Yosemite Housekeeping Camp

THE BEST SUMMER VACATION!
I have been going to Yosemite for as long as I can remember. Housekeeping has been something we started doing when I was a little older when it was much more difficult getting into campgrounds and after they stopped all camping at Lower and Upper River Camp after the flood.
Housekeeping is pretty awesome. There is still not a single place in Cali that has what Yosemite does. The hiking trails (Vernal), and shuttle buses (throughout valley), to the beach (right there at the Housekeeping camp), there really isn’t anything quite like it. So, if camping in Housekeeping is what will allow you to enjoy the valley, then you really need to go for it.
If you can get over the fact that MILLIONS of people have stayed in these units, and you have plenty of lysol and antibacterial, then you will probably have a really nice time. The units consist of 1 double/​or full sized bed, AND bunk beds (2 twins). There is a light inside with drawers to put clothing in etc. All scented items MUST go in the bear lockers. Bears are everywhere. In all the years we have been going, there has still NOT been 1 single time we haven’t ran into a bear. So if I’m saying anything, that is it. Bears are all through the park and love walking around at night. You’ve been warned.
The campground is perfect for bikes, and the paved bike trails run through the whole valley. So, bring your bikes. The «Beach» is right there at different areas of the campground. Its what makes this campground the best. On the western part of the camp, the beach has a perfect view of Yosemite Falls. So, bring your coolers and enjoy the hot summer and cool waters while looking at perfection!
There is honestly so much to say about Yosemite and Housekeeping camp. But, don’t have enough time to go on and on. I will add that when booking for larger groups, remember you can have 6 people per unit. 2 in main bed, 2 in bunkbeds, and 2 can easily go on a blowup mattress on the floor. Also– don’t be alarmed if your groups units are not right next to each other. You can ask the front desk when you arrive to get your group as close together as possible. We haven’t had a problem doing that the past few years. Lastly, don’t forget to pick up your trash when you go on hikes/​trails. This valley is truly a gem and needs more people taking the time to respect it by picking up after themselves. Enjoy!

my wife and I had such a wonderful trip recently in Yosemite and we really enjoyed the semi-​camping experience at Housekeeping Camp. We were fortunate enough to have quite and pleasant neighbors, but on our walk to the showers it became clear that we could have easily been not so fortunate with noisy neighbors with kids. Not that that would have made it a bad experience, but it was nice to have a quite campground.
We selected a spot by the river based on other Unilocal reviews and we’re glad we did. We visited in the ‘off’ season (very few waterfalls running) and there were a few vacant sites around us by the river which really baffled us since it’s cheaper by the river, fewer neighbors and… Your By A Freaking River!!! It seemed like every other camp ground within the camp was occupied.
The bed wasn’t very comfortable, not that I had high hopes or standards for it. We rented a propane grill for a few dollars per day and bought a propane tank. We brought our own sleeping bags and camping pillows and we’re glad we did. The linens they’ll rent out didn’t keep our neighbors warm enough at night and the pillows (not the pillow cases) looked pretty dirty.
The showers were fairly nice. Much better than any 24-​hour fitness showers I’d been in, but they could be cleaner. Particularly the ceiling which was covered in cobwebs, but hey, not a big deal
DO NOT BE LAZY WITH THE BEAR BOXES!!! I’m guessing you have a 1-​in-​20 chance of attracting a bear by leaving your box open or food out for an hour, but you have a 99.99 999% chance of a rodent getting into your food or chewing a hole in your backpack to steal your food within two minutes of leaving it unattended!

I’m sorry, but this place is a shit hole. I’ve camped in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains for over 40 years and never encountered somewhere so repulsive. The camp structures feel like some kind of dirty meth house located in the middle of an urban ghetto. The walls are made of stamped concrete and the plastic mattresses sit on the ground up against the corners of the concrete walls. Units are «back to back» and sound echoes off the concrete walls so you hear your camp neighbor’s every word –from the guy who is arguing with his wife, to the guys having sex with his girlfriend, to the baby waking up in the middle of the night crying for his/​her midnight feeding. The linens that are available are not adequate for the cold nights of High Sierra camping and the «blankets» look like something you might find in a UN refugee camp. Finally the bathrooms are cleaner at most Flying «J» truck stops. I literally had the choice of sitting on urine covered toilets seats or waiting until I could make it to the Village. Not an enjoyable experience by any means and really ruined the whole «ecological» or «back to nature» aspect that a special place like Yosemite has to offer.

