Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes

Huge but peaceful camping 15 mins from the entrance and 45 mins from the Yosemite visitor center. General store equipped in nicer gifts than the visitor center. First come first served, but after a check in you can reserve your site for when you are leaving. We didn’t bother looking for a place by the river as it was already packed, but found a nice spot in the third row. Spotted a skunk twice:) Bathrooms are rarely cleaned - three nights in there were still dirty. WiFi poor and limited to the front desk and laundry room. For this price would’ve been nice for it to work throughout the whole place though. Coin machine in laundry room out of order, you can exchange money at the front desk.

We absolutely loved our monthly stay at Yosemite Lakes TT. We arrived early April and where the first ones to take a spot by the river - basically on our own for a week or so before others started trickling in. Towards the end of April the weekends were packed and buzzing but as soon as Monday's came around it was quite again. We ended up moving spots to have more space and better Starlink reception. Great activities at the lodge, clean and friendly and super close to the NP. We are in a 45 ft toy hauler and taking 120 up here was an ok drive. Would definitely come back again!

The sites were large and the scenery beautiful. It was the first full hookup campground outside the park, so pretty convenient. The road going in was washed out—the alternate route was extremely steep, but we managed with our 5 Cylinder motorhome. It is first come, first serve, so we chose a quiet place and were happy with it. No privacy between sites, and many were not functional due to sewer issues; I assume, due to the same storm that washed the road out. The shower heads were broken in one of the shower houses, both men’s and women’s. The other showers in our section worked great. Toilets and sinks were very clean. Overall, a good place.

Perfect Campground for a night outside Yosemite Valley!

The Park is scenic and beautiful and would be perfect for families. However at $113/night it is disappointing that it was a gravel site, especially in the wet! Showers were fantastic, toilets do need fixing. Pool/Office and play area is a long walk but up the hill as sites are a long distance away, for that reason Laundry needs a change machine as office had shut by 2pm and that was the only way of getting change to use the facility. Overall a good park but expect premium $$$

Nice, but not many options in terms of activities.

Great site lots of room for tent and great view

This has been the best Thousand Trails campground that we have been to. Plenty of outdoor activities at the campgrounds. Hiking trails, fishing, bike rides, spots next to the river. There is no cell phone reception and the paid wifi is terrible so it is best not to purchase it.

There are only a handful of 50amp spots and people move to them quickly after someone leaves lots of 30amp though so you might want to bring an adapter. Lots of trees especially along the river ( creek) fairly quiet even though it's a family atmosphere with lots of kids I think they get worn-out playing in the water. Would stay again reel close to yosemite entrance

The campground here is very nice the 1000 trails employees and personnel are super helpful. Do not let your garmin RV 890 talk you into coming down highway 49. Hwy 49 has between 6 and 13% grades, and something like 300+ hairpin curves.we have a f350 6.7l dually and pull a 41' Montana 384br

Huge sites! Each sits is spread out so you’re not on top to f each other. Check in was a breeze, very friendly and informative. Very quiet and beautiful. Hated to leave. Kids were riding their bikes, there was a nice playground. Close to a small creek. Just loved this little gem.

You come into Yosemite Lakes by a little Thousand Trails convenience store and gas station. It's kind of handy since there's really nothing nearby other than Groveland. Make sure to come in at this entrance though. When coming from the west GPS likes to take you through Hardin Flat Road... don't go that way with an RV. Check-in was quick and easy. Don't forget it's first come first serve like most Thousand Trails campgrounds. Staff were all very friendly. There's complimentary wifi at the main office if you need it. There's NO phone signal of any kind for miles. There is Jabba Communications wifi throughout that campground that you can pay for but it's pricey and very shoddy and unpredictable here. Unless you're staying for a long time it's not worth it.

Every spot pretty much has full hookups but only a few with 50 amp. The rest have 30 amp. Again, as I've said with other Thousand Trails, that just seems like laziness to me. These campgrounds have been around long enough to see the need for upgrades.

