Tamarack Flat Campground
Yosemite National Park
Tamarack Flat Campground is available by reservation only. No first come, first serve sites are available.
The campground typically opens in mid-June and closes in early October. Opening date for the Tamarack Flat Campground varies depending on the opening of the Tioga Road and related seasonal facility and road work.
Tamarack Flat Campground is located off the Tioga Road just east of Crane Flat. The campground is approximately 20 miles (45 minutes) from Yosemite Valley and is tucked away in the forest 3 miles off Tioga Road. RVs and Trailers are not recommended for this hard to access, primitive campground. At an elevation of 6,300 feet (1,900 m) elevation, the campground is near Tamarack Creek, which is the only water source (must be filtered, treated, or boiled). There is a gas station nearby at Crane Flat.
For additional park information, call (209)372-0200 or visit www.nps.gov/yose
Tamarack Flat Campground can only by accessed by a 3 mile long, narrow, single-lane road with many hairpin turns. RVs and Trailers are NOT recommended.
Seasonal facilities include tent/van sites, vault toilets, trash/recycling collection, food storage lockers, fire rings and picnic tables.
Wood and charcoal fires are permitted when the campground is open.
There is no cell phone reception, no internet connectivity, no camp store, no ice or firewood for sale, no laundry facilities, no dump station and no showers.
Notifications and Alerts
Need to Know
You are responsible for reading the site alerts and booking a site that will accommodate your equipment. Tamarack Flat Campground can only by accessed by a 3 mile long, narrow, single-lane road with many hairpin turns. RVs and Trailers are NOT recommended.
ATTENTION: Day use reservations will be required to enter Yosemite on weekends and holidays April 13 through June 30, daily July 1 through August 16 and weekends and holidays August 17 through October 27. Your camping reservation exempts you from this requirement. However, you must still pay the park entrance fee once you arrive. You MUST have proof of your camping reservation to show at the entrance station in order to enter Yosemite. Print or download your confirmation info PRIOR to arrival as there is no cell service at the entrance stations.
If members of your camping group are in separate vehicles, each vehicle must have a copy of the reservation AND a copy of the reservation holder's photo ID to present at the entrance station. Six people MAXIMUM per site. Each vehicle entering must pay the entrance fee or use an annual or lifetime pass.
If arriving one or more days late, call (209) 379-2123; your reservation will be forfeited if we do not hear from you within 24 hours of your arrival date.
Staying at Tamarack Flat Campground requires a reservation; NO exceptions and NO first come, first serve sites are available.
Bear Habitat! Food and toiletries must be properly stored 24 hours per day.
-Food storage lockers provided in all campsites (45"Wide x 18"High x 33"Deep)
-Absolutely NO food storage in vehicles.
-Dispose of garbage immediately in bear-proof receptacles. If dumpsters are full, take trash to dumpsters at the top of the road near the entrance.
Bring proof of your reservation (screen shot or paper version). There is no internet access, cell service or public phone in Tamarack Flat.
Tamarack Flat is a primitive campground with vault toilets and no drinking water. A seasonal creek runs through the campground but water must be boiled and/or treated before drinking. Do not rely on creek water being available; bring water!
Don't Move Firewood: Help protect our forests! Prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by obtaining firewood at or near your destination and burning it on-site. Moving firewood is illegal in some states. Visit dontmovefirewood.org to learn more.
Help Yosemite be a Zero Landfill park! Leave excess packaging at home. Use refillable water bottles, food containers and travel mugs. Place all of your recyclable waste in designated recycling containers. For more information go to: www.nps.gov/yose/getinvolved/
Resale or auction of advance reservations is prohibited.
For additional park information, call (209)372-0200 or visit www.nps.gov/yose
Natural Features
Yosemite National Park covers nearly 1,200 square miles (3,100 square km) in the Sierra Nevada, with elevations ranging from about 2,000 feet (600 m) to 13,000 ft (4,000 m). Yosemite receives 95% of its precipitation between October and May, and over 75% between November and March. Most of Yosemite is blanketed in snow from about November through May.