Awesome place!!! The beds are comfy and 10 times better than a tent, where you have to battle the mosquitoes. Ack. Not here. This actually has WALLS and beds plus A POWER CORD. THANK YOU!!! Also they have a light inside so you don’t have to bring a lantern, bring flashlight though.
THEY EVEN HAVE A GROCERY STORE!!!
So if u forgot ur marshmallows NO WORRIES!!! Yay!!! I had a great time here. Awesome.

The review is for for Customer Service–
1. They gave us unit 212– knowing damn well it is a shitty unit… We got in and settled in and notice only our fire pit was facing the parking lot all the others were in front, this is not a River Room but charged as a river unit, everyone walking by to their units can see in– no privacy at all especially bc we are near the parking spots– it really feels like a wood fence is needed there… After talking to TWO neighbors they told us we were the 5^th party to be put in that room that weekend, both of them (TWO different groups) were placed there plus a group of girls and a party that left the night before we got there– they said all of them were moved after complaining. They knew it was a shitty unit because they asked us if we had stayed there before my husband had never so he said no (I have). They wouldn’t change us!
2. We arrived in Yosemite at 10am, stopped by to see if they had early check in. They said no not until 3pm. I called at 12pm and was told check in is at 4pm, I called at 2 and told check in was 3:30pm. We ended up going at 3:00pm anyways and they were already checking people in… so I don understand why lie?
3. their ice machine doesn’t work but reading other reviews maybe it never did? so $ 5 a bag of ice at their store.
other then the bad customer service it was great! restrooms and showers look clean (do bring your own soap/​shampoo). bed was comfortable (i recommend you lysol it down prior to settling in). FREE shuttle bus stops right in front and passes often so use it! we saw a lot of deer and a bobcat during our stay in the campgrounds– the last night we heard a bear on the other side of the camp ground.

I have stayed at housekeeping camp many times prior to this. We just arrived home yesterday.
I don’t know if it’s because we were there in mid July (in the dead heat of summer crowds) but I wasn’t too happy with our stay. The soap was watered down in the restrooms, the restrooms were all flithy, the ice machine was broken the entire stay, the laundry soap and many of the laundry machines were out of order, the change machine in the laundromat was out of order. It just didn’t seem like management was able to keep up with the high demand and I’d like for stuff to actually work when I’m paying $ 120 per night. The regular staff was excellent as always. Yosemite is beautiful and I will be back, maybe not in mid July though.

Stayed there in July 2015. One star really reflects how Housekeeping Camp and for that matter, other concessions run by Delaware North Company and not a reflection on Yosemite. Yosemite is near to my heart and soul and I will go back there over and over again regardless of how things are run there. I will just try to camp in campsites outside Yosemite valley.
Housekeeping camp has duplex campsites with concrete walls and canvas roof. It is far more densely packed than any campsite I have seen. You will have one neighbor with whom you will share a wall. I estimate there are probably 225 campsites so with 100% occupancy which is quite normal during summer you can expect there are about 1000 people living in the campsite. When you drive to your campsite, it feels more like a urban ghetto than a part of Yosemite. Way too dense for my taste. According to the map, there are 10 shared bathrooms. That means there are 100 people sharing a bathroom. While I was there, it appeared that bathrooms are services once a day at around 11:00. You can guess what a sorry state their toilets would be in.
That just about sums it up. Based on how it is kept, it is worth about $ 20/​night in my view but you can expect to pay upwards of $ 115 per night because it is Yosemite and Delaware North can charge whatever the heck they want for it.
After my stay, they emailed me and asked me to participate in a survey. They survey was all about how I was greeted and whether staff made me it clear that my business was appreciated. Of course my business was appreciated. I just gave them all that money so I can clean somebody else’s cigarette buds from my camp’s fire ring and stand in someone else’s puddle of ur*** to take a leak.
No complaints about the staff. They were all hard working, pleasant people. What I saw was a clear Delaware North management issue and a conscious choice to charge top dollars and deliver nothing!

