Yosmeite has recently posted on their website that the Yosmeite Valley Backpackers Campground will be closed temporarily, with limited spaces available in an alternative location for 36 nightly backpackers. No other information or timeline has been provided. Calls to the park were responded to with “Budget Cuts”, and mentions that it may not reopen for the majority of the summer.
Traditionally, the Yosemite Valley Backpackers Campground has been able to accommodate over 100 permitted hikers during prime season, providing a place to camp either the night before or after, or during a longer trek. Recently, this number has increased because the Tuolumne Meadows Campground and Backpackers Campsites have been unavailable due to a redevelopment project. This project will continue through most of the 2025 season, leaving the Yosemite Valley Campground under continued higher demand and the only open Backpackers Campsite, other than at Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, which is severely out of the way and lacks public transit options.
Why the Backpackers Campgrounds are essential, and/or this closure is concerning:
- Allows backpackers to start and end their trips without time constraints safely.
- All other Backpackers Campgrounds are otherwise closed for 2025 until further notice.
- Giving long-distance hikers (like PCT, JMT, and other multi-day hikers) a place to rest, resupply, and/or celebrate their accomplishments in the popular Yosemite Valley, which offers other conveniences such as showers, shopping, restaurants, and a post office.
- Helps people avoid illegal camping and reduce risks like injury, exhaustion, or unsafe travel.
- The backpacker’s campsite offers a good location to camp the night before catching the early morning buses from the Valley and to the numerous Yosemite wilderness trailheads.
- Many people already have travel plans and wilderness permits based on the fact that they were otherwise planning to use this campground option.
- Lodging and camping around Yosemite are in short supply, especially at this late hour. Finding ways to commute from random lodging and camping sites into and out of the park to trailheads, and/or to the early morning Valley-based shuttles, is a massive hurdle in itself, if not impossible.
- Requiring that wilderness permits be picked up in person the day before or on the day of, yet not having resources in place to allow doing so (campgrounds, public transit, etc.) The Valley Backpackers Campground provided a perfect location for all of these hurdles to be cleared logically, the day prior, shops to pick things up last minute, and public transportation options to get you to most trailheads the day of your permit.
- Reducing to Camp 4 campsites for only 36 people per night is simply not enough. Especially when historically, Yosemite has hosted, on average, 200-250 +- backpackers a night during prime season between all of its Backpacker Campgrounds.
- Making this announcement after almost the entire backpacking season in Yosemite has now been permitted, while not offering refunds/changes/credits within the wilderness permit system prevents further challenges for many.
Lasting Adventures is a 501(c)(3) public benefit non-profit with a mission to foster environmental stewardship, teach responsible recreation, and provide opportunities for personal growth through the facilitation of impactful wilderness experiences. Lasting Adventures has been operating in Yosemite for 30 years and is one of the largest users within the Yosemite wilderness. Lasting Adventures has depended on these campgrounds for our groups at the start and end of our trips. We are looking forward to working with the park to reopen this vital campground for the summer season. We have also volunteered to help manage/service this campground if needed.
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