Crane Flat Campground

About

Crane Flat Campground occupies a prime location in Yosemite National Park at 6,200 feet elevation, providing a quieter alternative to the busy Valley floor while remaining just 30 minutes away. The campground underwent a complete rehabilitation and modernization, with reconfigured sites featuring paved roads and parking spurs, flush toilets, potable water, and bear-proof food storage lockers at every site. The forested setting offers a pleasant mix of sun and shade among sugar pine, red fir, lodgepole pine, and vanilla-scented Jeffrey pine. The campground serves as an excellent base for exploring Yosemite's high country. The Merced Grove and Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias are both accessible via short hikes from nearby trailheads. The Tioga Road offers a 39-mile scenic drive to Tuolumne Meadows, and Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is just 23 miles away. A gas station and small general store at the Crane Flat junction provide basic supplies. Reservations are made through Recreation.gov on a two-week rolling window, releasing daily at 7:00 AM Pacific. Sites are extremely competitive and typically sell out within minutes of release. There is no electricity or cell service in the campground. Bears are active in the area; proper food storage in the provided lockers is mandatory 24 hours a day with no food permitted in vehicles.

Directions

Take Highway 120 east from Manteca, Highway 140 east from Merced, or Highway 41 north from Fresno into Yosemite National Park. Crane Flat Campground is located 8 miles from the Big Oak Flat Entrance Station on Highway 120 west, and 17 miles (30 minutes) northwest of Yosemite Valley on the Big Oak Flat Road.