NPS · Yosemite National Park · California

Wawona Horse Campsites

PST. For example, on January 15, arrival dates for the period May 15 to June 14 become available to reserve, and therefore, the full arrival date window would be from the campground open date to June 14. Yosemite National Park Campground Reservation Dates Reservation Tips! Campsites in Yosemite are extremely popular and typically sell out in minutes. Login to your account or create a new account before the 7:00 a.m. (PST) release time. Wawona Horse Campsites are located in breathtaking Yosemite National Park in Central California's rugged Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.

More like this: reservable in California · pets allowed in California

Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗
Wawona Horse CampsitesWawona Horse CampsitesWawona Horse CampsitesWawona Horse Campsites
Photos courtesy of NPS-Susie Boatman, NPS · Recreation.gov

Site mix

Equestrian2
Most sites here open on Recreation.gov six months ahead, at 10 a.m. Eastern. Sold out is not final: cancellations come back into the pool, most of them two to three days out. How to catch one

Site guide

2 sites. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.

SiteEntrySurfaceShadeWaterfrontPeople / vehiclesFires
HORSE #1 (HORSES ARE MANDATORY)Pull-throughGravelPartialRiverfront6 / 2Yes
HORSE #2 (HORSES ARE MANDATORY)Pull-throughGravelRiverfront6 / 2Yes

Per-site records as published by the managing agency on Recreation.gov. Blank cells mean the agency listed nothing for that site. Check-in 12:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.

Amenities & rules

Max vehicle length35 ft
PetsAllowed
CampfiresAllowed, subject to restrictions

Wawona Horse Campsites accommodate only those with horses or other stock animals. Reservations are required. High lines, flush toilets and drinking water are provided. Each campsite contains a picnic table, fire ring, and food storage locker. A general store and gas station are less than a mile away.

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Wawona Horse Campsites30°40°50°60°70°January: 7.57 inches of precipitationFebruary: 6.68 inches of precipitationMarch: 5.18 inches of precipitationApril: 3.42 inches of precipitationMay: 1.92 inches of precipitationJune: 0.53 inches of precipitationJuly: 0.16 inches of precipitationAugust: 0.11 inches of precipitationSeptember: 0.47 inches of precipitationOctober: 2.22 inches of precipitationNovember: 3.29 inches of precipitationDecember: 5.64 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 35.8°F averageFebruary: 36.2°F averageMarch: 39.0°F averageApril: 42.8°F averageMay: 50.3°F averageJune: 58.5°F averageJuly: 65.4°F averageAugust: 64.6°F averageSeptember: 59.7°F averageOctober: 50.6°F averageNovember: 41.5°F averageDecember: 35.1°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at So Entrance Yosemite NP, 2 miles from the campground at 5,047 feet, station USC00048380 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 37 inches a year.

Getting there

Take Highway 41 north from Fresno, Highway 140 east from Merced, or Highway 120 east from Manteca into Yosemite National Park. Follow signs to Wawona. The campground is located 7 miles north of the South Entrance station on Highway 41, and 28 miles south of Yosemite Valley.

Coordinates37.5393° N, 119.6536° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

  • Wildfire
    Dome

    3 mi from the campground · 6,788 acres · 95% contained

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.

Supplies & services

Dump stationDump station ↗0.1 mi
Outdoor gearSierra Nevada Trading Company ↗12.4 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Explore

Worth a stop

Just 45 minutes away is Yosemite Valley, an awe-inspiring landscape containing many of the famous features for which Yosemite National Park is known. Hiking trails and bike paths are abundant in the valley. Rafting the Merced River is a fun way to cool down on a summer day when water levels are sufficient. Yosemite Valley also offers numerous guided bus tours, educational programs, museums, ranger-led activities, and an art center with workshops. Another scenic 45-minute drive leads to Glacier Point, with its sweeping views of Yosemite Valley, Little Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, Vernal and Nevada Falls, and Clouds Rest, among other notable landmarks. The Tioga Road, in the central region of the park, offers a 39-mile scenic drive past forests, meadows, lakes, and granite domes. Tuolumne Meadows embodies the high-country of the Sierra Nevada, with its broad sub-alpine meadows and granite domes and peaks. Beautiful Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is home to spectacular scenery and numerous wilderness trailheads.

