Don't believe the bad reviews! It's not a terrible campground. We were in site 42. This is a confusing site because the site is split in half by a huge felled tree, though there is a passageway cut through the tree. We didn't even realize that the area to the left of the bear box was part of our campsite until another family in our group arrived. The fire ring is on the opposite side of the felled tree from the bear box and there is a second, more level, picnic table as well (the picnic table near the bear box is hopeless; it's at such a tilted angle). Site 42 is near the back so there were no sites behind the eastern side of the campsite (the side with the fire ring). We put a piece of blue tape between the bear box and the adjacent site so kids would not run through our camp site and would instead walk on the path. The campsites are small but they are adequate for two tents. We saw no bears, but lots of squirrels, ants, and some deer. There had been a bear in Site 1 the week before that got people's food. The bathrooms are okay, they have toilet paper, and the bathrooms to the northeast of site 42 are better since they have more stalls and because the sink to dispose of dirty dish water was working properly. There is potable water around the back of the bathroom buildings. The camp hosts offer you free coffee if you stop by in the morning but we had our own Italian espresso. If you have Verizon (or a Verizon MNO or MVNO) you will have one bar of 4G LTE coverage which is enough for voice calls and SMS, but not enough for iMessage, Google Voice, or any internet. If you have AT&T or T-Mobile then you will have no coverage at all (this is typical in the Central Sierra where Verizon bought the local carrier, Golden State Cellular, which had the best, and often the only, coverage. If you drive up to the ranger station that is immediately east of the Big Oak Flat entrance station, and walk maybe 200 feet towards the entrance station you can get "Yosemite WiFi" with a good signal, but you should use a VPN if you're doing anything involving passwords or money since there is no security. My wife and I hiked from Hodgdon Meadow campground to Tuolumne Grove, about a 4 mile hike once you find the trailhead. The trail is really the old road between the two areas. However after about 1.5 miles the road deteriorates and essentially disappears and it becomes a difficult hike due to so many trees blocking the trail that you have to climb over or crawl under, plus it's very overgrown so you keep getting hit all over with branches. You won't be walking 2MPH on this trail so plan for an all-day round-trip (we got a ride back, but that meant an additional 1 mile steep uphill to the Tuolumne Grove parking lot). On another day we drove down to Hetch Hetchy and hiked to Wapoma Falls. Start early because the trail is mostly exposed and it gets hot in the afternoon. There is an area at the falls to safely take a dip if you go to the third bridge. No potable water or bathrooms along the way. If you don't want to carry 2 liters of water then get a life-straw, you can fill up at the falls. read more

The worst way to end a four day trip in Yosemite. Literally the noisiest and shittiest campground ever. There are 100 campsites there in such a small area and it is SO CROWDED. Our campsite was on a slope and they propped up our picnic table on two pieces of firewood which collapsed when we were sitting down. I could hear snoring coming from three different areas of the site. It was decent bathrooms but no soap. Do not recommend at all!!! read more

Recently visited and had an amazing experience! The campground is right as you enter Yosemite National Park and super easy to locate, plus it's only about a 30 minute drive from Yosemite Valley. The camp hosts were absolutely amazing, both welcoming and super knowledgable while we were there June 20-23. There is no phone service, but that's what we hope for and expect while camping. It was the perfect way to unplug. We had a hike in campsite and we will 100% be doing that again, not a super far hike and you get to be a little bit further away from other camp sites. Absolutely love this place and was really sad to leave! We will definitely be back and will recommend to others. read more

Site 63 was what we expected, there was enough flat surface to set up our tent, bear box and fire pit were as described. Bathroom was nearby and clean with running water and electric outlet. Surround by trees with sun directly overhead. Bring an axe for wood gathering. 30 minute drive from the village, right around the corner from the nearest entrance. read more

Want to give a HUGE shoutout to Emma, Molly,and Mariana/Adriana and the manager! They were so helpful and kind. My husband and I broke down 2 1/2 miles from the campsite. We had no reception. Ranger Molly after getting off her shift, offered her car to transport our camping gear to the campsite. which we gladly acceptedEmma was very helpful and patient with us while we used the phone to contact our insurance and tow truck. Aside from that we had a wonderful 3 night stay in the meadow. The only one who was an asshole was ranger Karl with sunglasses and a mustache. So huge shout out to the Rangers at Hodgdon Meadow thank you! read more

We booked a group site and had a wonderful trip! The space is beautiful, and as long as you understand going in that there is NO running water, and only smelly pit toilets, you're good to go! The park staff was wonderful and super helpful when we complained about loud neighbors late at night. Deer wandered through our site multiple times. We will definitely be back! read more

This review is for the group site. The reason I gave two stars is because of the inconvenience of the group site. It doesn't have drinking water nor good restrooms. It doesn't make sense that they don't include any of those for 5 group campsites. There are two vault toilets and you can totally smell them from the campsite. Group B have uneven ground may be hard to set tents. Drinking water is at the main camp ground which is a far distance from the group sites. Other than that, campers sleep pretty early so keep noise down after 930. Village and Shower are appx. 45 mins each way (driving) during light traffic. There is no cellphone service in most of Yosemite. Bring walkie talkie. read more

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Clean camp area. Peaceful and beautiful, of course. Campsites are spaced apart nicely so it feels more private than other campsites. Only recommendation: needs a few more bathroom areas. Other than that, I enjoyed my stay! read more

