biking yosemite and sequio nat. parks

[chester221]

I am planning to bike from Iowa to Santa Barbara Ca. next may june. I want to go thru above parks. I plan to camp. Do these parks work with bikers that cant schedule in advance the exact days or times they will show up to camp.

[valygrl]

The short answer is no, they are not very flexible.  However, there are some options.

Yosemite has a small, totally un-publicized campground that is for folks the day before/after their backpacking permit, that allows bike camping.  You do have to pay to camp, but I think it is pretty easy to arrange, and I have never seen more than a few tents there, even in mid-season.  (used to go there a lot, the valley in valygrl is yosemite valley)

There's also Camp 4, which is walk-in, but extremely crowded in the spring/summer months.  Be in line at 6:30 am to secure a spot.

You can sometimes get day-of sites in the pines campgrounds by waiting in line for the no-show sites to be distributed, in the Curry Village parking lot, but that is very iffy.  I think it happens at 4:00 or 4:30pm.  If worst comes to very worst, ride around in the campground, look for someone who is sleeping in their RV/van, and nicely offer to pay for their site if you can use their tent spot.  This will 99.99% work, but you didn't hear it from me.  

If you are coming over Tioga Road, there are places to bivvy (be low-key) on the east side of the pass, just before the entrance station, there are campsites at the bottom of the pass just out of Lee Vining, the Tuolumne Meadows main campground holds half their sites for day-of (but get there early), and there are some more day-of (maybe??) sites between TM and Crane Flat.  It think they are called Tamarack and White Wolf.

You really must take the bear/food regulations seriously in both these parks.  If not camping in a designated site with a bear-proof box, you should have your own personal bear-proof container and make sure your panniers have never had any food in them.  

Sorry, can't help w/sequoia, except to say there is a section of the road between sequoia and Kings Cyn that is in neither park, and is forest service, and allows camping.  NO water or services, though.

Have a nice trip, and watch out for the rental RV's.

[scott.laughlin]

Camping in National Forests is free.  Just set up back from the road.  You have to be at least 100 feet from a stream, I think.  I never set up a tent in this situation.  Bring a small tarp.  If you're out of sight you're safe.

Scott

[DaveB]

Camping in National Forests is free.

These are National Parks the OP is asking about.  The regulations are far different than in National Forests.

[JayH]

I don't know about all the national parks but I know Acadia NP in Maine has 2 campsites that are not reservable which I think is great, not everybody has the freedom or flexibility to reserve campsites a year in advance or more so I would hope that the NPS sets aside a few sites or a campground for first come first servers, or perhaps utilize say overflow camping sites to allow folks such as thruhikers, bike tourers and the like a place to stay and share the NP system.

Jay

[staehpj1]

I really don't see how first come first serve helps bike tourists.  I know that I usually arrive at the camp for the night late in the day when bike touring.  First come first served means that the sites will all be full.

Places like Yellowstone or state parks on the west coast that never turn away bike tourists are great though.  I think that should be the case more places.