Tamarack Flat is situated along a seasonal creek which is it's only source of water. Creek water must be treated and/or boiled before consuming.
Nearby Attractions
Just 25 miles away is Yosemite Valley, an awe-inspiring landscape containing many of the famous features for which Yosemite National Park is known. Hiking trails and bike paths are abundant in the valley. Rafting the Merced River is a fun way to cool down on a summer day when water levels are sufficient. Yosemite Valley also offers numerous guided bus tours, educational programs, museums, ranger-led activities, and an art center with workshops.
The Tioga Road offers a 39-mile scenic drive past forests, meadows, lakes and granite domes. Tuolumne Meadows embodies the high-country of the Sierra Nevada, with its broad sub-alpine meadows and granite peaks. Several trailheads line the road offering hikes to beautiful, secluded areas that can only be accessed and enjoyed by foot.
Beautiful Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, just 23 miles from Crane Flat, is home to spectacular scenery and numerous wilderness trailheads.
Recreation
Yosemite's trails, cliffs, roads and rivers provide endless recreational activities for any kind of visitor. Hiking, biking, rock climbing, fishing, horseback riding, rafting, auto touring, and photography are all very popular activities within the park.
A hiking and backpacking trail leaves from the campground and can be used to hike to areas such as Cascade Creek, El Capitan and other points along the North Rim of Yosemite Valley.
Yosemite Valley is a 25 mile drive from Tamarack Flat Campground. Many of Yosemite's most popular trails along with the Merced River, bike trails, beaches and picnic areas can be easily accessed in Yosemite Valley.
Two of Yosemite's three groves of giant sequoias are located in the Crane Flat area (5-10 miles from Tamarack Flat). Tuolumne and Merced Groves of Giant Sequoias, both of which require a 2.5 to 3-mile roundtrip hike to view. The trailheads are accessible year-round, although trails may be snow-covered winter. Both short hikes lead downhill into sheltered areas with flowing water, dogwood, azaleas, and ancient sequoia trees.
Many other hiking opportunities exist at trailheads along the Tioga Road and in Tuolumne Meadows.
For additional park recreation information, visit www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/
Changes & Cancellations
Cancellations more than 48 hours in advance of arrival date will generate a refund, less a $10 transaction fee. Within 48 hours, $10 and the first night's fee are charged. One night reservations do not incur an additional $10 fee, but do not receive a refund. No-shows will be assessed a $20 service fee along with the loss of the first night's fee.
Contact Information
Phone Number
For campground inquiries, please call: 209-379-2123
Rental Options
Learn more about gear rental options for your trip
Driving Directions
When entering Yosemite from west of the Sierras - Take Highway 41 north from Fresno, Highway 140 east from Merced, or Highway 120 east from Manteca into Yosemite National Park.
When Tioga Pass is open, Tamarack Flat can be accessed from the east side of the Sierras - Take HWY 120 east/Tioga Rd. The Tamarack Flat access road is 36 miles west of Tuolumne Meadows.
The Tamarack Flat Campground access road is located 5 miles east Crane Flat along the Tioga Rd. The access road itself is 3 miles long and is narrow, single lane and windy.
Tamarack flat is 28 miles (45 minutes) northwest of Yosemite Valley.
Available Campsites
- Site 009, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 033, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 036, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 006, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 003, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 043, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 016, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 040, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 002, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 025, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 031, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 029, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 004, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 012, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 018, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 041, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 037, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 022, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 010, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 032, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 017, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 055, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 052, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 045, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 013, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 053, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 026, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 019, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 001, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 049, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 011, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 039, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 021, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 027, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 008, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 054, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 007, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 044, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 034, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Tent Only Nonelectric
- Site 038, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 030, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 048, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 047, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 020, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 015, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 050, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Tent Only Nonelectric
- Site 051, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 042, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 014, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Tent Only Nonelectric
- Site 028, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 023, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
- Site 035, Loop Tamarack Flat, Type Standard Nonelectric
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