Two years ago, my friends and I came here on a whim, and without any set agenda or reservations we were pleasantly surprised in grabbing the last spot. After setting up camp, and finishing our burgers, rum, and whiskey, we were in complete "ahhhh" and mystified in how spectacular this campground has become. The smell of pine, redwoods, and subtle aromas of sweet tree sap made our stay undeniably amazing and relaxing. Not to mention the starry night skies and timeless sunrises & sunsets that smile near the meadow floor. Hodgdon Meadow is one of a kind and make note this is a first come first serve campground. If you are planning to wake up(unlike us we were super hungover) and visit Yosemite's popular trails like upper falls, misty trail, lower falls, half-dome, etc. you will need to drive an additional 10-15minutes to Yosemite valley. One may question, why should I (we) stay here? The solitude and the level of quietness is substantially more prominent comparing to the other major campgrounds (e.g. curry village, housekeeping camp, porcupine pine flats). Overall, 5/5 due to its low level traffic and popularity. Hopefully, some of my pictures can convey a better story... Happy camping, hiking, and R&R everyone. read more

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A group of nearly 30 we reserved 5 sites and lived comfortably here for three days Aug 6-8, 2016. Our home away from home were sites 38-42 a good ways out from the entrance. Close enough to the bathrooms, a small slightly inclined hike. Far enough so that we could not hear the flushing or deal with am traffic coming to and fro. I felt bad walking though the same sites to get to the bathroom sorry..not sorry. This was our first camping trip to Yosemite and for some of us our first camping trip EVER! We prepared as much as we could through research on Yelp and other avenues therefore we did anticipate some of the hurdles. Our tent was pitched lovely between two trees on a slight incline. It is hard to find a nice spot that is on flat ground at these sites. The worst that happened was our air mattress kept on sliding down the incline. The tent itself did not move. The one man tent neighbor in the site behind us was the only thing between us and the wild woods. So they served as the frontline in case bears or other curious creatures came by. Along with our slightly more adventurous (or crazy) neighbor that slept open air NO TENT in a hammock all night long. Yes there are NO showers at this site. Be prepared with wipes some good wash cloths and a bucket. This helped me keep my kids ages 5 and 2 clean throughout the trip. I'd fill my bucket w water and give sponge baths close to our tent. Hogdon meadow was the first campsite in from the Bay Area entrance after a 4 hr drive it was nice to be so close. We waited about 1 hr in traffic to get into Yosemite so we were ready to set up ASAP and we did thanks to this convenient location. It's also the furthest out from the valley so we had to drive 45 mins each way to see the glorious views of El Capitan and half dome. In some ways its proximity to the park exit was a blessing. It provides quick set up and quick exit and less PEOPLE as more people flock to the valley. Hodgdon in also far from a gas station so fill up before u come into the park maybe in Groveland. There's a gas station in the park but it's about 15 miles up from the site. You could also fill up on your way to the valley but it's slightly more expensive and there is a line. Overall our trip here to this site gets 3 stars for proximity to exit/ entrance. Lovely views of redwoods and wildlife we saw wild squirrels, glowing eyes in the dark and each one of us reported hearing the breathing of inquisitive bears on or around our tents. The stars o the stars were amazing at night millions upon millions truly majestic. The Rangers were sweet, smart and informative they have a dream job. We were visited in the dark of night by one ranger "Gus" a wise man who offered to lend us some wood as long as we returned it in the morning....then he disappeared. Some tips. 1. Bring a bucket for water at your site 2. Use bear boxes clean up don't leave trash 3. Bring hand soap for bathroom trips. 4. Bring enough wood, sleeping bags, blankets and warm clothes it gets cold around 3 am and stays cold till 7 or 8 am. Even in the dead of summer. 5. Bring wipes, flushable and not. Only 1 ply toilet paper is provided. 6. Lots of garbage bags to keep ur space clean and not bear bait. Although u will see it's the squirrels u will have to worry about they seriously have no fear. 7. Parking is convenient to these sites but still 40-50 yards away depending. Bring good storage containers to limit your trips to packing and unpacking. We had tons of fun at Hodgdon meadow and would definitely stay here again. Looking forward to more Yosemite adventures. Hope this helps and if u visit here please give our regards to ranger Gus he usually visits when it's pitch black out and stands close to the roaring fire while he talks then gingerly disappeArs into the woods. read more

Hodgdon Meadow Campground - Familia Cruz 2016 takeover Hodgdon Meadow And make Yosemite Cruzsemite for a weekend in August 2016. - Campgrounds Near Me - Groveland, California

Hodgdon Meadow Campground was the best. All of the Camp hosts and rangers were polite and friendly, and definitely knowledgable with the area and tour sites nearby. It was perhaps 30 minutes away from Yosemite Valley (the center of most places) and near a couple of gas stations (Cranes Flats and Valero when you turn right coming out of the campsite road). My family and I got to experience campsites #28 and #29 and they were pretty ample, could have hosted up to 12 people easily. The bathrooms were decently situated, maybe a 1 minute walk away. The bears boxes held two ice chest within recommended dimensions, and then plenty of other bags of groceries and personal belongings. There was a fire pit. Plenty of trees to hang up a hammock. It was perfect! read more

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Open: All year Reservations: Required and available online from approximately mid-April through mid-October. From mid-October through mid-April, campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Cost: $20/night for each campsite (maximum 6 people per site); $14/night mid-October through mid-April; $40/night for each group campsite (13-30 people per site) Number of sites: 105 (plus 4 group sites, open only mid April through mid October) RV length: up to 35 ft Trailer length: up to 27 ft This is the location of our 2 (95 & 96) campsites booked since January, better reseve early if you're planning camping. Hodgdon Meadow is the first campsite to your left. Our camp host is very friendly. each camp site has a picnic table, bear food locker that U can put 3 big coolers in it) & fire pit. Just bring a big grill. We like this camp site it's away from majority of people camping at Yosemite. Just remember it's about 45 mins. drive to Yosemite Valley Floor. Oh and they have bathroom with flushable toilet. If you need to take a shower you need to drive all the way up to Curry Vilage. Also from Hodgdon Meadow, 8 miles north, there's 1 gas station. And you're allowed to have 2 vehicles per camp site. read more

