Porcupine Flat Campground

After a 37-year lifetime of camping in Yosemite Valley, I started looking to complete hikes around the park that don't begin on the Valley floor. North Dome was the first on the list, and Porcupine Flat Campground is conveniently located less than 5 minutes up Tioga Road from the Porcupine Creek Trailhead. The campground is more 'primitive,' which means there isn't running water, and there are pit toilets. I didn't find this to be a problem, just remember to pack extra water for washing up or bring paper plates/pre-packaged meals. What I LOVE about this campground? There were no kids. None. No screaming, no crying, and everyone was asleep by dark. It's a hiker's refuge in the truest sense, and I'm already looking forward to getting in more nights above the Valley floor. The howling coyotes (?) at night were an exhilarating experience. No bears seen or heard, gratefully. Book in advance via Recreation.gov; 2 nights in Oct 24' were $48. No ranger at check-in, we left our confirmation number and site at a self-registration clipboard, but a ranger was making rounds in the morning. You're at around 8,000 ft. elevation here - expect much cooler temps than the entrance gate and pack your layers. Bring plenty of water on your hikes (more than you think you need) and hearty snacks. Have fun!

My husband and I just came here for a week and were a bit worried that we would not find a spot. We arrive on a Wednesday morning about 7am and found a spot immediately. This campsite was perfect. It was very quiet, the people here are very polite and clean. Most of the campsite is asleep by 7pm so if you are a night crawler this isn't the site for you. Our campsite was #43 we had a lot of space and the creek right behind us. We also had a lot of wood there available. It is about an hour from Yosemite valley and 30 minutes from Crane flat which is where the showers and gas station is . Only 10 minutes from Tenyana Overall perfect location .

This campground wasn't bad, but it wasn't one of my favorites of Yosemite either.First off, the campground is near the Tioga road, so you hear cars driving by all the time during the day, unless you score a campsite near the back of the campground. Another thing with the campground is that the toilets are vaulted toilets, and there is no dumping area for your water. That is why the campground is so cheap to stay at - only $12 a night.I myself happened to camp at a site where it was close to the other campsites and not so private, so perhaps it made my experience not as enjoyable compared to if I had gotten a good site at the back of the campground.If you had to choose between White Wolf or this campground, definitely choose White Wolf. It's close by, more private, has flushing toilets and running water in the sinks. And, it's easy to get a spot at, just like this campground.

** Hello, From 2014 Host for Porcupine Campground.** Great Campground excellent Location, and right off the road. Sport our Parks Please: 1) peer.org 2) https://www.npca.org/ 3) http://www.nationalparks.org/ 4) https://secure.yosemiteconservancy.org/donate/1) Elevation: 8,100 ft (2,500 m). Open: July through ... 2 ) July through October 153) Pit toilets4) No water but the stream5) No Phone or Cell Service6) $12.00 A night for the stay7) Yes, BEARS are in this camp and around (Secure your FOOD)Please see NPS Page on this: http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/porcupinecamp.htm20 Minutes away go East is You find these Resource and Services 1) Gas Station at Tuolumne Meadows2) Pay phone at Tuolumne Meadows3) Food Store at Tuolumne Meadows4) Hamburgers, Coffee ....place5) There is a Lodge is you want a little higher end eating ---NPS Visitors Center is there---NPS Wilderness Center is there for information and wilderness permits ---USPS is there if you need to mail anything as wellYou are 1:45 minutes Drive to the Valley Floor going West Hiking:You can hike down to the Valley via the Snowy Creek Trail in about 5 hours. 1) Then from the Visitors Center at 5PM You can pick up the YARTS bus that will do a courtesy stop right at the front door of Porcupine. Bus (YARTS) link below----------------http://yarts.com/Next Hiking: easy and family oriented day hike1) North DORM = 9 mile round trip2) Indian Rock about 7 Miles round trip Favored Campgrounds for Lovers and Space1) 45B2) 473) 49 has large tree down which you can camp behind4) 48 is huge nice for room5) 36 is a sleep camp but nice6) 37 is neat7) 44 Weather1) You at 8,100 feet, 2,500 meters so insure you are ready if in the end of the season2) Storm do come in the High Sierras: do look at the weather and insure your gear is up to snuff3) Not bad in the High Summer Time but remember to to cover up from high sunlight: High Temps 100, 110 degrees Weather in the End of the Season1) 17 Degrees, 25, to 34 is common temps 2) You add any wind to that and you might see near (O) degrees Do a night Hike to Indian Rock And See the Stars and you will remember it all for a life time ****** First Come First Served campground (HOW TO)****1) Never show up at 11PM from Thursday to Sunday in High Summer 99% Chance it is full. and Everyone is Asleep ---no way to barter or do anything2) Come in the morning or later and then see if people are leaving: you actually have to get of your car to do this well and talk to people! 3) If it is full, see if there is a single person you can get along with or say 2 people of your background or you agree with -- then you need to Grease the Wheel: Offer to pay for the campground, or beer food.....well work! You usually only need one night to find camp in the morning - people come and go all the time.4) look for the magic, ask think and look.5) Make sure you have back up plan6) Never drive if you are so tired you can't see: sleep in the car away from others Never if you are Juicy/Van Camper Leave your Campground without putting down gear or food in the bear locker...camp slips do go missing and you (highly likely) will lose your campground!Links for you:------Support Your Parks::: http://www.nationalparks.org/------Yosemite page:http://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htmNeat reads1) http://www.amazon.com/98-6-Degrees-Keeping-Your-Alive/dp/15868523452) http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/camping-hacks-that-are-borderline-genius#.tmKoMd2qE

