How to RV Camp in Yosemite National Park - Winter Airstream Camping in Upper Pines Campground
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- Опубліковано 6 сер 2024
- Curious what it takes to RV camp in Yosemite National Park? Join me as I take my Airstream Basecamp 16x for a Yosemite Camping trip in the Winter! I'll cover the logistics of camping inside and outside the park, as well as how to book a reservation, where to find a cell signal, winter road closures, vehicle height restrictions, and what the best roads are to drive with an RV.
Upper Pines Campground Reservations: www.recreation.gov/camping/ca...
00:00-00:29 Intro
00:30-02:37 Getting to Yosemite
02:38-06:42 Switching campgrounds
06:43-07:26 Bear Country
07:27-09:59 Exploring
10:00-11:14 Heading to Fresno
11:15-11:33 Outro
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Though cold in the shade, that was quite beautiful! The end of the drive , or the video of the drive, on 140 illustrated how the drop in elevation entirely changes the scenery. Jasper seemed to like being in the snow.
It really is amazing how much the scenery changes in the park. If Jasper could spend his entire life in the snow he would! Thanks for watching Jimmy!
Can’t believe how many people are actually camping in the winter there. I’m headed over there in 3 weeks. I’m in the Bay Area and go over a few times a year. Wawoma is a nice campground in section 2 by the river. I was completely alone in section 2. It also only takes trailers because the bears have been bad and no open bathrooms.
Good to know on that campground. Would love to check out others in the future as well. Have an amazing trip Mari!
Love Yosemite glad you got to see it
Thanks Mike! It's been on my list for so long, was amazing to see it in person
Wonderful video Cass. It looks so beautiful there. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Carl! Appreciate you checking the video out!
Oh, the kitty was like "I'll take on any bear"! Cat's are fearless, lol! Great video!:-)
Hahah they sure are! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for sharing this video, I happy for you and your new truck.
Thanks Mark!
Looks pretty nice!
Thanks for watching!
Hey!, we just saw you going thru Willits! If it wasn't you we hand at someone with the same set up!
My mom has cancer so her travel is limited, so we have been watching your (and others) travel adventures...keep up the good work!
Just pulled that up on a map - it was a twin! Haven't made it up that way yet. So glad to hear you are enjoying the videos, and I wish your Mom the absolute best in her fight!
@@TailsofWanderlust it was your twin...looking forward to more vids
Yosemite is one of my favorite camping places though I've only been three times due to the distance from home. Once we camped when our daughters were small. The next time we horse camped in Kennedy Meadows and hauled our horses up to meet-up with friends from all over the US with their horses. By then our dtr's were in their teens and had a blast. We rode out one day and camped at a rural camp with camp hosts. It was amazing there and a memory everyone remembers. Horses and bears are natural enemies, or that's what the camp host told us. Like you I would highly recommend it as a great family or solo vacation. It beats Disneyland for sure!
Thank you for sharing those memories, it sounds like an absolutely amazing time!! Would be so beautiful to experience the area on horseback.
Cool video, no pun intended. Looked like you and your "kids" had a great time. Got this one on my bucket list.
It was such a great park. I loved being able to walk all around it with Jasp. Hope you get out there someday Jim!
Hi from Tennessee. Fantastic video. Thanks for sharing your journey in Yosemite. Have a great day.
Thanks for watching Patricia!
Nice to see you back on regular basis.
Thanks John!!
Great video enjoy your journey
Thanks Alvin, appreciate you watching!
Great intro to your vids. You sound professional. You come across strong, natural, articulate and equal to any TV outdoor program host. Always a smooth delivery without fumbling over words or appearing uneasy on camera. A producer may come looking for you lol.
Thanks Brian, really appreciate that!! And welcome to the channel!
Great video! love your channel^^
Thanks for watching!
Sweet! We go in a month for 5 days. Will be staying in lower pines! Hopefully it’s warmer by then .
Nice!! Have an amazing trip!
Awesome
Thanks for watching!
Fun video. Thanks for sharing. We were in Yosemite a few weeks ago with wife, niece, her four roommates from college, and our two dogs. Stayed in El Portal and the wonderful Yosemite View Lodge. Living a few hours away, we visit quite often. Also, there’s a great market at the Visitor Center if groceries are needed.
Really good to know on the market. So glad you are able to get out there and enjoy the beautiful park quite often. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the quick review. Until next time... Travel Safe.
Thanks Brunnie!
Pretty good vid.
Thanks for watching!
Sharp Tundra Cass!
Smart choice on the Garmin. Keep moving - we enjoy your vids. Be safe!
Thanks Phil! Really appreciate you watching the videos!
Can’t wait to hear more about dog friendly Yosemite.