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Wow the reviews had me a little nervous to camp here. But I must say the campground deserves a lot more credit that given. The campground was the first one to the left right after you pay to get inside Yosemite National Park. Greeted right away with the camp host and he had some funny dry humor while explaining about the rules with the Bears. I reserved a campsite that hosted both tents and RVs. The spot was perfect and couple options to place my tent and the slant wasn't too bad. The bathrooms were kept clean and Incant complain, tons of toilet paper. The toilets are flush not portable and with running sinks. The Bear lockers was actually not an Inconvenience at all I like it & kept the campsite clean. My Only DOWNFALL was that people just walk right through your campsite to get to the bathrooms because they are too lazy to walk around. It's not fun when your sleeping and you hear people walking and talking directly behind, besides your tent! The campsite is a good drive down to Yosemite Valley. Depending on traffic in the park it can take from 25mins to 35 mins. Overall a campsite in Yosemite with flush toilets, tons of toilet paper stocked, running water and $52 for two nights! You can't complain because camping is camping it's no luxury and definitely no privacy! I would stay here again read more

Hodgdon Meadow Campground - Campgrounds Near Me - Groveland, California

This was my first time camping out in a tent and I had a wonderful experience here. It's the first campsite from the entrance when you enter the park. The ground was at a weird angle but we managed to put the two tents we had in the level part of the ground. The picnic table was on the angle so it was kinda hard to cook things but we managed. ; Restroom facilities were clean as they could be and always stocked with toilet paper which was great. It was quiet for the most part. And we saw the camp host making his rounds every night to make sure the grounds were in order which was good. read more

Hodgdon Meadow Campground - Rules they give you - Campgrounds Near Me - Groveland, California

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Stayed end of March and hardly anyone there. I can see in peak season, it must be noisy as the campgrounds are close together. Beautiful scenery, clean bathrooms. No cell phone signal and the outside dish wash basin was turned off. It's a short 30 minute drive to the valley floor with no traffic. We did go off season, so less people. Plenty of downed trees to gather firewood. Would stay here again. read more

Our stay at Hodgdon Meadow Campground was ok. Campsites too close, no privacy. Bathrooms disgusting. Trash bins far away. No one patroling to enforce quite hours (10pm). The site we stayed in (#97) was a campsite away from where we parked our car. We had to walk through the someone else's campsite to get to our car. Awkward. At the same time, people had to walk directly through our campsite to get to the bathroom. THE BATHROOMS WERE GROSS. It was one of the worst smelling ones I've smelled at any campground. . . and we are talking about the ladies restroom! No lighting at all, not even on the outside near the door. There was plenty of toilet paper. You have to hold the handle down for a while for it to flush properly. We definately had level ground to pitch our tent. The fire ring and table were standard. I'd say the one positive thing about this site is that it's NOT in the valley which was super busy Easter weekend. The 26mi. drive into the valley was absolutely breathtaking. And, it went by quickly. read more

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Cool Campground But Super Far From Yosemite. The staff here are retired people and they are super nice. We had a good stay here while visiting Yosemite National Park. The only trouble was that it takes about 45 minutes or an hour to get back to the park. They have bathrooms but no showers. Make your reservations online like we did. The place is totally sold out often! read more

After reading the reviews on this site, I was a little scared about Hodgdon Meadow. But, as my friend pointed out, most of the reviewers who complained most likely don't like camping. After visiting the campground, I belive this to be true. This site is near the west entrance to Yosemite, which makes it convenient for traveling from CA's west coast. The campsites are close together, but if you are used to camping in CA state parks, it is totally normal. Maybe for out of state people or first timers it seems cramped. Many of the campsites are slanted, but we had a bunch of sites, so we just camped on the flat ones. Try calling Big Oak Flat ranger station to see which ones are flat. In my opinion, to have flush toilets, a grey water dump station, and ample drinking water at a campsite is a luxury. The bathrooms did not smell- our campsite was very close to them and at no point was there a foul odour. The bathrooms were cleaned daily- if anyone is at fault in terms of a messy bathroom, it is the disrespectful campers who just throw their trash and t.p. on the ground. Other reviewers mentioned mosquitos and flies- welcome to Yosemite, people. You will find these same bugs in the Valley. Each site has a bear box, campfire with grate for grilling and picnic table. It is a 30 min drive to the Valley, which is an epic drive! We left our camp at 9am (in June) and easily found parking. The Valley was so crowded come afternoon it seemed like a nature version of Disneyworld. It was a madhouse. We were happy to be able to return to our less crowded, more relaxed area of the park. If you think Hodgdon campsites are close, you should check out the valley campsites. Being in Hodgdon also puts you near Merced Grove and Stanislaus National Forest, where there are lots of cool hikes super close. We did Carlon Falls- I highly recommend it. Many of Valley hikes are so busy you are almost walking single-file with other visitors. We only saw 4 other hikers on the way to Carlon Falls. So, hooray for Hodgdon Meadows! If you like camping and nature- it is a great spot and a great way to experience Yosemite's treasures. read more

