June 28, 2025 - YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CA – Yosemite National Park is proud to announce the reopening of the Tuolumne Meadows Campground Aug 1, following the completion of a transformative three-year, $26 million rehabilitation project funded through the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA).

Yosemite will also open Porcupine Flat and Bridalveil Creek campgrounds July 15. Reservations for the popular high-country campgrounds will be available on Recreation.gov starting July 1.

This marks the first time the Tuolumne Meadows Campground has been open since construction began in 2022. The improvements not only revitalize one of the largest campgrounds in the National Park System—with 336, 304 standard and hike-in, 21 backpacker, seven group, and four horse, sites serving up to 2,200 visitors nightly—but also reflect a commitment to preserving natural and cultural resources while enhancing the visitor experience.

“Tuolumne Meadows is a treasured destination for families, backpackers, equestrians, and nature lovers from around the world,” said Yosemite National Park Acting Superintendent Ray McPadden “Thanks to the Great American Outdoors Act, we’ve been able to revitalize this beloved campground in a way that honors its past, protects its environment, and prepares it for future generations of visitors.”

Originally built in the 1930s, the Tuolumne Meadows Campground serves as a critical basecamp and launch point for visitors to adventure into Yosemite’s vast wilderness. Annually, the campground welcomes over 141,000 overnight guests and plays a key role in managing the estimated 500,000 visitors who explore the Tuolumne Meadows area annually.

This GAOA-funded rehabilitation addresses more than $11 million in deferred maintenance, improves ecological protection, modernizes aging infrastructure, and ensures accessibility for all.

Key Project Highlights Include:

• Campground Modernization: Improvements include:
  • New and upgraded restroom facilities, bringing the total to ten, all meeting Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Standards. Plus, a new winter camping vault toilet.
  • Twenty-nine new hike-in camp sites
  • New campsite furnishings, (picnic tables, fire rings, and food lockers)
• Utility Upgrades: The project includes replacement of an aged water distribution system, upgrades to sewer infrastructure.
• Amphitheater Access Improvements: The Dana Campfire Circle, a beloved site for ranger-led evening programs drawing hundreds of campers, has been updated with accessible routes and companion seating.
• Ecological Restoration & River Protection: In alignment with the 2014 Tuolumne River Plan, the campground’s Loop A road has been realigned to create a 150-foot buffer from the Tuolumne River. Twenty-one campsites within the sensitive 100-foot buffer zone have been removed and relocated, restoring fragile riparian habitat in a federally designated Wild and Scenic River corridor.

With upgraded infrastructure, restored natural features, and expanded accessibility, Tuolumne Meadows Campground stands ready to welcome visitors back to one of the most scenic and serene corners of Yosemite National Park.

Great American Outdoors Act

This landmark legislation that is making a huge difference for the National Park Service (NPS), providing up to $1.3 billion a year for five years to national parks to make large-scale infrastructure repairs and improvements. GAOA was desperately needed and became the first robust investment in park infrastructure in more than fifty years. Park infrastructure is old and was not designed for the increasing number of park visitors; much of it was constructed during the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s, or during Mission 66 (1956-66). Maintaining this large collection of assets takes sustained investments. Maintaining this large collection of assets takes sustained investments but every dollar invested in the NPS yields more than ten dollars in economic benefits.
Source and photo: NPS