We parked at the far east end past the cabins in a pull-through group spot. They are the biggest spots and didn't seem like people really use that area much. It was pretty quiet for the two weeks we were there. It's off season as well though. Power went out to the entire campground two days in a row. Not the campground's fault as high winds knocked out power to the entire area. They were nice and let us use our generator even though they are not allowed any other time.

There's a little river that runs along the campground that looks like it would be beautiful in the spring and summer when there's more water. It still had quite a bit flowing through over by the main office. Yosemite National Forest is just a short distance away. Some great hikes and sights to see!

I'd say with a few more updates this one could easily be a 5-star!

This Campground is 5 miles from West gate entrance to "Yosemite National Park". Only 35 miles west of " Lake Don Pedro, take out your boat, go jet skiing or fishing. Don't forget to go to " Moaning Cavern!" Tuolumne River runs through campground. There are 254 Full Hookups, 130 Tent sites, Hostel, Cabin & Yurts. They have WiFi, Satellite TV,Clubhouse, Billiard's, Game room, Shuffleboard, Store, Hiking Trails,Nature, Playground, Mini Golf, Tennis, Picnic/BBQ,Volleyball, Basketball & in the Summer-Bus runs to Yosemite, for an additional fee. Summer Swimming,Seasonal Fishing,Wheelchair Accessible, Restroom/Shower Facilities & Laundry. Yosemite Lakes Resort 31191 Hardin Flat Rd. Groveland,CA 95321 Reservations Member- 1-800-368-7788 Non-Member 1-888-481-6348 Welcome Center (209)962-0103 Rental Check In- 4PM Rental Check Out - 11AM Front Desk- Sun-Sat 8AM-8PM

We tent camped on the river here and really enjoyed our stay. We floated on the river in tubes, visited Nearby Rainbow Pools, went into Yosemite Valley a couple of days, the park is about 5-10 mins from the entrance to Yosemite but we didn’t mind we enjoyed the drive into the valley and used it as an opportunity to spot wildlife. We had two young kids (6 &8) and the campground restrooms and showers were perfect after a long day hiking, they were well maintained, good water pressure. These restrooms were located at the ponderosa tent sites, we had some family also camping in RVS along the river and I can’t speak for those restrooms. No cell service & WiFi is unlikely to work so prepare to be unplugged..they do give you printed directions to the closest area to get a signal depending on your carrier. The staff was very friendly and helpful! We will definitely be back one day. Side note: we came during COVID so reservations to Yosemite National park were required, therefore the park and surrounding campgrounds were not as packed as they normally would be. (This was heavenly).

Super nice I recommend

Very active park. A little dusty and no wi-fi.

Was a bit crowded but was ok for our purposes of a stay over. Bathrooms were nice but not well maintained

Full hook ups, good shade, good access to water, but pretty crowded. It’s not the place to go if you want to get out into the wild.

We were tent camping and were nervous about not having a reservation around Yosemite so we reserved a site here for a tent site by the river. The price was high but were willing to pay for a confirmed place to stay during June 2021. When we got there they were under major construction and told us the area by the river was closed. They put us in the area on the hill. The sites were small and full of dirt. We got more dirty there than several of the more remote places we stayed before and after our stay there. The campground was decent though, and everyone we spoke with was nice. Three stars was value for the price. We found several first-come first served campgrounds around there for much less (of course they only had vault toilets).

I couldn’t believe the short drive to the Yosemite entrance. It took 5-10 min to get there and from there about 30-45 to get to the valley. The person checking us in was very nice and genuine. The bathrooms were clean and the showers were available!! Beautiful grounds. Was able to get WiFi at the laundry mat.

Beautiful campground with even more amazing staff. It is First come first serve (after a reservation) so get there early. We lucked out with a pretty big and shaded riverfront spot (site 73) and could not have been happier. Full hook up, VERY well maintained facilities and again the staff are over and above helpful.

It’s about 45 minutes to drive to the valley or Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite but the drive is beautiful. Plus a short drive to Rainbow Pool and Cherry Lake if you want to avoid park crowds. ( we stayed weekday so we didn’t experience traffic or crowds in Yosemite but I’m sure it can get crowded. Would 100% stay here again.