Thanks for watching!
Looks like fun, I gotta gets to Yosemite soon. The Toyota seems to pull like a freight train, I love hearing the V8 pushing out the torque. Thanks for taking us on the ride.
It's a beast, love the power of the V8!
Cass, absolutely! Interstate 80 is long straight fast stretches all the way through Reno.
Really good to know! Thanks Eric!
Headed in with my BC Sunday for a couple days…..the park may have limitations because of the season but the winter months are the best time to visit the valley as in the spring ‘summer it is absolutely packed with people. So you really got to see it at its best. Also the road to glacier point and the view from there is spectacular but will be closed for the summer this year for road construction.
Nice! Have an amazing trip!!
You really need to get up to Glacier Point someday; the view is amazing! Also, the drive on 120 through the mountains is epic. At the eastern end is Lee Vining where you should see Mono Lake; a completely different ecosystem.
Also stop in at the Mobil station there; there is a great restaurant inside - the Whoa Nellie Deli!
Really good to know!! Definitely gives me a reason to go back
Van Dam SP in Mendocino is also really nice but you must get sites in higher numbers like 31-45. Campsite #31 and #36 are the best in my opinion and I book those sites. One is a big angle to back in but I did it on first try and the privacy is worth it. The other is a pull up which is nice too.
Really good to know, thanks for sharing!
Love your videos. Great views. You might want to consider removing your rear seat head rests so you can have better visibility. Just a thought. Thanks for sharing your trips.
Great to know. I'm planning to remove the whole seat eventually
Bribed?!! , come on those are EARNED! 🤣🤣🤣
Hahah that is very true!
Once again AWESOME Video & info. I did want to comment on your "Firefall" video....Not sure if you have ever heard of the Band "FIREFALL", if not look them up/ but my best friends brother is the drummer for FIREFALL, and yes they did get the name from the fire fall @ Yosemite National Park/ just a fun fact for you....the members of the band are like brothers to me
Oh that's really cool! I'll go check them out!
@@TailsofWanderlust let me know what you think...I know you have heard their music before
Will do, Robin!
Hwy 140 going into Yosemite is the easiest way to drive an RV into Yosemite. The closest large town to Yosemite is Merced where there is a Costco, here you can get groceries and the cheapest fuel before driving up to the park. If you are a member of Elks there is a lodge in Merced has it's own gated trailer park. That is an excellent location to get an early start to go into Yosemite. If you have a cab over camper, a smaller motorhome, or are willing to move your trailer more often you have an advantage over those needing long term camping spots in Yosemite. My wife and I recently got back from 4 days in Yosemite. All I heard is "You can't go, you can't get a reservation." Once again, rather than searching for a specific 4 night stay in 1 site we searched for 1 night stays which shows every single campsite available including multi-days in one site. In our search we could only find 2 of those nights that were in the same campsite (Tues and Wed) so we grabbed those. We wanted to say longer so we searched for 1 night again found a Thursday night stay at another site in the park, and another 1 night site for Monday night in another site. We have an older 26 foot motorhome, no slides, without a tow car so it is very easy to move from campsite to campsite. One morning we just took the motorhome to upper and lower falls, parked for the day, explored that area, and returned to the next campsite at about 3:30 in the afternoon. On the other Campsite switch we drove the motorhome to Sentinel Beach Picnic Area, Since we have the motorhome with us we have our, swim suits, chairs, and drinks. So for us having the ability to move from campsite to campsite in that situation becomes a real advantage. Remember if you have a camping or hotel reservation, you do not need a special day reservation to get into the park. We have even done one night in Yosemite. The trick is just to arrive early on the first day and leave late on the second day giving you 2 full days. We created a short video of this trip that includes the drive using Hwy 140 if you would like to take a look. I hope this helps. Happy RVing Here the short video link: ua-cam.com/video/c8lS3n_UJyE/v-deo.html&ab_channel=gregmoor1
Such great tips! Thank you so much for sharing your experience, and so glad you had such a fun trip!
Just a compliment (nothing related to your video) as I noticed you must have one of the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. They are blue I know.... but it stands out and blend in with your complexion.
Thank you, appreciate that!
Awesome info thank you, so I’d need 🐻 spray, hand radio (what do you have?), tire chains, boot spikes
Just found out bear spray isn't allowed in the park, so removed reference to that. That's very good to know! I have the Garmin InReach Explorer. It is a lot more expensive but it has the maps and navigation built in. You can also go for the Garmin InReach Mini which has just the communication built in. Both require a monthly subscription. Here are links if you want to check them out (they are affiliate links):
amzn.to/3I6fHPp
www.avantlink.com/click.php?tt=pl&ti=52&pw=310177&mi=10060&pt=3&pri=1332242
You’re probably loving California gas prices!😂 Yosemite is one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen. I’m going in June and staying at the Thousand Trails because I’m a member. I love the film at the visitors center that shows the bear emerging from a car with a loaf of bread! 😂. RV park WiFi usually sucks!
