The 5 Cleanest Campsites In Yosemite, According To Reviews

Camping in Yosemite National Park is an experience you'll likely never forget. It's a chance to pitch a tent or park an RV in the company of colossal sequoia trees, amid blooming wildflower fields, or under the gaze of the great granite face of El Capitan. They say over 4 million people visit this amazing corner of California each year, but there's only space for under 10,000 campers at any one time. No wonder reserving a pitch here is a competitive business, requiring pre-booking up to five months ahead of time.

Besides a flurry of fun, updated camping options like hip glampgrounds, there are now 13 official NPS-run campgrounds in Yosemite. Bags of information are out there on which campground is the best of them all, with all sorts of recommendations on the top pitches for woodland lovers, rock climbers, RVers, and others. But what about the park's cleanest campgrounds?

That's where this guide comes in. Using Tripadvisor scores from past campers, our guide focuses solely on the cleanliness ratings of the top-ranked campgrounds in this beloved Californian national park. The result? Five spots that offer the most spick-and-span facilities, like wondrously sparkling toilet facilities, the best-maintained pitches, and more. 

The Bridalveil Creek Campground sits away from the maddening crowds on a spur that comes off the seasonal Glacier Point Road, a winding, 16-mile route that links Highway 41 with soaring observation points over the Half Dome and the gushing waterfalls of the valley. The campground is a fine location to pitch up, sitting some 7,200 feet above sea level amid pockets of pine trees.

The 110 reservation-only pitches that are on offer here mean that it's not the largest campground in Yosemite (that honor goes to the Tuolumne Meadows Campground, which has more than 300 sites), and its general Tripadvisor score of 3.9 out of 5 means it's not the best scorer overall. However, this one garners a whopping 4.7 out of 5 when it comes to cleanliness, which elevates it above all other official camping spots in the region on that count.

One former camper, writing on the official Yosemite campground booking site Recreation.gov, summed up their visit like this: "Extremely clean bathrooms, quiet, easy to get to, and stunning stargazing!!!" On top of the stand-out cleanliness, expect a relaxed atmosphere and real seclusion, away from the hustle and bustle of the main Yosemite Valley campgrounds.

Calling all tent pitchers — the Tamarack Flat Campground, which sits at an elevation of over 6,000 feet, is recommended for those outdoorsy folk who prefer the cover of a canvas to the comfort of an RV. The reason? It's harder to reach than many other campgrounds in Yosemite, as it is located 45 minutes from Yosemite Valley.

What it may lack in accessibility, it makes up for in cleanliness. This remote site scores 4.3 out of 5 on the clean front over on Tripadvisor, making it the second-cleanest official campground in the whole Yosemite National Park, based on our analysis, with one reviewer noting, "Great host, fantastic campground with very clean facilities. Lovely drive in. There is toilet paper and hand sanitiser in the toilets." There were also some highly complimentary reviews waxing lyrical about the spot's general vibe, with one visitor saying, "This is what it's all about ... Very large areas for camping and you really feel like you are enjoying the wilderness as opposed to the touristy harsh run campgrounds everywhere else."

True enough, Tamarack Flat is distinctly off-the-beaten-path and uncrowded, offering swimming spots on nearby Cascade Creek and walking access to the Tamarack Creek Trail, a route that weaves between granite outcrops to showcase wildflower-strewn meadows and snow-fed streams.

The first campground on this list to be actually situated within the Yosemite Valley, that ever-popular portion of the park that an estimated 70% of people come to see, the Lower Pines Campground is often touted for its proximity to the shops, restaurants, and other amenities of Curry Village. True enough, you'll be camping a mere 10 minutes' walk down the road from the coffee shops and pizza chefs, which can be handy, especially if you're traveling with kids in tow.

Lower Pines itself is a seasonal campground, typically open from April to October each year. It boasts over 70 pitches, each with tables, fire rings, and access to flush toilets. It's clean, too: The fourth overall cleanest according to Tripadvisor, where it scores 4.2 in that category.

The real key here is that you'll be staying right in the depths of the Yosemite Valley. You'll literally be able to walk over to some of the park's most iconic trailheads — the Mist Trail and the long-distance John Muir Trail begin just 17 minutes down the road, as does the easy hiking trail to Mirror Lake for getting views of the Half Dome from below.

If you're not too keen on being smack dab in the middle of Yosemite Valley, then the Wawona Campground offers a good alternative, close to the south entrance of the national park. Cleanliness here shouldn't be an issue, since the site scores 4.2 out of 5 for that on Tripadvisor, coupled with an overall rating of 4.4 on Recreation.gov, where one former visitor had only good things to say about the facilities: "The restrooms are close and clean. Lots of dumpsters for trash and recycle. It was a very relaxing and peaceful stay."

Unlike some of the harder-to-reach spots on this list, parts of Wawona stay open all year-round. It has just under 100 separate pitches spread across a few loops along the South Fork of the Merced River.

This campground will get you within easy striking distance of some of Yosemite's greatest attractions, like Mariposa Grove, which is just a 7-minute drive from where you'll set the tent. This is a stand of 500 gigantic trees, with one specimen that's thought to be around 3,000 years old! You'll also be near the hiking route to Chilnualna Falls, a hamstring-busting path that leads to not one, not two, but five waterfalls that pour over the granite stones of the Sierra Nevada.

North Pines Campground occupies an enviable finger of land between the Merced River and the meanders of Tenaya Creek. That makes it another centrally located option for campers looking to pitch up in the sought-after heart of the valley, close to Curry Village. So book this one as early as you can, since reservations are sure to go fast — there's now even an early-access lottery system in place for access to campsites in North Pines!

Scoring 4 out of 5 on Tripadvisor when it comes to cleanliness, the spot has plenty going for it on that front, plus in terms of its facilities in general. Each restroom has flush toilets and sinks; there are dumpster areas for trash drop-off; well-maintained access roads allow for easy navigation in an RV or car; and there's a park shuttle bus stop conveniently located at the entrance to the campground.

And there are other reasons why North Pines shines. Its location means water on multiple sides, with wild swimming holes beckoning in the creek and the Merced for those keen to cool off after long hikes in the warmer months. There are also walking paths that leave right from the doorstep to take you all the way to Happy Isles, an area of the valley that lays claim to some legendary trailheads — perhaps, most notably, the soul-satisfying hike to the top of the Half Dome.

For this ranking, we turned to ever-trusty Tripadvisor, where we sorted all campgrounds in Yosemite by overall user review. We took the top 20 options from that list, eliminating anything that wasn't strictly a campsite (any listing for cabin or lodge accommodation rather than pitches, RV pitches, or partially permanent tent structures). We also eliminated anything that wasn't located within the national park boundaries of Yosemite.

We then sifted through each to get the specific cleanliness score provided by Tripadvisor reviews, proceeding to re-rank all campsites accordingly. When multiple campgrounds had the same cleanliness score, we decided the winner based on proximity to Yosemite Valley, the beating heart of the national park.