How strict is Yosemite about trailer lengths?

[MookieKat]

We are shopping for a fifth wheel. We read on Yosemite's campsite reservations page that the maximum length for trailers is 35'. It also said that they will not actually measure, but that you must be able to fit into the spaces.

We have been trying to stay 35' and under but have found a few that we love that are 36'. Anyone have experience in this area? Has anyone been able to get by in Yosemite with trailers over 35'?

[mockturtle]

We camped in nearly every state park we wanted to in most of the country in a 36' MH and toad. The only exception was a state park in MO where we simply didn't have enough 'wiggle room' to get our rig into the site. I think it was Lake of the Ozarks SP. There were also a few old state parks where the sites were laid out at right angles to the access road which made it hard to back in without running over the grass unless you could use an empty space across from the site.

[MookieKat]

Thanks all! Now that we have all this new info, it opens up a whole lot more possibilities in terms of the RV length!!

[TOOBOLD]

Go in the beginning of May not that crowded. A lot of California schools let out the third week of May and you'll start to see the crowds increase.

[mikestock]

My fifth wheel is 37'. I reserved a 40' site which I could not have gotten into if the site across from me had not been vacant. Fortunately the people who eventually rennet that spot left on the same day as I did.

Of course, a large fifth wheel an a long bed truck can be quite restrictive, as far as maneuvering into a narrow site from a narrow access road.

[FunnyCamper]

we were having this problem. I do state parks and we just bought a new toyhauler. 38.7 feet. We tried to stay in the 35-36 range but the floorplans were not what we wanted.

No way I would let the length of ONE state park, or any state park, limit me on my rv purchase. They are expensive. Get what you want!! for a few times in a state park or maybe having to pass one by just cause of a few feet, and not buying you want is not worth it.

buy the rv and then find places to stay. This is big bucks. Get what you want and enjoy the rv. there are tons of parks that will fit you.

and we do the extra backup to get a few extra feet off the road if we can. In fact our state park in TN we love has many sites where we can do that and fit. without going a bit over, we would not. just like the picture 🙂

[Veebyes]

We have yet to go to a 30' limit CG where we have not been able to get our near 36'LOA selves into a site somewhere. We must have at least 8' behind the wheels & care very little if the rear stabilizers cannot be used because the ground drops away behind the marked pad.

We also don't care if it takes some shuffling to back in. A challenge is good.

There is a limit when too big really is too big. It is wise to make the effort to keep your choice of 5er under 35'LOA. The longer you go the faster the site options drop.

As far as Yosemite goes, like others here, we also feel it is over rated. Yes the views are nothing short of spectacular. The campgrounds, not so much. We took a ride through them, all of them. Glad we stayed outside & drove in carrying our bikes. You don't have to get far from the main viewpoints to avoid the bulk of the crowds.

We enjoyed Sequoia & Kings Canyon better than Yosemite.

[Supercharged]

Will you be going to Yosemite every week or be going to many of the other tens of thousands of campsite in the USA. I have been to Yosemite 3 or 4 times and it is not that high on my list of the great camping area.

[deleted-2]

MookieKat wrote:

We are planning to go in May, before the crowds arrive.

You'll like Yosemite a lot.
Just don't expect to not see zillions of people.
We drove my visiting sister down there last April on a Monday.

It was the usual traffic jam into the valley.
We had a nice time though.

[DaveG39]

What's more of an issue than pad length (unless there is a tree at the end of the paved pad) is trees on the right and left entrance to the site and directly across the access road, preventing your truck from being able to maneuver to back in. There are sites on the web that show pictures of each campsite that may give a clue on maneuverability.

[MookieKat]

Thats_Ok wrote:
Yosemite is a pita anyway...
There's so much other stuff around it that provides much less stress like Sequoia NP to the south.

Yosemite valley is OK for a day trip or backpacking, but I wouldn't plan to stay in the valley.
The frigging crowds during the tourist season are tremendous and ruins the experience.
The DW and I have tent camped and hiked all over Yosemite, heck we even spent a nite in the Ahwahnee.

It's a fantastic place it's just so dang busy now...plus don't forget the Rim fire trashed a lot of the surrounding area.