Smallish campground (by Yosemite standards) on Tioga Rd. about a half hour east of Tuolumne Meadows campground. Actually feels like camping and not like that RV-city Tuolumne Meadows or the popular Yosemite Valley campgrounds. Decent-sized sites so you don't feel like you're right on top of your neighbors. Pretty quiet. Kind of centrally located for seeing the Tioga Road sights.Non-reservable for those of us who don't plan these things far enough ahead to do the whole reserve 85 years in advance thing. No guarantees but isn't that part of the fun? Be ready to pounce, though, fairly early in the day when people start leaving. We tried this on a Monday morning last August and got lucky. It was maybe 8 or 8:30 am but hang around because I don't think you have to be out until 10 am or later. Don't be shy if you see someone packing up, ask nicely if their campsite is spoken for. We were happy to pass our campsite along to some guys who had just spent the night in their car. No running water or flush toilets (vault toilets only) so bring plenty of water for drinking, cooking and washing up.If you've never stayed up here remember Tuolumne gets cold at night. This campground is at 8100 ft. elevation. Have something warm to wear in the morning. Hat and gloves wouldn't hurt but some pants and a sweatshirt at a minimum. We had ice on top of our bear bin where we had spilled some water the night before.

Really cute campground. But then again, I don't have much to compare it to. I'm heard horror stories about how crowded and loud some of the camps are down in Yosemite Valley, but I don't really know. What I do know is that this campground has about 50 spots, it really quiet and a good place to keep cool during the summer. It's right off the road so no crazy 4 wheeling necessary. Each space is pretty good sized, has a bear box, picnic table, parking spot and fire ring. I really liked our space, number 14, because it was right by the creek that runs through the campground. While you can't drink the water without boiling/iodine, it's perfect for washing dishes, etc. My only complaint was that it got pretty freaking cold at night (40ish? in mid-July). I guess that's mostly my owm fault for not researching better. We were not prepared for that kind of cold. Oh! And no flush toilets. The bathrooms were clean but the vault toilets stunk and the antibacterial dispensers fixed to the wall were empty. This is a good place to stay if you want to keep away from the hustle and bustle of the Valley. Just know it'll take you about an hour to get down there.