I'm not sure if there's any point in reviewing Hodgdon Meadow because while it's not a bad campground, I think it's probably a "last resort" choice for most people; if you have the foresight to book earlier, you'll want to get a campsite closer to the valley. At any rate, my wife and I spent three nights there and found it to be decent, but not great. First off, this campground is pretty far away from Yosemite Valley. It will probably take you about 45 minutes (one way) to drive into the valley depending on traffic, construction, etc. This can really make a difference in terms of the character of your trip. I had never been to Yosemite before, so previously, when I thought of it I thought of the valley with its majestic granite cliffs. I'd suspect most people who haven't been have the same impression. But it turns out that Yosemite National Park is very big, and most of it bears very little resemblance to Yosemite Valley. So just keep in mind that you'll be driving up to 90 minutes each day to get the full valley experience if you stay here. We were in site 18, which had the advantage of being close to the parking spaces, so we didn't have to carry our gear and food very far. However, that was about the only advantage it had; I'd recommend trying to find one on the edge of the campground for a bit more privacy. We were surrounded on all sides by other campers, and the nearest site was probably only 30-40 feet away from us. Most of our neighbors were only there for one night each, so we camped near many different people, and while most of them were friendly and considerate, others were... less so. One family had a young baby that cried all the time, and another group talked loudly long into the night (well past the start of "quiet hours") and then somehow managed to wake up at 4:30am and continue to talk loudly and slam their food locker door shut several times. Great. It's not that these people were trying to be jerks, of course, but with so little space between campsites even quieter neighbors can cause disturbances. I'd recommend looking at the map and trying to find the most isolated spot possible, because the distances between sites are very small. As other reviews mention, the campsites are nowhere near level. The best spot we could find for our three-person tent was only approximately level for about half the width of the tent; after that it was on a hill, so we had to both sleep on one side of the tent and prop up one of our mattresses with a blanket underneath to make it more level. Even the picnic table was not level. The washrooms were fairly dirty, but the actual fixtures (sinks, toilets, etc) were *mostly* kept *fairly* clean, so that's nice. At a campsite I'm really just happy to have flush toilets and potable water, so I didn't mind too much that some things were dirty or in disrepair. There are no showers, though, so prepare to stink unless you get a chance to go into one of the villages/camps in Yosemite Valley that have showers. We had an incredible amount of trouble with wasps. I've done my fair share of camping and I understand that insects are just something you have to deal with. However, I can't recall a time when I ever had so much trouble with wasps. It was literally impossible to eat at our site unless we constantly moved around or waited until after sunset, because otherwise we'd be swarmed by 3-4 wasps. I killed several, but more just took their place instantly. I think there must have been a nest near our site. Perhaps this is less of a problem in other areas of the campground. There are a lot of less-than-excellent aspects about Hodgdon Meadow, but there are some redeeming features, too. All of the rangers I talked to were very friendly and helpful. One even came around to each campsite one evening to ask if anyone had any questions. He provided some valuable information about the giant sequoia groves in the area. Two of them, the Tuolumne Grove and the Merced Grove, are very nearby. They're worth checking out if you want to see some really big trees. The single best feature of Hodgdon Meadow, in my eyes, is something that's not actually in Hodgdon Meadow but rather 11 miles west along highway 120: Rainbow Pool. It was very hot when we arrived at Hodgon Meadow, and my car doesn't have air conditioning, so we asked the ranger at the check-in booth where to cool off. He recommended Rainbow Pool, and I am so glad that he did. Rainbow Pool is a deep pool along the south fork of the Tuolumne River which is accessible by road and has a few parking spots and a bathroom. It's a deep pool fed by a waterfall, and you can go swimming in it and jump off the cliff above the waterfall. The water is cold, but it's the perfect way to cool off on a hot day. You can even swim behind the waterfall and climb up on to the rock face underneath it for a cool secluded spot to sit. It's a ton of fun. If you stay at Hodgdon you HAVE TO go to Rainbow Pool! read more

(Close to what a middle american middle aged woman with an accent would say, " Now I just had myself a wonderful stay at Hodgdon Meadows!" Remember folks, this is a camp ground. Which means: yeah the bathrooms won't be as clean as the Clift Hotel. You will have to walk a decent distance to a garbage can (which I'm grateful for), and you are responsible for your food, your waste and for having a good time. My only complaint is that there seems to have been quite a bit of logging throughout the back sections of the site. This slightly takes away from the feel of remoteness, but does give you the opportunity to grab a bundle of wood that's already laying on the ground. Don't get me wrong there is a decent amount of privacy. Which is more than you'll get in the valley. Though its gorgeous views make you wish you could move in the next day, Yosemite Valley is very populated. Hodgdon Meadows is a short and scenic drive away from all the commotion, making your trip more of a camping trip and less of an amusement park tour. I only wish there was shuttle from the valley to the surrounding campsites... read more

for Group Camping, this is a winner. Just went this past 4th of July in 2009. Layout: 4 group sites (A,B,C,D). I was at site B, with 4 firepits (w. grills), 4 bear storage lockers that can hold at least 2 coolers each, another large pit for campfires (w. large logs making a square for people to sit around) and 3 direct parking spaces with addl parking close by. There were 4 large picnic tables as well for us to use for food prep and meals. Addl Things to Bring: We brought our own charcoal grill, which we didn't need. But we did bring a turkey fryer for soup and 2 (2-burner stoves from coleman) for cooking. you probably could cook everything over the firepits but you need a lot of wood. Bathrooms/Showers: there are 2 common bathrooms for the group sites to share. Then there's another, "nicer" one up the hill. It's a men/women's bathroom with running water and flushing toilets. the water is potable although i didn't try drinking it, just used it for cooking/cleaning. No Showers. Ok for me but not so great for the girls on our trip. But we did make a trip to the valley for $5 hot showers in Curry Village. Tents: Each site has a generous amount of space for our tents. We had 29 ppl in our group and were able to have tents all over the area and in the shade so we didn't wake up with the sun scorching down on us. It's shady most of the morning so you can eat bfast and then head out. We had 2 8-man tents and 3 5-man tents. Location in Yosemite: it's right after the park entrance so it's ideal in terms of not having to wait in line to get in/out of the park. It's not curry village, which is a good thing in my opinion b/c you're not relegated to just the valley. Tuolumne Meadows is one of the prettiest and most amazing places in the world and many ppl just don't go there b/c it's farther than the valley and not as "famous". I think Hogdon is great b/c you can go to Tuolumne or the Valley. i timed my trips and Tuolumne was 1 hour away and the Valley 30-40min....of course, this is all based on traffic, which varies. Of course, we brought lots of other things and such- chairs, lanterns, etc... kid friendly - yeah, except for the lack of showers. we took our 7 mo. old and 3 year old. Not the easiest with kids but certainly not impossible. read more

