Upper Pines vs. Wawona vs. Hodgdon Meadow: the best Yosemite RV campground for 2026

By Romana | Information checked September 15, 2026

Upper Pines is the easy answer if the trip revolves around Yosemite Valley. Wawona is the better base for the Mariposa Grove and a slower stay near the South Fork Merced River. Hodgdon Meadow works best for travelers entering on Highway 120 from the west or anyone willing to trade a daily Valley commute for a campsite near the park boundary.

That is the short version. The more useful answer depends on rig length, how often you plan to drive, and whether every person in your party can manage an unmodified campsite. All three campgrounds charge $36 per night in 2026, have drinking water and flush toilets, and lack electric, water, and sewer hookups. They are not interchangeable once you look at location and site limits.[1]

2026 status note: This comparison uses the NPS campground table updated September 3, 2026 and the reservation page updated September 11, 2026, both retrieved September 15. Opening dates are tentative, and individual site dimensions can be tighter than each campground's published maximum.[1][2]

Quick comparison for RV campers

The dimensions above are campground-level maximums, not a promise that your chosen site fits that equipment. NPS tells campers to read the site description and filter Recreation.gov by RV length.[4][5]

Choose Upper Pines if Yosemite Valley is the trip

Upper Pines is the only one of these three inside Yosemite Valley. Its practical advantage is not a prettier picnic table. It is the ability to leave the motorhome in camp and use the free shuttle, walk, or bike for much of the day. Recreation.gov says the shuttle stops at the campground entrance, while Curry Village nearby has fee showers, food, and basic services.[3]

For a three-night first visit built around the Mist Trail corridor, Mirror Lake, Valley viewpoints, museums, and an evening stroll, Upper Pines cuts out repeated 45-minute drives. It also avoids the awkward question of where to park a large vehicle after trailhead lots fill. That saved driving can matter more than site ambience.

Upper Pines has 236 sites, more than twice the inventory at either Wawona or Hodgdon Meadow, but the Valley location creates fierce demand. NPS says non-lottery reservations release at 7 a.m. Pacific and can sell out within minutes.[2] The campground is open and reservable all year in 2026, with reservations released five months ahead on the 15th.[1][2]

The catch for towables is the published 24-foot trailer limit, compared with 35 feet at Wawona and 30 feet at Hodgdon Meadow. Motorhomes can be up to 35 feet at the campground level. Recreation.gov also warns that campers must book a site that accommodates their equipment; the campground maximum does not override an individual spur's dimensions.[1][3]

Upper Pines is the strongest choice when:

• you plan two or more full days in Yosemite Valley;
• your trailer is 24 feet or shorter, or your motorhome fits a listed site;
• someone in the group benefits from a designated accessible campsite;
• you want the park's only year-round dump station; or
• you would rather use the Valley shuttle than break camp each morning.

Skip it if a long trailer rules it out, or if your itinerary is mostly Mariposa Grove and the south side of the park.

Choose Wawona for the south side and the best trailer allowance

Wawona sits along the South Fork Merced River near historic Wawona, about 27 miles and 45 minutes from Yosemite Valley. Mariposa Grove is a short drive away, and the community has a visitor center, hotel, and market.[4]

Among these three campgrounds, Wawona has the most forgiving published trailer maximum: 35 feet. The RV maximum is also 35 feet. That makes it the first listing to inspect if a 25- to 35-foot travel trailer cannot fit Upper Pines. It still requires careful site selection. NPS explicitly says not every Wawona site accepts the campground maximum and directs travelers to verify the selected site's details.[4]

The 2026 calendar has a wrinkle worth noticing. Wawona remains open all year, but the NPS table lists reservations through October 26 for Loops B and C and through November 29 for Loop A. Outside the reservation season, winter camping operates first come, first served and can still fill on weekends and holidays.[1][2]

Wawona also has four designated accessible sites in Loop C: 67, 69, 70, and 89. The individual NPS page says these have extended picnic-table tops and nearby wheelchair-accessible restrooms.[4] That is a meaningful distinction from Hodgdon Meadow, which has no designated accessible campsites.

Choose Wawona when:

• your main day is Mariposa Grove rather than Yosemite Valley;
• you enter from Highway 41 or want to leave toward Fresno;
• your trailer exceeds Upper Pines' 24-foot campground maximum;
• you want a designated accessible site but cannot get Upper Pines; or
• one long Valley day is enough and you do not mind the commute.

There is a summer-only dump station near Wawona. For a shoulder-season stay, plan tank capacity around the year-round station at Upper Pines or a facility outside the park.[1]

Choose Hodgdon Meadow for Highway 120 access

Hodgdon Meadow is near the Big Oak Flat Entrance on the park's western edge. NPS places it 25 miles and about 45 minutes from Yosemite Valley. Crane Flat, eight miles away, has gas and limited convenience items, and the Merced Grove and Tuolumne Grove trailheads are a short drive from camp.[5]

This location makes sense when the arrival and departure route is Highway 120 west. You can reach camp soon after entering the park instead of towing down into Yosemite Valley, then make focused day trips in a smaller vehicle if your setup allows. It can also suit an itinerary weighted toward the two sequoia groves and Tioga Road rather than a dawn-to-dark Valley schedule.