  • 2 mi
    Summit
    1 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, ATV and 2 more
  • 2.2 mi
    Summit Spur
    0.1 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, 4WD and 1 more
  • 2.7 mi
    Squirrel Creek
    0.3 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 3 more
  • 2.8 mi
    Colonel
    1 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 2 more
  • 2.9 mi
    Blackbird
    1.7 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, ATV and 1 more
  • 3 mi
    Battalion
    0.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle and 3 more

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

Yosemite Wilderness begins about 4 miles away, and it is the closest of these.

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

On the National Register nearby

On Register Atlas →

Natural features

The area is forested with a diverse mix of ponderosa pine, incense-cedar, white fir, and whiteleaf manzanita, which offers a pleasant combination of sun and shade. The gentle South Fork of the Merced River flows alongside the campground.

Recreation

Yosemite's trails, cliffs, roads, and rivers provide endless recreational activities for any kind of visitor. Hiking, biking, rock climbing, fishing, horseback riding, rafting, auto touring, and photography are all very popular activities within the park. The Pioneer Yosemite History Center is like stepping back in time. A visit to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, just four miles away, is a must-do. A network of hiking trails within the grove leads to stately trees with names like Grizzly Giant, Faithful Couple, and California Tunnel Tree. Wawona offers several additional hiking trails, including the Wawona Meadow Loop, Swinging Bridge Loop, Alder Creek and Chilnualna Falls.

Guidebooks for Yosemite National Park

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Ranger's Comprehensive Guide to Yosemite National Park
    Chuck Ball, 2020
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Yosemite National Park
    Jeffrey P. Schaffer, 2021
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Yosemite National Park
    Suzanne Swedo, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Moon Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon
    Ann Marie Brown, 2021
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Explorer's Guide Yosemite and the Southern Sierra Nevada
    David T. Page, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Wawona Horse Campsites?

Sites at Wawona Horse Campsites are reservable on Recreation.gov. Any walk-up sites are listed on the booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

What time is check-in at Wawona Horse Campsites?

Check-in 12:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.

Source: Recreation.gov

How many sites does Wawona Horse Campsites have?

2 sites, including 2 equestrian sites.

Source: Recreation.gov

Will my RV fit at Wawona Horse Campsites?

The longest site here provides 35 feet of vehicle capacity. Most sites are shorter. The sidebar tool checks a trailer or motorhome length against every site.

Source: Will my RV fit

Are there showers or a dump station at Wawona Horse Campsites?

High lines, flush toilets and drinking water are provided.

Source: Recreation.gov

Are pets allowed at Wawona Horse Campsites?

Yes, pets are allowed at Wawona Horse Campsites. Leash rules apply.

Source: Recreation.gov

Can I have a campfire at Wawona Horse Campsites?

Fires are allowed in the provided rings under normal conditions. As of 2026-10-16, there is 1 active fire within 50 miles, so check current restrictions before you light one.

Source: Fire nearby

What is there to do at Wawona Horse Campsites?

Yosemite's trails, cliffs, roads, and rivers provide endless recreational activities for any kind of visitor. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.

Source: Recreation

What if Wawona Horse Campsites is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Wawona Campground (2.4 mi), Summerdale Campground (3.6 mi), and Big Sandy Campground (6.3 mi, first-come).

Source: Campgrounds nearby

Which national park is Wawona Horse Campsites in?

Wawona Horse Campsites is a Yosemite National Park campground. Entrance fees, alerts, and hours are on Park Atlas.

Source: Yosemite National Park