We just got back from 4 nights camping here over 4th of July weekend. Like most, we got this as a second choice campsite, but after spending a day in the valley with the enormous crowds and looking at the packed-in campsites, I have to say I was thrilled to be at HM. I had stayed there for 1 night a number of years ago and it was fine then, too. We had sites 78 and 87. 78 was on a hill with a small slope, but a flat space for a tent and 87 was close to the bathroom and flat. Both were RV sites but we tent camped in the huge amount of space with the car right by. The bathrooms were cleaned once daily in the morning, so were pretty pristine (for campgrounds) then. Over the day, of course they get dirty, so suck it up people. As with all campgrounds people are rude and noisy. However, on our second to last day rangers talked to our neighbors about a noise complaint (not from us...we didn't talk with anyone). Our hosts were new that weekend and had never hosted before, so not sure if they knew the protocol yet. But they were very nice people. There was a couple of campground ranger activities which were excellent (like I'm sure most of them are). One was a night-time walk and talk that was free, but you have to pay for in the valley. The only downside was that it wasn't near anything per se, but driveable to both the valley and Tuolumne Meadows area, and close to Hetch Hetchy. Carlon Falls is 5 minutes away with a stream for wading/swimming/fishing. Nice place to cool off. I would stay here again, unless I come in off-season, then maybe I'd try the valley. read more

This site was great if you can't get a spot in the Valley (just like us). It's within a 30 minute drive of the Valley (as long as you don't get stuck behind a camper on your way in) and very close to the park entrance, which is great if your coming in late, like we did, after a long drive from LA. The one thing that struck us all about this campground was how quiet it was. Even in the day time, it felt very peaceful (this could have just been the weekend we stayed, of course). We had a "walk in" site, 103, though besides having a little difficulty finding it in the middle of the night when we arrived, this was hardly a walk, and kind of nice to be away from the cars. We were on a little bit of a hill in this particular site, and had a hard time finding where we could/should pitch a tent. Though I did feel pretty big, which was nice because our tent is rather huge. Plenty of room in the bear boxes for all of our food, and the bathrooms were well maintained with a LOT of toilet paper all the time. Overall, I'd absolutely recommend this campground. read more

Myself and a group of friends stayed here for 2 nights in July 2017. Checking in is quick if the ranger is at the kiosk, but can be a little awkward if they're out on patrol. If they're gone, just go to your campsite and keep checking back periodically to get your parking pass. My thoughts as someone who hasn't camped in years: - Pro: Short distance (about 10min) down to the Crane Flats gas station. There is also a small convenience store where you can stock up on drinks, snacks, souvenirs, and camping essentials. The bathrooms outside were quite luxurious...and by that I mean there are normal toilet paper dispensers, seat covers, and SOAP! :-) Parking can be impossible when it's busy though. - Pro: About 35-45min down to the Valley floor, and an hour up Tioga Road to get to the higher elevations. Easy access from the west entrance off Highway 120 (though I did not come in this way). - Pro: Campsite bathrooms never ran out of toilet paper, but bring your own if you can't live without that 3-ply comfort. You can brush your teeth and wash your face here as well, and there's both a potable water sink and grey water bowl for dishwater disposal on either side of the structure. - Con (for me): No showers. I brought Action Wipes which have tea tree oil and eucalyptus, and they worked very well in lieu of a shower.Alternatively, you could drive down to Curry Village to use the public showers if you wanted, or just hike up to the top of Vernal Falls for a free soak from the Merced River. ;-) - Con: Basically every campsite is on a slant, some worse than others. I stayed in site 17 and did not have a comfortable time sleeping at night. It felt like all the blood was pooling in my feet, even with knee-high compression socks on, and I would continuously slide down the hill. We had friends in site 19 and they had the same experience. The sites could really use some leveling. Sleeping on the road would have been more comfortable. - Neutral: The bear boxes are great for about four people's worth of stuff, but any more and it gets super crowded. We never saw any bears during our time at the campground, nor while out and about Yosemite. - Con: The bathrooms are up a hill in the middle of the campground. I always went straight up the middle to avoid walking through anyone's campsite, but be warned, if you have a campsite in this area, people are not going to be considerate, they are going to walk through your camp. It's just a fact. - Con: Unpaved road once you enter the campground, though admittedly it was fairly well maintained. No major potholes or ruts. Still, if you have a car lower to the ground, you'll need to go slow. We arrived at noon and had no issue finding parking, but if you're getting in late, be prepared to park in a less than ideal spot. - Pro: I enjoyed the Ranger campfire Friday night. The moon was full, the fire was warm, and the historical tale was interesting. We mainly went for the kids in our group, but it's fun for adults as well. - Con: Campsites are very close together. Not too big a deal because everyone is very friendly...until you want to turn in for the night and your neighbors stay up talking and laughing loudly. If you're a light sleeper, I recommend you bring ear plugs. Overall, I don't think I would be excited to stay at this campsite again because of the slanted campsites. The group sites looked to be the most level area in the entire campground...probably because they were nearest the meadow. If this is the only campground you are able to reserve a site in (and it usually is because this is NO ONE'S first choice), just come prepared for a bit of an uncomfortable time. If you're only sleeping here, it's easy enough to tough it out. You're sleeping for only $26/night in Yosemite afterall! read more