For 2026, Hodgdon Meadow is open all year and uses reservations from April 15 through October 26. Its campground-level maximums are 35 feet for an RV and 30 feet for a trailer in the current NPS comparison table.[1] The campground's older detail page contains internally inconsistent length and site-count fields, so use the current 2026 table as the planning ceiling and the exact Recreation.gov site record as the booking decision. Do not stretch the numbers in your favor.[1][5]

Hodgdon Meadow is the weakest of the three for a traveler who needs a designated accessible campsite. NPS lists zero, while Upper Pines lists 10 and Wawona four.[1] It also lacks an on-site dump station. The daily commute to the Valley can be reasonable once, but doing it morning and evening for several days gives away the location advantage.

Pick Hodgdon Meadow when:

• you are arriving on Highway 120 from the west;
• your trailer is longer than 24 feet but no longer than the selected site's limit;
• the Valley is one part of the trip rather than the whole trip;
• you want quick access to the park boundary for an early departure; and
• no one in the party requires a designated accessible campsite.

A decision rule that works

Start with the equipment, not the scenery.

1. Enter the full RV or trailer length in Recreation.gov, including any dimension the booking page tells you to count. Remove every site that cannot accept the rig.
2. If several options remain, place the campsite beside the trip's anchor: Upper Pines for repeated Valley days, Wawona for Mariposa Grove and Highway 41, Hodgdon Meadow for Highway 120 west and the nearby sequoia-grove trailheads.
3. Check accessibility at the site level. A paved road and flush toilet do not make every campsite accessible.
4. Plan tanks and power. None of the three campgrounds has hookups. Upper Pines has the only year-round dump station among them; the station near Wawona is seasonal.[1]
5. Recheck alerts and the site listing before departure. NPS labels opening and closing dates tentative.[1]

For a typical first Yosemite trip in a 30-foot motorhome, Upper Pines wins if a compatible site is available. For a 30-foot travel trailer, Upper Pines drops out at the campground level and Wawona becomes the most flexible option. Hodgdon Meadow is the route-driven choice: good when Highway 120 and the west side fit the itinerary, inefficient when every day ends deep in the Valley.

Booking the 2026 dates

Upper Pines, Wawona, and Hodgdon Meadow use the five-month release system for their reservation periods. Inventory opens on the 15th at 7 a.m. Pacific. For example, arrivals from May 15 through June 14 release January 15; arrivals from September 15 through October 14 release May 15.[2]

Create and test the Recreation.gov account before release morning. Save the exact acceptable sites rather than trying to evaluate lengths after inventory appears. NPS recommends an accurately set clock and being logged in before 7 a.m.; it also notes that non-lottery inventory may disappear within minutes.[2]

If the first attempt fails, check cancellations instead of improvising an overnight parking plan. NPS permits vehicle overnights only within a campsite registered to that camper.[2]

Before you tow into Yosemite

A campground reservation does not mean the site fits. Compare the listing's driveway length, vehicle limit, and warnings with the rig's real travel length, not the model name painted on its side. Record the chosen site's number and restrictions offline because reception may be unreliable.

Store food and scented items as directed in the provided food locker. At Upper Pines, Recreation.gov lists locker interiors as 35 inches deep by 43 inches wide by 28 inches high and prohibits food storage in vehicles.[3] Similar wildlife rules apply park-wide, so oversized coolers deserve a packing check before departure.

Finally, budget separately for park admission. Recreation.gov states that an Upper Pines camping reservation does not include the park entrance fee.[3] A reservation gets you a campsite, not a hookup, a guaranteed fit at the campground maximum, or permission to ignore current road and fire restrictions.

Bottom line

Upper Pines is the best operational base for a Valley-heavy visit. Wawona is the smart alternative for longer trailers, Mariposa Grove, and Highway 41. Hodgdon Meadow earns its place when Highway 120 west and the park's western edge match the route.

All three are dry-camping choices at the same listed 2026 nightly fee. The winning campground is the one that accepts the exact rig and removes the most driving from the actual itinerary.

Sources

1. Campgrounds - Yosemite National Park Retrieved September 15, 2026.
2. Campground Reservations - Yosemite National Park Retrieved September 15, 2026.
3. Upper Pines Campground, Yosemite National Park Retrieved September 15, 2026.
4. Wawona Campground - Yosemite National Park Retrieved September 15, 2026.
5. Hodgdon Meadow Campground - Yosemite National Park Retrieved September 15, 2026.