We are planning to go in May, before the crowds arrive.

[MookieKat]

othertonka wrote:
Upper Pines has a web site where you can select a camp site by length and then go to the web page and see a picture of that site. I think you have to go to the reserve web site first and find the length of each camp site and then go to this site Upper pines photos and take a look at the site you have selected to see what it looks like.

How kool is that??!!! Oh, I am so excited!!!!! Thank you!!! :B

So, they do not have this for the lower pines?

[othertonka]

Upper Pines has a web site where you can select a camp site by length and then go to the web page and see a picture of that site. I think you have to go to the reserve web site first and find the length of each camp site and then go to this site Upper pines photos and take a look at the site you have selected to see what it looks like.

[deleted-2]

Yosemite is a pita anyway...
There's so much other stuff around it that provides much less stress like Sequoia NP to the south.

Yosemite valley is OK for a day trip or backpacking, but I wouldn't plan to stay in the valley.
The frigging crowds during the tourist season are tremendous and ruins the experience.
The DW and I have tent camped and hiked all over Yosemite, heck we even spent a nite in the Ahwahnee.

It's a fantastic place it's just so dang busy now...plus don't forget the Rim fire trashed a lot of the surrounding area.

[2gypsies1]

MookieKat wrote:

2gypsies wrote:
Having volunteered in national parks we know that the site size listed is a 'recommendation'. If you can fit into a site, it's yours. If not, you're out of luck. It's not cheating!

Thank you!! So glad to hear that!! Do you have any idea how much wiggle room there might be?

I have no idea on wiggle room for Yosemite. Unfortunately, there is no set standard. Every park will be different as to their site size determination. Some will measure them acurately. Some will allow leeway for the tow vehicles. Some list the maximum size by the 'average size' of all the campsites. You would find some smaller and some larger. One of our assignments in Rocky Mtn. Nat'l Park was just to walk the campground and eyeball the sites and rate them as being fit for a small RV, medium RV or large RV with size ranges in each category. From that we constructed a easy to read chart for the check-in booth. At the time, that's how sites were assigned. When folks drove up to the check-in booth we could see exactly what kind of RV they had and assigned them to a site that matched their RV. Specific sites weren't assigned online. They marked the size of their RV on the reservation but the actual site was assigned in person. Things may have changed by now. I agree, it's very confusing.

Personally, we wouldn't recommend you making reservations for a site you 'think' you might fit into without first checking out their typical sites and the roads and turns getting into those sites.

Also, if there's a barrier behind the site such as a RR tie then it also depends on your RV as to how far you can back up so your tires touch that barrier and the rear of the RV extends beyond the barrier. It depends if you have anything hanging low under your RV that might get caught up on the RR tie. Jacks cannot go beyond the barrier in some parks. There are RVs that can't physically cross that barrier without scraping something underneath.

Many parks also place large boulders at the rear of the site so you can't back up. Also, boulders are placed at the edges of the site at the road which makes it difficult to make the turn. There are many variables.

Public parks are always our first choice. That's why we choose not to make reservations and we really have no problem getting sites. Having a motorhome we will even disconnect the Jeep and drive that through the campground to check it out even before taking the motorhome into it. We're full-timers and not on any kind of schedule so we can take our chances and also we can get in early morning when there are more choices. Those on vacation time can't do it that way. Many national parks have campgrounds that don't even accept reservations such as Yellowstone and Grand Teton and we always get spots there. Also, some reservation campgrounds will even have a certain percentage open for no reservations. I really wish they were all consistent.

However, Yosemite is not one we'd try for because we've seen the campgrounds and know that we probably wouldn't fit with our 40'. Plus, you really need reservations for Yosemite.

[mockturtle]

TOOBOLD wrote:
The campsite may be long enough to accommodate you, but the trouble comes when you try to maneuver around some of the trees in the campground. We find the Yosemite Valley campsites tight, but Wawona will accommodate you. PM if you want to know some of the sites that we've used that you can fit.

This is usually the issue. The access roads and lack of maneuverable space from which to back in. The sites, themselves, are usually large enough.