Haha! Thankfully I left before they went over $5.50 a gallon
Jasper is allowed in an Yosemite campground? Awesome!!!!!!! Thank you for clarifying that Yosemite is a "dog friendly" place. I thought National Parks didn't allow dogs!!!!! I can't wait for your camping w/Jasper vid. 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😍
He sure was!
Hwy 80 is a major, mostly wide multi-lane highway. I think is at least 2 lanes each direction between Sacramento and Reno. I don't remember it being very twisty. The last time I drove it was two years ago. It should be good for towing a trailer. It is usually open except for the heaviest snowstorms. Hwy 50 on the other had is mostly 2 lanes in the higher elevations. There is a huge climb up the side of a mountain to get out of the Tahoe basin. Great views along that stretch. The road in general is very twisty and is usually closed or chain controlled by snow storms. It's my favorite road to Tahoe, but It's probably not that much fun for towing a trailer.
Very good feedback and good to know. Thanks for sharing the info!
Take interstate 80 from Reno to 99 south to 120 east
Somehow temps in the 40's seem colder than temps in the 20's... Must be the humidity... thanks for the tips for Yosemite.
It's really true! Thanks for watching Mike
Great video! Very informative and I always enjoy these. Question- would your truck camper have made it through the tunnels?
Im wondering the same thing. Ive had my lance 825 truck camper on a f2504x4 for 3 years and love it so congrats on your purchase. Im curious about that tunnel.
TBD on the truck camper. I think so because mine is a pretty short truck camper. But once it is on the platform in the truck and all set, I will be taking measurements. Really hoping I'm under 10'!
TBD! I'll be really curious to measure it, but hoping everything is under 10' when I'm done
I was tent camping near trailers in California's Plumas-Eureka State Park. At lunch time one day, I watched a brown bear and her two cubs amble up to a camper/moble home, and open the door. They went inside as the 3 people inside leapt out the windows! They didn't leave for quite awhile and the rangers were waiting when they came out. A very unfortunate event for the bears.
Oh wow!! That's quite the experience
Tundra MPG !! It’s always something
So true! Thanks for watching Scott!
Buttons are cute. You're as cute as one!
Thanks for watching Bert!
I love Jasper's outdoor bed setup. How quickly did he take to it? Thanks for the vid. Cheers!
He was trained to "place" on it when he was a puppy, so he took to it pretty easily
I have a relative who's a chef at one of the resorts in Yosemite and lives in the valley.
I've been meaning to get out there for a visit.
What is the specific model of your emergency garmin gps communication device?
I should start carrying something like that with me on my Florida Everglades canoe/camping trips.
Your always so cheerful; I find that refreshing and I enjoy your videos.
I'm the same way when I'm out in nature.
Morel mushroom hunting season will be here soon, so I will be getting lots of nature time in.
Glad you didn't have any bad bear incident's.
@Wandering JackrabbitHey man.
I love it down there.
I used to put in at everglades city but have been putting in at flamingo last several trips and will probably continue doing so. I love camping and fishing around the cape sable and ponce De leon bay area.
Love that you go hunting for morel mushrooms, that's such a cool hobby. There are 2 versions of the Garmin. The InReach Explorer (what I have) that has the maps, but is very expensive. Or the Mini, which is just communication (that's what I gave Michael). Both have worked great: amzn.to/3MHSh6p or amzn.to/3i63IH2
@@TailsofWanderlust Thanks Cass.
Sounds like the lesser expensive one will work for me.
I actually don't mind getting lost down there at all; Sometimes I actually do it intentionally and discover the best places that way.
Morel hunting is definitely one of my favorite things to do in the woods.
I've recently learned that we also have chantrelles and a few other types of wild edible mushrooms and plants in this area.
As much as you love cooking and spending time in remote areas, you should consider adding wild edible foraging to your itinerary.
Fishing, foraging, cooking and camping just all go hand in hand and makes for the complete and ultimate outdoor experience.
You drove in the New Priest Grade road, you should try the OLD Priest Grade
Haha I saw signs for that! Definitely won't be taking the trailer that way
Over the years, I bet you’ve gotten used to dropping your trailer, setting up camp, then heading out to explore with the truck. With the new slide-in, you’ll have to basically take it all with you every time.
What are your thoughts/feelings about that? Do you see yourself using the slide-in less often or only for specific trips? If so, is that also the reason you opted for the Airstream instead of a Sprinter van (or similar)?
