I noticed on a site to reserve campground spots a notice on this area of Yosemite that the dates I'm looking for are on hold until late June for reservations. I am going to Yosemite and have had to make reservations outside the park because it was completely booked when I tried to make reservations awhile ago so I find this great news. Is this a good spot to camp in the park? I know my chances of landing a reservation are still probably slim but I figure it's worth a shot. Also we have to stay at a hotel for one night in L.A., any opinions on what places to avoid for sure or any good suggestions? I would rather not stay somewhere that I may find a dead hooker under the bed but I don't want to pay tons of money either lol.

Crane Flat is in the park but it's a drive from there to the main climbing + tourist areas (the Valley and Tuolumne Meadows). Note that there are a number of campsites in the park that are farther east along hwy 120 (e.g., White Wolf) that don't take reservations, and if you are coming in mid-week you can probably get a site there. Also, the reservable campsites like Tuolumne Meadows typically set aside a fraction of sites for walk-ins, and if you get to the ranger station early and stand in line you can often get a spot even in peak season. If you want to backpack, you don't need a reservation to camp in backcountry wilderness areas of the park, though you do need a permit, and it's not a bad idea to get one in advance as the park limits the total number of backcountry permits. Check this website if you haven't already done so:

http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/nrcamping.htm

Well, it's only my opinion, but Crane Flat will probably never win any awards for it's beauty as a campground, but it is in a pretty good location if you plan on headding up to Tuolumne and going to the Valley.

As for places to stay in LA, sorry, can't help you there.

camp for free on the hardin flat road 1 mile outside the 120 entrance. drive down a mile or so and pick a spot. you'll be by yourself and real close to the park. crane is pretty crowded and noisy for my taste.

Like what others have said, Crane Flat is smack dab between the two places you want to be: the Valley or Tuolumne Meadows. If you can make a reservation there, I'd do it since it's better than having to camp outside the park, but I'd also check on last minute cancellations in other campgrounds, which occurs fairly often. You may also want to troll something like Craigslist for reservations from those who can no longer use them.

As for LA, where do you want to stay? Are you just flying in and driving out early the next morning or plan on doing some sightseeing, etc.?

Yea we don't have any solid plans as to what we want to do at Yosemite yet, we have about 2 days there (hardly enough but the husband wants to go surfing). Good to know that sites may open up because of cancellations. When I looked at the reservable list I was kind of surprised that alot were booked until fall. I mean in hind sight it makes sense because it's a popular spot but still! Right now our reservations are for a campground on the west side of the park, not in the park itself but as close as I could get on our route (we're driving there from Lone Pine then circling back down to L.A. for the flight home). As far as staying in the hotel it's just for the night before our flight, probably not much sight seeing.

One of the nice things about Crane Flat is that it's one of the first campgrounds you come to after you enter the park on the West side. But if you are flying in to LA, the best way to get to Yosemite is to drive up Hwy 395 (and if you're coming up from Lone Pine it's definitely the fastest way). 395 goes through some of the most spectacular scenery in the US, namely the High Sierra. If you do that, then you will be entering the park from the East side, and Crane Flat is on the opposite side of the park. If coming from the East, Tuolumne Meadows is probably your best bet for in park camping, and they do set aside a number of sites for those without reservations on a first-come first-served basis. There are also a number of campgrounds on Hwy 120 east of the park in Lee Vining Canyon if you can't get a Tuolumne spot.

Advice: if you are planning to drive in via route 395, better check if the Tioga Pass will be open. Right now it is closed due to record amounts of snow (it snowed in Yosemite down to the valley LAST WEEK).

Otherwise, Crane Flats is very well located but it is slow driving to either Toluomme or the Valley!

messner666 wrote:camp for free on the hardin flat road 1 mile outside the 120 entrance. drive down a mile or so and pick a spot. you'll be by yourself and real close to the park. crane is pretty crowded and noisy for my taste.

if you're looking for primitive no-frills camping i second this.

JanG wrote:Advice: if you are planning to drive in via route 395, better check if the Tioga Pass will be open. Right now it is closed due to record amounts of snow (it snowed in Yosemite down to the valley LAST WEEK).

We will be traveling early July, will there be much road closure worries then?

The latest opening date for Tioga road since 1933 was Jul 8. July opening dates are rare but not unknown.

Re a hotel in LA: If you want something decent that's really close to the airport but not gross or next to a girly bar, try the Custom Hotel. I've had some out of town clients stay there (more than once) and they seemed fine with it. Probably only a $12 cab ride from LAX, but you can walk to coffee, the park, Thai/Italian/Mexican food, sushi, froyo, thru the exciting burbs of Westchester, etc. Not sexy, but not dicey either.