Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes Review: Camping Near Yosemite National Park
Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes is an RV and camping resort located just outside Yosemite National Park near Groveland, California. It’s about 20–30 minutes from the Yosemite entrance station, although it’s closer to an hour from the campground to Yosemite Valley and the Curry Village area.
We stayed for seven nights in a 50-amp full-hookup riverfront site, and our campsite ended up being one of our favorite parts of our entire Yosemite stay.
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Our Campsite
We had a 50-amp full-hookup back-in site directly on the river, and the location was incredible.
Our site was dirt and fairly shaded, with enough room between us and our neighbors that we didn’t feel packed in. We also had room to put up Willie’s portable fence.
Getting our fifth wheel into the site wasn’t particularly easy, but it wasn’t one of our hardest back-ins either.
The bigger issue was leveling.
A lot of the campsites throughout Yosemite Lakes appeared noticeably uneven, including ours. Our auto-leveling system struggled, but we eventually got everything situated well enough.
Once we were set up, though, the site was absolutely worth it.
The Riverfront Sites Are the Reason We’d Come Back
The river was directly behind our RV.
And when I say directly, I mean our kids could walk out of the camper and be playing in the water within seconds.
They swam every day of our stay.
The section behind our site was relatively shallow, slow-moving, and warmer than a lot of the mountain water we’ve encountered during our travels. Our four-year-old was even able to swim across this section of the river, although he’s a strong swimmer for his age.
Obviously, any natural body of water requires supervision regardless of a child’s swimming ability. Our kids also liked wearing their life jackets so they could float around, and they made a little rope swing to jump into the water.
There are other beach and river-access areas throughout the campground, so you don’t necessarily need a riverfront site to enjoy the water.
But would I specifically request one again?
Absolutely.
The riverfront site made this campground for us. Without one, I think we still would have enjoyed Yosemite Lakes, but I don’t think I would have been nearly as excited about our stay.
One thing to know is that the riverbank isn’t technically part of your campsite. Other campers occasionally walked behind our RV to access the water. Normally walking directly through someone’s campsite is a bit of a camping faux pas, but with the river there, we understood why it happened and it never really bothered us.
Unfortunately, we also noticed some trash floating down the river during our stay. There are places throughout the campground to dispose of trash, so there really isn’t an excuse for littering in such a beautiful area.
More Than Just a Base for Yosemite
We originally chose Yosemite Lakes because of its proximity to Yosemite National Park, but we ended up enjoying the campground enough that we didn’t feel the need to spend every day inside the park.
There are several trails around the property, including the Dam Trail and Mountain Trail, both less than a mile long, plus another longer trail toward the back of the campground.
There’s also a really neat bridge that crosses the river toward an area with tent and yurt-style accommodations.
Between walking the trails, exploring the campground, swimming in the river, and just being outside, there was plenty to keep our family occupied.
Our son also enjoyed riding his small electric dirt bike around during our stay.
There’s a large playground as well, although during our August visit it was simply too hot during much of the day for our kids to use it comfortably.
Wildlife at Yosemite Lakes
Bears are active in this area.
We saw multiple piles of bear scat around the campground, and our friends staying next door found a large pile directly outside their RV one morning.
We never had an actual bear encounter, but there was plenty of evidence that they were nearby.
This is definitely a campground where you need to be thoughtful about food, trash, and anything else that could attract wildlife.
Dogs at Yosemite Lakes
There wasn’t a designated dog park during our stay, and the campground was strict about dogs being off leash.
Thankfully, we were allowed to use Willie’s portable fence at our campsite.
He also loved the river and made a few dog friends during our stay, so despite the lack of a dog park, he had plenty of opportunities to get outside and enjoy the campground with us.
Full Hookups and Connectivity
We had 50-amp electric, water, and sewer and didn’t experience any major utility issues during our seven-night stay.
The water pressure was actually quite high. We developed a leak around our hot water tank that Eli had to address during the stay. We don’t know whether the campground’s water pressure contributed to it or whether it was an issue that was already developing in our RV, so I wouldn’t blame the campground for the leak.
Still, this is one of those places where I’d make sure you’re using a water pressure regulator.
There was essentially no cellular service at our campsite.
Our Starlink, however, worked great despite having a fairly shaded site. For us as full-time travelers who still need reliable internet for work and school, that made the lack of cellular service much less of an issue.
Check-In and Tent Camping
Our arrival was a little chaotic.
When we reached our site, a large group of tent campers had set up around the area beside us and had belongings spread around, which made maneuvering our fifth wheel into the site more difficult.
We initially assumed that was simply where they were camping and dealt with it.
Management later came through and determined that the group wasn’t supposed to be camping in that section. They were moved to the designated tent-camping area, and our section became considerably calmer afterward.
Yosemite Lakes accommodates everything from RVs to traditional tent camping and more expensive tent and yurt-style accommodations, so there’s a wide variety of camping happening throughout the property.
Amenities We Didn’t Use
We didn’t spend much time at the lodge and didn’t use the campground bathrooms or laundry facilities during our stay.
Rather than rating amenities we didn’t personally experience, we’ll leave those out of our review.
There is a general store for small necessities towards the entrance of the campground, and Yosemite Lakes also has a gas station.
Stock Up Before You Arrive
Yosemite Lakes feels fairly remote.
That’s part of what makes the setting so beautiful, but it also means you shouldn’t arrive expecting a Walmart or major grocery store five minutes down the road.
Our friends next door needed groceries during the stay and ended up driving roughly an hour to make a larger grocery run.
There are some resources in the Groveland area, and the campground store can handle smaller necessities, but we’d recommend doing your major grocery shopping before arriving.
Once you’re set up—especially if you get a river site—you probably won’t want to leave anyway.
How Close Is Yosemite Lakes to Yosemite National Park?
This is an important distinction.
Yosemite Lakes is only around 20–30 minutes from the Yosemite entrance station, which sounds incredibly close.
But the entrance isn’t Yosemite Valley.
It took us approximately one hour from our campsite to Curry Village with essentially no traffic at the entrance station.
That’s still an excellent location for visiting Yosemite, but families should plan their mornings around the full drive rather than assuming they’ll be in Yosemite Valley 20 minutes after leaving the campground.
Final Verdict
We’d absolutely stay at Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes again.
But I’d want another riverfront site.
The campground isn’t somewhere I’d choose because of elaborate amenities. We didn’t use the lodge, bathrooms, or laundry, there wasn’t a dog park, cell service was essentially nonexistent, and you’re fairly isolated from groceries and town.
The location and natural setting are what made it special.
We had full hookups, Starlink worked, Yosemite was right down the road, there were trails around the campground, and our kids spent every single day swimming in the river directly behind our RV.
We originally planned to spend more time inside Yosemite National Park, but I got a little sick later in the week and we never went back after our first full day.
And surprisingly, we didn’t really feel like we were missing out.
The kids swam, explored, worked out with Eli, played outside, and enjoyed having a week where we weren’t constantly rushing somewhere.
Sometimes a campground is simply a place to park the RV while you explore the destination.
Yosemite Lakes—at least from one of these riverfront sites—became part of the destination itself.
Read More
- One Day in Yosemite National Park With Kids — Our day biking Yosemite Valley, hiking to the Vernal Fall Footbridge, swimming at Cathedral Beach and Swinging Bridge, and seeing El Capitan and Half Dome.