Definitely going to be a change, but excited for it. Napoleon will be the least pleased as he likes staying behind and sleeping. I'm excited about bringing my RV with me anywhere so I'll always have a kitchen, etc. It'll be interesting to see after I use it for awhile which I prefer
Hi Cass, I really love your videos I am soon to be solo traveling in a Tab, so I've watching and rewatching all your videos and I'm looking forward to your truck camper remodel. My question is how does google maps tell you which routes are best for RV's? Thank you
It doesn't! Be careful with Google Maps, especially getting into boondocking spots. I've had it try to send me down some crazy roads. I rely on reading reviews/other internet sources to find best routes. Nice thing is once you are comfortable towing the T@B, this will be a lot less of a worry as you'll know you can handle the road, or turn around if needed.
@@TailsofWanderlust thank you
Great video! I hope I make it out there some day. You are very inspiring. Looking forward to the dog tips video!!
Thanks! Coming out soon!
You and Regretlyss should make a video together it would be killer. Looks like you both like the snow!!!
I'll have to look that channel up!
@@TailsofWanderlust Both have great videos and both are smart and love your pets
Love your adventures-the narrative always info full while paced with Indiana Jones twists and turns. 👏😀👍
So glad you enjoy the videos! Thanks for watching!
FYI - bear spray is not allowed in Yosemite. Having the camper closed up is a good idea, although bears are not as frequent as in the past in Yosemite. The park has been very good in informing the visitors about bears as well as other wild life in the park.
THANK YOU! No one mentioned that at all while I was in the park, and just confirmed on the nps site this is the case. Updating the video now to take out that reference. Really appreciate you providing that update!
Was at REI shopping incl for bear spray a few days ago as prep for upcoming Yosemite trip They had a big sign over that section saying "Did you know that bear spray is not allowed in any National Parks located in California?" With all the bear action at Yosemite, this really surprised me. Now I'm wondering about CA State Parks, too...
Really glad REI had those signs up. Very helpful
@@TailsofWanderlust I worked at REI in Fresno, bear spray is available but behind the counter, you will be informed. Bears in Yosemite are not an issue if you keep food items and the like sent away from bears.
Good to know!
That was "cat" for -- "less talking, more door opening."
If you are boondocking you really need a good cell extender. It can make a huge difference. Does not hurt to have a device from two different carriers, either.
Hahah! You're learning Napoleon's language. I have the cell extender, I just don't put it up that often because it takes work and isn't permanently mounted.
Does napoleon ride loose in the vehicle or is he crated? I love him hiding under the covers!
He is leashed in with a harness and seat belt. But does have some movement.
Apparently, Glacier Point Rd. will be closed all of 2022.
Sadly it will be
Hello Cass good evening
Evening Antonio!
@@TailsofWanderlust stay safe ma'am
Thank you!
Hi there. Just curious... What is the mpg while towing? Thanks...
I talk about it in the Tundra video. I'm trying to go off memory here... I think it's between 11-14 right now
Does the Tundra tow a lot better
So much better!
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but if you need chains for your tires, does that include chains on the base camp’s tires?
Not a dumb question at all, as I don't really know what the park's rules are on that and what they would enforce. I do not carry chains for the Basecamp.
Has gas prices been a factor on were you are going these days? I would stay away from Calf. as this prices are insane.
I was in CA in Feb, before the prices went as high as they are now. It hasn't changed travel plans yet, but we'll see down the road what happens.
What is the engine size/power of your truck?
5.7L V8 I believe (have to double check that)
What happened to your 4runner? was it not towing the basecamp well?
I wanted to switch to a truck camper, so went to pickup trucks.
I want to make that trip one day. Hopefully gas prices will return to normal next year or so. Good video.
I sure hope so! Thanks for watching Marty!
Gas is near $6 in California it must be like $7 near Yosemite
Thankfully when I was there outside Yosemite it was only $5. Can't imagine today!
how are you liking the tundra?
Absolutely loving it!
@@TailsofWanderlust awesome
Ma'am sorry to bother you but I was curious since I am looking at getting a base camp as well. are there places in Yosemite that you can camp with a with a camper in a dispersed manner i.e. you are not in a campground?
No dispersed camping in Yosemite with a camper.
@@JohnGlueck Awesome thank you so much for the reply sir
Not a bother at all! What John said, no dispersed camping in the park itself. I've never seen a National Park with dispersed camping inside it. However, there is often dispersed outside the park in the national forest. Yosemite is the same, but a lot of that dispersed is closed for the season.
@@TailsofWanderlust Awesome thank you so much ma'am I appreciate the response safe travels.
Seems way to crowded with people
This was a low amount of people compared to summer