Tip one:don't piss off the guy at the check in station. He'll call you out on your shit if you don't stop (this was entirely our fault). Tip two: if you want to get freaky in your tent, turn the light off. Tip three: they tell you to be cautious of bears, but the squirrels are tortilla thieves. Beware of the squirrels All that being said, the location is beautiful. This campsite is far enough away to not be in the middle of the valley craziness, but close enough to drive in every day. No showers, but there bathrooms which happen to be relatively clean and stocked with the basics. read more

This is literally the first campground you find right when you drive through the entrance of Yosemite Park. Because of that, it's like 40 minutes away from Yosemite Valley. If you don't mind the (scenic) drive, then you're good. At least you don't have to worry about heavy traffic and parking. CAMP SITE Your campsite includes: camp fire, picnic table, and a storage for food & such. You're suppose to leave no food or scented items out to prevent bears & other animals from coming to your campsite. The camp sites are located kinda close to one another. So no privacy if that's what you're looking for. You can literally see and hear your neighboring camp site people. I didn't really mind. This is my first time camping, and I would be terrified being so alone in the forest. There isn't much "flat" or even land so setting up your tent can be kind of difficult. We settled sleeping on a slight incline vs. rolling over to our side all night. TIP: Try to get a camp site away from the bathrooms. Less people walk through your camp site & you won't hear the bathroom flushing. BATHROOMS While the women's bathroom seemed okay to me for being a public outdoor bathroom, my boyfriend said the men's bathroom was dirty. The women's bathroom includes functioning toilets, lots of toilet paper, and running (cold) water & sink with mirror. No showers here. Alternatively, since this campground is near the Yosemite entrance, there's a cleaner bathroom (with soap and hand dryer) in the Check-In main office location that you can use. TIP: Bring your own hand soap & seat cover (or just hover). All in all, can't really complain. We're outdoors & suppose to fend for ourselves. While there are other well-supplied campgrounds, this one was decent. While we thought this campground was pretty deserted of animals, it's not. We saw a couple of deers & squirrels during our stay. So make sure to keep your area litter free! read more

My husband and I spent a night in Hodgdon Meadow with our two dogs on Tuesday, October 25, 2011. We had no reservations, and truth be told, we really should have. Autumn is a very popular season for professional photographers, so you should never assume that you can cruise in to any campground and find a site to pitch a tent. (It is Yosemite, afterall!) We stayed in site #60, which was absolutely adorable and cost only $14. There were so many beautiful trees around every camp site that I could hear the wind whistling through the tree branches. Each camp site has a bear box, a barbeque pit, and a picnic table. (ALWAYS USED YOUR BEAR BOX!!) There are also flush toilets with plenty of toilet paper. The bathrooms were very clean and pleasant to use. There is running water available, but I would recommend that campers bring their own soap, as this is not provided in the bathroom. It is within driving distance of a small gas station/ snack shop/ camp store in case you have forgotten any essentials. For those campers driving East on Tioga Pass, I definitely recommend this campgound. It's also a great place to introduce that special person, nature novice, in your life to camping. xox read more

My boyfriend, two small dogs, and I just came back from camping at Hodgdon Meadow. It is a great place to stay! Close to the entrance and a short and beautiful drive to the Valley. Since Yosemite isn't too dog friendly, we checked out Carlon River and Falls just a 10 minute drive outside Hodgdon Meadow. Very pet friendly and we even did some fishing. The site itself is very pet friendly. The rangers are knowledgable on great fishing spots and where to go. Took a short 20-30 minute drive to Yosemite Valley. Very close to the site and the roads were not crowded at all. The only downfall about the site was that we had a lot of bees. None of them were stinging, they we're just annoying. Not sure if it was just our site, but be careful with the bees! On the bright side, no mosquitos!... Well, barely any. read more

Camped here May 2018 and enjoyed our stay. It's a scenic 45 minute drive to The Valley so we were lucky it wasn't peak season and traffic wasn't horrible. The campgrounds were nice and quiet and restrooms were clean. Each site has a bear box to store your food but they are on the small side if you're staying 4+ days with 4 people. There are little paths and meadows around the campgrounds to go explore. Would stay here again if I couldn't get a closer campground. read more

We stayed at site #34 for four nights over the weekend. Site 34 is squeezed in between two other sites...very little privacy. Like most other sites in this campground, this one is on a slope. The fire pit and picnic table sit at an angle. Be careful with the kids (or drunk friends) around the campfire. From our site, the restrooms were up another hill nearby. Watch out for the animals. Squirrels are a constant nuisance. It's about a 35-40 min drive to the valley, so plan on spending some time on the road. Most of the landscape on the drive in has been burned by a recent wildfire and a majority of the access roads away from the main road have been closed due to "fire danger" If you can't find another available campsite, this one will probably be fine. There are better out there.... read more

