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Southgate Summit Campground

94%

· Oakhurst, Madera, California

20 acres hosted by Cassidy A.

5 tent sites

Near Yosemite National Park

Within a 30-minute drive from the South Entrance.

Amazing views

Hipcampers say this spot has amazing views.

Staff verified

Accuracy verified by Hipcamp's on-the-ground team.

Romantic

Recent Hipcampers say this Hipcamp is romantic.

Hey Campers! We are temporarily closed for the winter.... but back open April 1st! See you then! This area was once inhabited by local native American Tribes. In the 1840's prospectors arrived in search of gold but none was found in the immediate area. Old Yosemite Base camp was along the route into Yosemite National Park prior to the construction of Highway 41. Horse and Carriage traveled along Old Yosemite Road from Mariposa and the entire golden state. Visitors from the world now pass through Oakhurst to Yosemite National Park along this route. Don't for to check out Bass Lake and its full service amenities. ALL CAMP SITES REQUIRE 4 WHEEL DRIVE or All-Wheel drive- NO Exceptions. Hipcampers, come pitch your tent at one of five Old Yosemite Base Camp drive in and walk in sites. OYBC offers over six acres of pine, oak, and bay trees, sprinkled around large granite features that remind you that Half Dome is not far away! Each unique site is equipped with a stone fire ring with cook top and a picnic table accommodating four person dining. Old Yosemite Base Camp is the perfect place to enjoy the sunset and stargaze next to a campfire after an adventurous day in the southern Yosemite region. Yosemite tent camping without all the crowds and tour buses is what you can expect. Backing up to the Sierra National Forest OYBC is conveniently located near HWY 41 just 14 miles from Yosemite’s south gate entrance. The region also offers a large amount of hiking trails where you can find swim holes, waterfalls giant sequoias, lakes, and rivers. Take 15-minute drive to Bass Lake and enjoy water sports and lake view dining. OYBC offers five camp sites and all wheel drive is required to get to the top of camp. OYBC sites 1, 2, 3, are drive up sites and 4 & 5 are walk in sites that have a separate parking area. All wheel drive is still needed to get to this lot. Have a large group? Old Yosemite Base Camp offers discounts for larger parties of up to 25 campers. Message OYBC to reserve the whole mountainside to yourselves!

Activities

Biking

Boating

Fishing

Hiking

Natural features

Forest

Lake

Mountainous

94%

1159 ratings · 392 reviews

Taylor P.doesn't recommend

September 22, 2024

Site 3 - Old Yosemite Base Camp (4x4 ONLY)

beautiful but beware of pests!

overall, this is a great campsite close to the south entrance of the park & very peaceful! unfortunately, we ran into some issues with the local wildlife: black widow spiders, swarms of yellow jackets, scorpions, a tarantula spotting, and even a pesky & bold raccoon who stalked us for an hour before bed! if you’re uncomfortable with fending yourself against nature’s pests, this might not be the spot for you. all of our picnic tables (including our neighbors) were infested with black widows which was pretty unsettling.

Marysol E.recommends

September 3, 2024

Site 3 - Old Yosemite Base Camp (4x4 ONLY)

Highly recommend

I loved our stay here! It was secluded and quiet. We stayed in Site 3 which was very spacious and had some nice trees and rocks. There was a fire pit and provided grill rack. The view of the stars at night was incredible. The bathrooms were the cleanest porta potties I have ever seen! We did have some problems with ants and wasps.

Charlotte J.recommends

August 11, 2024

Site 3 - Old Yosemite Base Camp (4x4 ONLY)

This is a great spot, I really enjoyed it! I stayed at camp 3 and was the only one staying there which was super nice. There’s a spot right across from 3, so if someone was staying there at the same time you both would be in clear view of each other. Seemed like site 3 has the best shade which was great bc it was so hot. It’s about 20 minutes from the part but an hour and 30 from Yosemite village so keep that in mind. Great spot and really enjoyed it.

Chris K.

August 6, 2024

Site 2 - Old Yosemite Base Camp (4x4 ONLY)

Great location right off the main road leading into Yosemite from the South Gate (30-40 min drive with no traffic). Best porta potty’s I’ve ever had at a camp site. Super clean. Half the site was a little over run by ants and every time you tried to cook or brought out food you got over run by bees and wasps. We weren’t able to have campfires because of the weather and fire conditions so we couldn’t use smoke to help keep the bees at bay a little. The site had great views and was relatively quiet but with our toddlers it was to chaotic with all the bees. We would wake up each morning with five buzzing between our rainfly and tent and another four flying around inside the vestibule. Once you brought food out there were always 20 or so on you.

Seth H.recommends

July 31, 2024

Site 1 - Old Yosemite Base Camp (4x4 ONLY)

Would come back

Had the whole place to ourselves. Checked out the other sites and they all looked well kept. Honestly great and convenient place to camp while exploring Yosemite. Surprisingly easy to find as well.

Nina V.recommends

July 5, 2024

Site 2 - Old Yosemite Base Camp (4x4 ONLY)

Real camping experience !

I loved this area, really close to the downtown, secluded which made my boyfriends and I’s experience romantic! Only downsides are there are no showers on site and closest ones are 20-30 mins away and you have to pay for them. Also, the Porto potty being bottom of the hill is only rough at night! But those were disclosed prior to us coming. Other than that a great camping experience. :) ALSO tip—in the summer the sites do get pretty hot so bring portable fans to cool down..

Location

Oakhurst, Madera, California, United StatesTraditional, ancestral territory of Me-Wuk (Southern Sierra Miwok), Miwok, Yokuts, and Chukchansi First Nations according to To respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking