day off for this endeavor. 😆

[@GoldenK9Campers]

Thanks for watching and commenting. Basically.. just the morning. Good luck. I'm going to be trying to make Yosemite reservations again in about a month. Let's do this !!

[@andreadiego8095]

Thank you for sharing! Quick question you mention 7:00am which time zone 🙏🙏 thanks again!☀️

[@GoldenK9Campers]

It's Pacific Standard Time. Good Luck !!

[@laura-ann.0726]

If you aren't absolutely committed to camping in the Valley, there's Hodgen Meadow and Crane Flat, about 25 miles drive away. Not ideal, in terms of the extra driving you have to do, but at least you have a little better chance to get campsites there. Elevation at Hodgen Meadow is 4,700 feet, so if you are camping in October, it can get pretty cold at night.

[@GoldenK9Campers]

Thanks for sharing the info !!

[@catdogcatdog6625]

Hopefully I can get camp 4. This is my first camping trip. Kinda nervous you video helps a lot

[@GoldenK9Campers]

You can do it! Thanks for watching. For inspiration - check this out !! - kzbin.infolSUbbf0YsH4

[@JuliaCima]

very helpful video, thank you!

[@GoldenK9Campers]

Glad it was helpful!. We'll be trying again in a few months for a September trip. Good luck !!

[@catdogcatdog6625]

Thank you so much. Im gonna try to snag Aug 7th date… ill be practicing first…

[@GoldenK9Campers]

Good luck !! - For inspiration !! - kzbin.infolSUbbf0YsH4

[@eliagudes]

👏👏👏👏👏 Thank you! You guys are fun. Happy camping!

[@GoldenK9Campers]

Thanks for watching! Good luck snagging a campsite. For inspiration.. check this out !! - kzbin.infolSUbbf0YsH4

[@Felerian91]

Could you open 5 tabs in your browser on the same computer and logged in to the same account, select different times/campgrounds on each one and then just quickly press "add to cart" on all of them? Or is there some mechanism in place that 1 account can only do 1 tab at a time?

[@GoldenK9Campers]

I'm pretty sure you can do that. I have heard there are some mechanisms in place where they might think it's a spammer and force a captcha.. But I haven't seen that. Worth a try.

[@ThatExBow]

Thanks King

[@GoldenK9Campers]

Your Welcome. Good Luck... We're going in September !!

[@ThatExBow]

​@@GoldenK9Campers We got it, thanks to you! Cheers King.

[@GoldenK9Campers]

@@ThatExBow Congrats!! Have a great time. We're going in 2 months!! Can't wait.

[@logicalblueberry]

Thank you so much. Would it be easier to choose a less desirable campsite since fewer people might be trying to get those?

[@GoldenK9Campers]

Yes, absolutely. But, we prefer to try and get a great campsite on our initial try. We do have multiple devices, and one a couple of them we choose less desirable campsites. Getting ready to try and get reservations in 9 minutes !! Wish me luck !!

[@logicalblueberry]

@@GoldenK9Campers Thank you. How did you do? I hope you got a site. I have never used recreation.gov before. I didn't have time to practice. I just gave it a shot in the dark. I reserved a crowded Upper Pines site 167 for five days beginning on a Sunday. It worked! I really regret not trying to get a weekend though. Our son works weekdays so I may need to keep trying to add a weekend.

[@dgreensotr]

Glad to see you like to reserve in Lower Pines so you won't compete for my spot in Upper Pines. I thought I was good at snaging a site in Yosemite but I learned some things from your YT. Thx. One thing I do differently is set up both laptops for the same site and then as the clock is about 2 seconds before the hour, I hit enter on one laptop and then enter on the other. Unfortunately, even doing that, we got skunked last time. One laptop was early and the other too late. Someone squeezed in there between enters, which shows how competitive Yosemite is. One other thing, I practice by going in on the 15th of the months preceeding when I actually want a reservation.

[@GoldenK9Campers]

Some good tips!! Thanks for sharing !!

[@jimmyphan2347]

hi there, thanks this is very helpful, can you add 2 campsites at once to the cart?

[@GoldenK9Campers]

You can, but with so many folks trying to add campsites to their cart.. I'd just select one. Good luck though. It's seriously challenging. In two months we have to try and get a campsite again. Hopefully going for a 3-peat!!

[@jimmyphan2347]

@@GoldenK9Campers thanks and good luck to you too!

[@GoldenK9Campers]

I'll need it !!@@jimmyphan2347

[@outy_13]

Hello, thanks a lot for this video, it's great to have this help! But I am not sure, if I understood it right (writing from germany :-): How can I select the not released days to add it in the cart, before 7am? I think i have to do this just in the moment of 7am, right? Or do I have the possibility to pre-select? Second: Does the site automatically update at 7am and show the availability (change vom NR to A) or do I have to update the page manually?

[@GoldenK9Campers]

Nope.. at approximately 6am on the day where the dates are release, the sites will change from not available to available. You an select the dates, but you can't add them to your cart until exactly 7am. But.. I've never been able to actually get those, because they just go so fast. For us.. it's about being patient and continuing to refresh the table and then grab sites as they become available. Folks are constantly duirng the first hour removing sites as they find other one's. So patience is the key.

[@outy_13]

@@GoldenK9Campers thanks a lot!

[@SechristShreds]

Do you think you have to be this aggressive to get a site in Upper Pines for mid October? Or is this mainly for the summer season?

[@GoldenK9Campers]

Summer is definitely more difficult, but it's still a scramble to get sites in the Valley. They will all be booked in a matter of minutes. Good luck!!

[@danle8636]

I got one night in lower pines just now

[@GoldenK9Campers]

Yay.. Have fun. We're going in September for 4 nights. Hiking Half Dome again.. Can't wait!!

[@m_ssingp_eces]

7am in what time zone? 🙂

[@GoldenK9Campers]

It's Pacific Time Zone.

[@MrEdgarh1971]

What chance we the regular people are going to have none.

[@GoldenK9Campers]

If you follow my advice, it's really not that bad. Especially if you don't try and get a site during the prime summertime. I have faith that you can do it. If you have any questions, let me know.

[@clouds_aye4995]

Thank you for posting this! I hadn’t gotten reservations in the valley in like 8 years! Surprisingly mobile app was faster for me or maybe it was because it was a weekend after a holiday.

[@GoldenK9Campers]

Congrats. We were able to snag this morning reservations at Lower Pines - site 41. Awesome campsite. My wife always gets lucky!! Have a great time!! Doing half dome again this year!!

[@californiahandball]

I been skunked for 2 years in a row.

[@GoldenK9Campers]

Dang it.. We got our reservations at Yosemite for Lower Pines again. Don't give up.. Good luck next time..

[@kateermolenko697]

Is it the only one day you can reserve it? The 15th of each month?

[@GoldenK9Campers]

The 15th is the day they release campsites. You might be able to find one random day based on a cancellation, but the best bet is to be ready at 7am PST on the 15th of the month.

[@MrEdgarh1971]

Do you know any other campsite site outside the park to camp? Tks

[@GoldenK9Campers]

Here's a list from Campendium. Good luck - www.campendium.com/yosemite-national-park

[@MrEdgarh1971]

Sadly I heard a report on NPR why minorities never visit those parks now I understand how hard is just to take your family there. I had been trying for years to find a place to camp inside and not been able to. We only heard about those parks when is a fire or flood Jaja I tell my son to see video on you tube Tks

[@GoldenK9Campers]

@@MrEdgarh1971 You can do it. I made this video just for you. Good luck !!