During both of my visits to Yosemite over the summer, I stayed at Hodgdon Meadow. It was the only campground available when I booked and I was rather fortunate to even get anything on such short notice (2 months in advance the first time and 1 month in advance for the 2nd trip.). Truth be told, if you want to stay at Yosemite, you take what you can get and make the most of it. It's prime real estate here and if you can get reservations during the peak season, you're a winner. Since this campground is 24 miles away from the valley (45-60 minute drive depending on traffic), it is cumbersome when you want to visit Yosemite Valley. Think of Yosemite Valley as the "downtown" area of a major city and Hodgon Meadow as a suburb. Now, on to the topic at hand: the campground. - bathrooms were fully stocked with toilet paper and relatively clean - bathroom was lit at all times - no showers (showers are in Yosemite Valley) - camp sites close to one another (unless you can snag 83+84 then you'll get more privacy and space) - make sure you put away all your food in the bear lockers and throw away all your trash. abide by all their rules. (We were pretty sure we cleaned up all our trash but apparently not because we arrived back at our camp site to find a warning for not picking up all our trash. It could have resulted in a $100 fine. Whew.) Overall, I enjoyed my stay. On my most recent visit, there was a thunderstorm and much of the campgrounds in Yosemite Valley were flooded. We got back to Hodgdon Meadow to find our camp site bone-dry. Thank goodness! Always great times to be had in Yosemite National Park. Call me a happy camper! read more

What do you imagine when you think about camping in Yosemite? Serene quiet beauty? Tons of privacy and space? Great views? Other nature lovers basking in the glory of one of the world's most beautiful places? I'm sorry to say you'll get exactly ZERO of these things at Hodgdon Meadow Campground. This is easily one of the worst camping experiences I've had. But to be positive let's start with what was good about this campground (in particular site 58): - Short walk to the bathroom. - Short walk to the road. - Was inexpensive. - Running water (that's potable, even!) That's about it. Now on for what I did not like: - Short walk to the bathroom. Who doesn't love listening to the toilet flush all night? - Short walk to the road. Who doesn't love listening to monster RVs arriving and trying to set up late at night? - PEOPLE! Oh my god the humanity! The interior campsites are PACKED on top of each other. You are never more than a few feet from another person's body and there are a lot of disrespectful campers here; awake and making noise well past quiet hour, and well before in the morning too. They also leave the bathrooms repulsive. Shockingly the dirtiest campground bathroom I've experienced. - There isn't much exciting or very pretty (compared to farther into the park) to do around the campground itself. It's not close to any grocery stores. I definitely will not be coming back to Hodgdon Meadow Campground in the future. You just don't get any of the things you expect to when camping. read more

This was our first time camping in Yosemite for me and a lot of people in my group. We had reserved a couple of campsites at Hodgdon Meadows. Now they are pretty strict about letting you in to the campsite if your ID and the reservation persons name is not matching. We almost had to wait for our other parties to show up but the ranger was kind enough to let us in to set up our tents. 2 cars per campsite only so arrange carpools ahead of time. They said they were requiring ID to match the campsite reservation because people were selling campsite reservations on eBay, so be careful about that. The first night was fine except people can be so loud late at night while the rest of us were trying to sleep. We heard some girl shriek out loud and a couple of guys just screaming through the valley. It echoes. Other that those jerks, you can have a pretty good experience. My group had a lot of fun. We checked in on Friday and checked out Sunday. We asked the local ranger some questions about local spots to check out and he recommended Rainbow Pools which is about 8 miles outside of Yosemite entrance and our campsite. It had a natural waterslide and a jumping spot into the pool. It was rocky at the bottom in some areas and had some fish but the cool water was nice since it was so hot out. There was quite a group of people out there enjoying the water hole. The bear box is a pretty good size. Just bring your lock to lock it up! We appreciated that we werent right next to the bathrooms, which could be noisy. The other reviewers were right, plenty of toilet paper. Just don't forget to carry your handsoap and paper towels from your campsite to wash/dry off since there are none there. I wouldn't mind coming back here again but I think I would like to check out sites closer to the valley since it is a drive to get there. read more

We just spent a week (7 nights) at Hodgon Meadows in Yosemite. I definitely do not recommend this campground to anyone in an RV (Drivable or Towable). This campgound is suitable for tent campers but is terrible for RVers. For one when I made my reservation I informed the agent that I had a 35 foot travel trailer. They had to break my stay into two sites because no single site was available for the full 7 nights. The first site was only supposed to be suitable for a 20 foot trailer and the second site was supposed to be for a 30 foot trailer. The agent asked me several times for the size of my trailer and yet I still ended up with two sites that were too small for my rig. To get into the first site (#3), we had to build a bridge using logs and leveling bricks to get the trailer across the washed out entry to the site which went steeply uphill. We had to do this or the leveling jacks would have been torn off. Even with the bridge/ramps we built we were still within an inch of scraping the asphalt. It also meant we spent a good couple hours just *parking* my trailer. There are also no hookups or dump stations in or near this campground whatsoever. If you want to dump you have to drive into Yosemite Valley (aprrox 1 hour from Hodgon Meadows) or drive 12 miles out of the park (Up and down mountain roads) to a private campground where you have to pay $10 to dump. There is a fresh water station in the campground but you can't fill your fresh water tank with it. I tried filling my large fresh water bladder using it, but I was scolded by the ranger for "connecting to a utility" even though it only took me 5 minutes to fill the bladder. You have to dump your gray water into a large 'toilet' so you can't really dump your RVs gray tank into it. Again this campground is definitely geared towards tent campers. Then when we moved to our second site (#33)... It was much easier to get into, but it was *impossible* to level. I carry an insane number of wood blocks for leveling purposes and this is th first time I've used *all* of them and was still unable to level the trailer. After backing into this site, the tongue of my trailer was flat on the ground and the rear leveling jacks (Which extend 24inches) could not even get within a foot of reaching the ground (So I had to use my remaining blocks, plus some logs I found in the campground to put my jacks on *something*). Even after all of that, my front-to-back level was *all the way* to the end that shows the front end being too high. I can't even tell you how far off level I was because my level was maxed out. Generator hours end at 7pm but no-one seemed to be enforcing it. I got chewed out for getting fresh water from the fresh/potable water fill station but people were running their generators well past the 7pm cutoff time. In general I would not camp here again. The campsites are all *very* close to one another. There is absolutely no cell phone service whatsoever. If I go went back to Yosemite I would either try for upper or lower pines in the valley or camp someplace just outside the park that has FULL HOOKUP, WiFi, etc, for just a few dollars more. read more

