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Every number below comes from the live North Pines and Upper Pines pages on this site, which track these recreation.gov campgrounds for cancellations.
Upper Pines is the easier Yosemite Valley booking and the busier stay: 235 sites make it the valley’s largest campground and the only one open year-round, next to Curry Village on the free shuttle line. North Pines is the quieter trade: just 81 sites in a shadier spot by the stables with the Mirror Lake trail an easy walk from camp. Neither has hookups. Both release reservations at 7 a.m. Pacific on the 15th of each month, and the smaller North Pines pool empties faster.
Both sit in Yosemite Valley, both book on recreation.gov, and neither offers a single hookup site, so the decision comes down to size and setting. The table below uses only numbers from each campground’s own park page.
| Upper Pines | North Pines | |
|---|---|---|
| Sites | 235 (202 standard, 29 RV dry, 4 tent-only) | 81 (63 standard, 18 RV dry) |
| Season | Open year-round | Seasonal |
| Setting | Near Curry Village, on the free valley shuttle line | Shadier and more secluded, by the stables; Mirror Lake walk from camp |
| Hookups | None | None |
| Booking | Monthly batch: 7 a.m. Pacific on the 15th | Monthly batch: 7 a.m. Pacific on the 15th |
| The catch | Busiest campground in the valley; summer dates vanish in minutes | Smaller pool empties even faster on release day |
For calm after a day in the crowds. North Pines sits where Tenaya Creek meets the Merced River near the Yosemite Valley Stables, and its page calls out the Mirror Lake trail as an easy walk right from camp. Upper Pines trades that seclusion for logistics families love: Curry Village is within walking distance, the free shuttle stops on its doorstep, and it keeps taking reservations all year while every other valley campground closes.
Cancellations post back to recreation.gov continuously because campers cancelling more than 14 days out get a full refund minus $10, so sites reappear without warning. Set a free camp.land alert on either campground and we email the moment one does. Lower Pines (74 sites) and Wawona or Hodgdon Meadow outside the valley are the usual plan B, and cabins in Mariposa or El Portal book on Vrbo when the valley is full.
Upper Pines Campground (Yosemite National Park) fills up fast — lock in a cabin nearby
Cabins and vacation rentals in Mariposa and El Portal are worth booking as a backup if the campground is full.
See cabins & rentals near Upper Pines Campground (Yosemite National Park) →We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
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Upper Pines is the easier Yosemite Valley booking and the busier stay: 235 sites make it the valley’s largest campground and the only one open year-round, next to Curry Village on the free shuttle line. North Pines is the quieter trade: just 81 sites in a shadier spot by the stables with the Mirror Lake trail an easy walk from camp. Neither has hookups. Both release reservations at 7 a.m. Pacific on the 15th of each month, and the smaller North Pines pool empties faster.
Upper Pines. Both campgrounds release reservations at 7 a.m. Pacific (10 a.m. Eastern) on the 15th, so you compete in the same minute, but Upper Pines offers 235 sites against North Pines’ 81. The catch: everyone knows it, so Upper Pines popular summer dates go within minutes of release too.
North Pines if you want quiet: its park page describes a shadier, more secluded campground near the Yosemite Valley Stables, with the Mirror Lake trail starting close to camp. Upper Pines if you want convenience: it sits near Curry Village on the free valley shuttle line and stays open all year.
Yes. Upper Pines and North Pines are recreation.gov campgrounds watched by Camp.land alerts. Missed the 15th release? Set your dates once and we email when cancellations post back to recreation.gov, which happens continuously since campers get a full refund minus $10 for cancelling more than 14 days out. The first alert is free.