Lower Pines Campground in CA -- Campground & RV Camping

Lower Pines Campground is set at 4,000 feet elevation in the heart of Yosemite Valley along the Merced River. The grounds are shaded by a mix of California black oak, ponderosa pine, incense-cedar, white fir, and whiteleaf manzanita, with views of the park's granite cliffs. Facilities include paved roads and parking spurs, flush toilets, drinking water, an amphitheater, and a free shuttle stop at the entrance. Each campsite features a picnic table, fire ring, and food storage locker. Trailheads for Mirror Lake and Half Dome originate nearby, and river rafting is accessible on the Merced.

Getting there: Take Highway 41 north from Fresno, Highway 140 east from Merced, or Highway 120 east from Manteca into Yosemite National Park. Follow signs to Yosemite Valley and the campgrounds.

• Little separation from through roads or other sites here, a 74-site campground with the nearest through road 0.1 miles off.
• Sits on broad, near-level ground.
• Glacier Point stands 2,736 ft above the map pin, 0.8 miles southwest.
• Merced River runs 0.1 mi off.
• 3 on the water.
• Estimated night sky: Bortle 3, a dark rural sky.

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