had the most amazing time for my big 4-0 on 7/4/16!! i'm dreaming about going back again. too late for this year (got too busy with kid graduating college, etc..) but definitely next year! we're rookies at camping and haven't done so since i was a teen with my parents and didn't expect to camp somewhere with no flushing toilets and water (originally planned on white wolf creek and website didn't indicate closed due to water issues and loooong line of cars waiting to get in waited from 6am-8am; rangers finally came and told everyone no chance... started losing hope since it's weekend of 4th and i was ready to trek back to the bay area 3 hours drive, when we decided to check out other first come first serve campsites. first checked out yosemite creek campground - yes all the way down there - just to find that everyone else was just getting there :( so back up the road we went... one hour later, around 10:30am ish, pulled up to porcupine flat to find people running around reserving sites - i literally stopped my suv between 2 people making their game plan on sites and decided no one was deciding on the spot that i was parked on, so we stayed). literally, next to outhouse - lifesaver that way, by the way, but nights got really dark and thank goodness for head lamps to keep both hands free while navigating in the dark around that outhouse! we had our own bear locker, picnic table and firepit. no rear neighbors. huge rocks behind us that we set up bottles so kids can play with their slingshots. wasn't prepared for the coldness at night tho, so we had to cut our trip short by 1 night (also, one of tents' zipper didn't close anymore, so that's that). but def going back! wanna be close to mist trail @ the valley but idk if i can handle that crowd and noise. also the sites down there are super close to each other compared to the privacy we had @ porcupine #best birthday celebration ever!

Amazing camp site! No water source and no place on site to buy wood for a fire is the only downside.

Porcupine Flats is perfectly situated in in the middle of Tioga Road to provide access to the higher elevation trails. If you're a hiker this is the spot for you. 10 bucks a night and if you play your cards right you can actually find a spot that provides excellent privacy; particularly for your tent as the boundary extends well beyond the fire ring and table. R.V.'s are allowed towards the entrance but only cars can handle the rougher road leading to the outlying sites. For the most part, this is a quiet campground as the upper elevations tend to limit the number of goofballs who think that camping is an excuse to get wasted and yell. Porcupine does not have access to water unless the creek is running which, of course, it will then need to be filtered or boiled. The nearest access to drinking water can be found at the Wilderness Permit office at the trailhead for the John Muir Trail located just beyond the Tuolomne Meadows Campground which is about a 20 minute drive. Bring a large jug and numerous bottles to fill up if the creek is dry in the late Summer or Fall. The market by the meadow is relatively well stocked but closes towards the end of September. The vault toilets are kept clean and fire wood is plentiful given the rich forest but you may want to bring a large bag to head up and grab as much as you'll need for the morning and night. I recently returned from what I thought would be four days at Porcupine but which turned in to nine because there wasn't a good reason to leave. A quick tip for any hikers who may be reading this. There are a couple of trails to check out that will get you in to the backcountry and provide some serious solitude. The first is off the JMT through Lyell Canyon. After a short mile or so you'll come to two bridges that cross the river and a sign that says "trail' which marks the JMT. You'll also notice a side trail leading to the left and up river. Take that and you won't be disappointed. You will be crossing some boulder fields but if you keep your eyes on the cairns and ask yourself, "If I was a trail where would I go" you won't have any problem picking it up. About 50 yards before you pick up the JMT again you'll see a second side trail which, again, you'll want to take. You won't be disappointed. The second is actually just outside the park boundaries. Saddlebag Lake sits at about 10.5K and provides food and a boat launch so there will be people in that area. Take the trail leading around the lake and after a couple of miles of easy walking you'll reach a junction for Lundy Pass. Take this and enjoy. Note there are some sections that are nothing but talus so pay attention. This is a loop trail that will take you through six or seven beautiful alpine lakes. While you may see other hikers congregating around the lake you'll have long stretches of solitude. Try to time it so you arrive back at the Saddlebag trailhead at the end of the day to ensure a bit of privacy in this magnificent area.

Couldn't get a walk-in spot at Tuolomne, so we kept driving and ended up here. This place is nicely located to be able to drive into the valley or up to Tuolumne. No running water or electricity, but nice campground and not crowded. We had a fire pit, bear locker, and picnic table. Plenty of bathrooms around. Rangers came around in the evening to check that everyone was being bear-safe, but they didn't stay. I'm glad we found this place! Stayed with young children.