Yosemite just announced when Tuolumne Meadows Campground will reopen
The project marked the most extensive overhaul of the high-country campground since its construction in the 1930s.
Closed since 2022, Tuolumne Meadows serves as a vital basecamp for hikers, backpackers and equestrians exploring Yosemite's eastern wilderness. According to the National Park Service, the site typically welcomes more than 140,000 overnight guests each year.
'Thanks to the Great American Outdoors Act, we've been able to revitalize this beloved campground in a way that honors its past, protects its environment, and prepares it for future generations of visitors,' Acting Superintendent Ray McPadden said in a statement.
The renovation addressed more than $11 million in deferred maintenance and introduced numerous upgrades, including 29 new hike-in campsites, 10 accessible restrooms, modernized picnic facilities, upgraded water and sewer systems, and improved access to the campground's popular amphitheater.
Additionally, 21 campsites were removed from the sensitive buffer zone along the Tuolumne River to restore riparian habitat.
Porcupine Flat and Bridalveil Creek campgrounds will reopen July 15, with reservations for all three high-country sites available starting July 1 on Recreation.gov.
The park initially planned to close at least one site — the Yosemite Valley backpackers campground, a favorite among Half Dome hikers — due to staffing shortages linked to federal workforce cuts under the Trump administration.
Instead, the park will expand its camping inventory by roughly 500 sites with additional openings, including White Wolf, Tamarack Flat, and Yosemite Creek, all located along Tioga Road near Tuolumne Meadows.
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