Sweetwater Campground — Hotel in Sonora

Highly recommend stopping here for a first-come first-serve if you want to be close by Yosemite! I made a list of other sites to visit, but didn't want to risk it after I found a spot here because I figured getting camping spots were competitive.

Left San Francisco around 6am and arrived here around 10:30am (no traffic!), and there were plenty of campsites available! (The next morning, I noticed that the FULL sign was put up at 8am, but there were vacant spots because people had already left in the morning) Firewood is sold for $8 on site, and you have to deposit your payment around the same area. The spot was relatively pricey: $24 a night and +$8 for an extra vehicle charge (we had two cars total). This place is appropriately called Sweetwater because it's actually a lowkey wetland area! You can tell by the plants that were growing there, but there were no visible streams.

PROS: NO MOSQUITOS during ANY time of the day, EVER... So no need to bother with the deet and you can freely wear shortsleeves/shorts :) Temperature there was PERFECT: The air outside was cool and warm enough to walk out in shortsleeve in the morning. It got hot around 10am. Was not freezing at night, felt like a cool 60. BATHROOMS DO NOT SMELL. Maybe because people actually close the lid after use? And the toilet paper is nicer than kirkland TP- that was a treat. Ample water spigots. -The fire pit comes with a grill top. -Close by Rainbow Pool, so you can stop by for a relaxing swim/shower ;)

CONS: Not many trees around campsites so there was barely any shade You can hear cars drive by, but not many hr drive to valley, but that's...

A really nice campground outside the entrance to Yosemite. I've stayed here a few times, and can recommend it. It's first come, first served, and I haven't had trouble finding a spot.

The campground is in a nice area. There’s a lot of fire damage around it, but it’s still starkly beautiful. The South Fork of the Tuolumne River flows nearby and there are a few nice spots there too. The rangers here are great too – they're very friendly and helpful.

One downside is the difficulty in getting in. The turn is a bit tricky to navigate, and after that comes a very narrow one-lane road. Another is the proximity to the road, so you can hear cars throughout the night. These aren't dealbreakers by any...

Great campground to explore Yosemite. The hosts were incredible and so accommodating. Very kind and do a great job keeping the campground clean. The pit toilets are the cleanest I’ve ever seen in a campground.

I was originally a bit deterred by some of the reviews with the highway noise - they made it seem like you were sleeping on the I5. We were one of the closest sites to the highway and heard nothing all 3 nights we were there.

Will definitely use this as our Yosemite home base...