Every park employee we encountered had a big smile. The campground was very clean except for the bathrooms which have tp but no seat covers no showers or soap. Bring your own. We stayed in site 18, lots of tree cover. One bear box per site, pay attention to the height of your cooler and read the website info closely. You have to secure your food at all times...the squirrels are mischevious but thats what my five year old is for! We had a bear tear open a backpack that had tiny chip crumbs from going to the beach a week ago. They really will find your food. We had a great time in june. Lots of bugs, about 5 pm these small flea like things swarm you but I don't think they bite. Most of the sites are on a hill, bring a shovel to level things out a bit. This site is pretty far from the main tourist spots down in the valley of yosemite, so plan on driving alot. There is a gas station about 20 mins away that has most of the necessities you will need. We brought a rolling trash can with our fire wood in it from home. It helped move the wood to the site, and it helped with hauling the trash uphill to the dumpster. If u want to get wet you can head down to rainbow falls, it is ten miles OUTSIDE of the park on the 120 towards San Fransisco. It is a local spot with a small waterfall and pools with local kids cliff jumping. Aside from the garbage, bumpin bass coming from the parking lot and the smell of weed, its an ok spot to cool off, but not recommended for small kids. read more

Hodgdon Meadow Campground - Most of the camp sites are uneven, eating at the pick nick tables proved to be difficult and messy. - Campgrounds Near Me - Groveland, California

We decided on the spur of the moment (well, two days before hand) to head to Yosemite in our RV. We went online and found two slots open for Wednesday, August 1, 2012...I grabbed site 63 quickly...without reading fully the blurb about "steep" entrance to the site. We arrived Wednesday afternoon and had a good laugh as we viewed site 63...it wasn't so much the steepness of the entrance, as it was the total lack of flatness. We provided quite a show as we attempted to wedge all 22 feet of our not so large Rialta into the site in a direction that would afford us the maximum of "level"...which, at best, wasn't particularly level. We needed the help of some nearby lads when I got us katiwampus in some soft stuff and couldn't move forward...Thanks guys! We got situated so we could sleep with our feet below our heads and the fridge still operated. So endeth the bad news. The good news!!! Site 63 opens up with a lower level that has a picnic table, bear box, fire pit, and a view! We walked out from our site to a forested area with our two dogs and felt like we were alone in a slyvan glade...until we reached the road...:) While the sites are pretty close together, we were lucky in our "choice" of neighbors...a family with 3 kids on one side and a passel of youngsters on a field trip on the other... thankfully everyone was well behaved and early to bed! We checked out the other sites in Hodgon Meadow and will try to make reservations further in advance to obtain one of the sites better blessed with "flatness". read more

I had a unique experience at Hodgon because I stayed on an RV site for two nights and a tent only site for one night. The RV site was great! It was a nice big site (can't remember the site number) with more than enough room to park the car and pitch our tent. Had a very pleasurable stay here for the first two nights. The third night at the tent only site, however, was probably my single worst camping experience. The site was SO small and you had to park your car away from the site so it was more inconvenient if you wanted to get things in and out of the car. The tent only sites are so close to each other that you feel like you're sleeping right on top of everyone else around you and not only that, if there is a snorer at a nearby tent, you will hear them all night!! I was so miserable come morning time I couldn't wait just to pack up and go home. Don't get me wrong, I like camping, I just don't like having a bunch of strangers' tents flanking my own. Ample space would be nice. So if you're planning to camp at Hodgon, try and snag an RV site. It is a much much better experience. Oh, and definitely use those food storage bins. Forget the bears... we kept ours open for just a minute while making breakfast and a squirrel gnawed one of our bags open and stole some food! Keep in mind that Hodgon is a bit far from the valley floor, about 45 min to an hour away. No showers. Bathrooms were ok. Not the nicest I've seen at a campground but not the worst either. read more

Dirty and Noisy and all the RV sites are on a slope! We had three nights planned here in May but bailed after two because we could NOT level our VW Van in site #33, so we spent a horrible night in a tent, plus the neighbors had loud, drunken parties going till way after midnight. The bathrooms were disgusting with garbage and toilet paper all over. We actually decided to leave Yosemite a day early and headed over to Calaveras and a nicer RV park (Golden Pines RV). We will NEVER camp at this hell hole again. read more

Really nice place to camp. Not crowded and quiet. Our camp site was big!!! It included 5 bear boxes and 5 tables with benches. Also there is a lot of wood for our fire pit. The campsite fit 4 cars and 8 tents for a family of 21! read more

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We actually wanted to stay closer to Yosemite Valley, but Curry Village was all booked up, so we ended up staying here. Each spot was $20 a night and had a picnic table and fire pit. I kinda liked staying away from all the crowds since it felt a little more intimate... like we had our own space. The only downside was this campground is about 45 mins away from the valley and it has no showers. When we went hiking, we ended up paying $5 to shower in Curry Village. This isn't a bad place to stay if you can't find any other campground, but I think we're gonna try to book way in advance and stay at Curry Village next time. read more