Oh there is no cell service and the “pay WIFI” did not work for us...but there is complimentary WiFi at the laundry to check in on things that works just fine

It was so nice a quiet, the hosts were all very helpful. It snowed on us, which we were actually happy about. Definitely a new winter favorite, we will be back!

This campground is the most convenient location when visiting Yosemite National Park. It snowed while we were there and the giant trees looked beautiful. Only one out of the two bathrooms was in service. The WiFi service was non existent unless you sat in the laundry room Near the welcome center. About a mile from the campground itself there is a camp store that had anything you may have forgotten and great souvenirs. There’s a playground, but no dog park.

We stayed at this resort for three nights.  We loved the proximity to the park, only 5 miles away.   When we visited there was a pretty nasty fire to the South.  The air was real smokey and could be the reason the resort wasn't busy.  The owner is super nice and helpful.  Not all of the facilities were open.  This didn't bother us since we are self contained.  The resort is spacious and backs up to a creek.  During certain times of the year you can fish the creek.  There is a Vallero Gas Station/Convenient Store as you first pull into the resort.  This was great for picking up drinks/snacks and filling up with fuel.  We would stay again.

I wouldn't say this is the best campground but it's located 5 miles outside Yosemite's west gate. About as close as you can get without staying in the park itself. My family and I went twice during COVID, 4th of July and first wknd in October. I can't speak to some of the amenities (bathrooms, lodge, etc) because they were closed. We stayed in the RV section, but our site was big enough that I could also pitch my tent. The river runs right along the edge of camp. Shallow enough that kids can walk all the way across and runs all the way to the dam where there seems to be decent fishing. The riverfront sites are pretty tight but the sites across the street are a bit more spacious. The little store at the gas station is well stocked and a good place to get ice. Overall, I would recommend.

Really beautiful park, stream running through, campfires allowed. Friendly helpful staff. Somewhat difficult drive up the 120 especially if you are in a large rig. No cell reception at all so you need to drive to the top of a Hill or into Groveland

The river is fun for tubing and evening chill. Close drive into the park but tent sites were crammed and the womens restroom became unusable with overflowing toilets. Get there early to pick your spot! Some good shade unless they are all taken so come prepared with your own. Had to use the one toilet in the men’s restroom.

Thousand Trails Membership allows me to stay 21 days free. Just 5 miles outside of Yosemite Entrance or Catch the bus right here at the campground. Campfires allowed. Lots of activities for the kids. Dog Friendly. Creek near by to cool off during hot summer days.

We stayed here in May 2019 in a car with a roof top tent (tepui). Since it was early in the season the campground was pretty empty. The sites by the river are nice for the river noise to fall asleep too, but as we later found out they also flood when it rains. Overall, I think this is a good alternative if you can't get any camping in the park. Pros:

• Available when Yosemite National Park isn't
• Close to the park
• Has wifi and hot showers

Cons:

• Expensive
• Bathrooms could use some work

We are members of Thousand Trails so our review may be a little different than someone who is a non-member. Here's why. The majority of the campground (the nicer parts next to the river) is for members only. The smaller, tighter section is for non-members.

WiFi: Yes they have it. It is only available in the 'lounge area'. It's VERY slow. Instead I went east by 4 miles to a hotel to have a beer and connect for work.

Sites: Those by the river are packed close together and more shaded. We didn't care to be packed like sardines, so we opted for one of the middle sites. Hardly anyone was in these sites so it was quiet and spacious. No problem with full-hookups.

Events:It's a resort so they have something going on every weekend. While we were there it was a family movie and Octoberfest (beer and bratwurst for $5). Then smores by the fire with music. It was nice.

Proximity: Although it is very close to the park boundary, it is still an hour to the valley. We couldn't get a spot in the valley so we accepted this as the way it was. No biggie. There was also a bus that took you into the valley in the morning and back in the afternoon for a reasonable price.

Service: The staff was friendly and patient with all the folks that came in at 7pm begging/demanding for a site.

Overall, I would go back.