By Emily Frantz, June 14, 2025
Yosemite National Park, California
Just in time for summer, Yosemite National Park’s most popular season, a flurry of new campgrounds are open and ready to cater to travelers looking for a more luxe experience. Gone are the days of pitching a tent after a long day in the park, with furnished glamping sites, lodges, and campervans joining the fold. The park still has several traditional campsites in Yosemite Valley that are available for tent, hammock, and RV camping. But if you’re looking to try something new, several options are available within easy reach of the park. While in the county, make the most of California’s “Gateway to Yosemite” and stop in the town of the same name.
Yosemite is one of the most visited National Parks in the United States every year, reaching almost four million visitors in 2023. A trek to get in and out of, and it’s impossible to experience this park in just one day. Yosemite National Park has five entrances around its nearly 750,000 acres. Fresno Yosemite International Airport is the closest spot to fly into, but it is still 64 miles away, so you’ll need to plan transportation to get into the park. Once you make the journey, staying in a nearby campsite allows you easy and convenient access to everything the park has to offer.
If you’re looking for an option with a bit more history, the Evergreen Lodge just added luxury tents to their property in April, adding to their existing landscape of cabins and cottages. The historic lodge in Hetch Hetchy Valley was built in the 1920s and has been on the land ever since, housing Yosemite visitors for over a century now. Before the site became a resort, the Lodge was multipurpose, serving as everything from a post office to a restaurant and a general store. Rumors even say the lodge was used for illegal gambling and moonshine production during prohibition.
Nowadays, you can roll up to the resort’s very legal tavern, restaurant, or pool bar to get a drink. The size of the resort may not be ideal if you’re looking for an isolated campground, but the amenities include a pool and jacuzzi, as well as plenty of activities like bocce ball, corn hole, and disc golf. There are even beer-tasting sessions for adults and nightly s’mores for the kids. Plus, guests have access to star guides and a Unistellar telescope for enhanced sky-gazing experiences.