Tent camping without the tent! Loved it. We flew in from FL packed most of our stuff.
Sleeping bags
Electric blanket
Power strip
Coffee maker

Hands down the BEST place to stay in Yosemite Valley. You get a comfy bed, hot showers, a view of the falls, and a perfect river beach, plus you can cook your own food, save $$$. If you have kids, best put Housekeeping camp on your family vay kay bucket list, like yesterday. So now that we’ve established how awesome this place is, here’s some tips to make the most of your ‘glamping’ (glamour camping, but more camping than glamour if you asked me) trip:
1. Reservations: 2 options 1) Call the reservation desk at 7am sharp exactly 1 year and 1 day before your intended arrival and cross your fingers, for example is you want to arrive on July 4, 2016, call July 3, 2015 2) Call the reservation desk in the afternoon exactly 7 days before your intend arrival and pick up a canceled spot. 7 days prior to arrival is the last chance you get to cancel your reservation and get a full refund, so this is also the ideal time to get a cancelled spot. (I’ve personally had better luck going with option 2).
2. Make sure your cooler fits in the bear box! The dimensions are listed on the website.
3. Splurge on that extra blanket, it’s like $ 2 a night.
4. Bring a table cloth and clips to hold it down.
5. Bring clamps or clothes pins to secure the canvas curtain for extra privacy.
6. Bring inflatable rafts or inner tubes, the beach is the best part of Housekeeping camp.
7. Bring the coffee maker, the nearest café is at Curry Village and that’s a long walk when not fueled by caffeine
8. Bring bikes for the kids, a fierce toddler biker gang was developing during my last trip and it was too cute.
Enjoy your trip!

Pretty cool place to stay in Yosemite. You have the peaceful Merced river running right past your front door, and Half Dome hanging out just over your head. Electricity is nice to have in the shelter. Bring earplugs though, because you’re pretty close to your neighbors.
There’s a little beach up by the bend in the Merced too, the kids will love it. We saw a 8 point buck walking through the river one morning, he didn’t care at all that we were there! What a place!

I guess I would prefer 3.5 stars but 4 will do.
I stayed in this camp April 30-​May 4^th. The timing was perfect — the weather was gorgeous, the river was flowing. We arrived early on Thursday and went to the front desk to see if we could check in, we were told we had about 2 hours until they could allow us to check in and the young man would NOT tell us which site was ours (we had a river unit). We walked around and waited the 2 hours and were finally able to check in — we went to our site and while we were able to SEE the river we definitely were not ON the river. There were a few other vacant sites around that we would’ve preferred to switch to but he said we could absolutely not switch so we just accepted our spot.
The site itself was nice — the table area, bear lockers, and electricity is a huge bonus. I would recommend bringing christmas lights to set up because it really does add a great ambiance and vibe to your site and looks so cute at night!
The bear lockers are large and can fit a lot. We brought 2 coolers and our camp chef and a few large bins of dry goods and had no issues shoving everything in there (we also brought pad locks just in case of theft).
The wood at the store is expensive — we scavenged the site for wood leftover at vacant campsites and we also had a wood cutting permit to use outside the park to chop wood for $ 10.
The site filled up on Friday night and to our surprise we were supposed to have neighbors — but they did not like the site and were ABLE TO MOVE TO A DIFFERENT SITE. This really irritated us as we asked to move the previous day. Then, we received a new set of neighbors who had a DOG. Apparently no dogs are allowed, but if you just say your dog is a service dog there is nothing they can do and no questions asked. From what we were told a lot of people use the service dog line and it allows them to bring their dog to housekeeping camp.
The camp host is really strict about the fire times (even though the front desk said the fire time was not enforced that weekend) and they are really strict about leaving your bear lockers open.
SHOWERS — the showers get busy and there is a line unless you go at off hours. I heard there was no warm water but when I went to shower there was always warm, hot water so I guess that must depend on the time of day.
We are campers — we love camping — I love sleeping in a tent — this place is great because of the electricity and campfires, but overall the price of almost $ 100 per night is a little steep in my opinion. I definitely will come back here sometime soon — and I will be sure to call in ADVANCE to request the camp site of my choosing.

I didn’t stay here. Review is only for the laundry. Wouldn’t even write a review but encountered bad customer service.
Still don’t get why people work in customer service if you are going to be rude?!
Word of advice for the people that run Yosemite, customer service is your face to customers. They are the first impression. So hire nicer and pleasant people. Especially since all of us pay a whole lot of money just to stay here in Yosemite.
Anyway, went to the laundry. We tried to use the dryer, put a quarter in and the machine didn’t work. Asked the guy there and he replied rudely «the machine that has a sign?» Excuse me! I said, first of all, that sign isn’t on the machine it’s on the above machine. What make you think people will know the machine below isn’t working either?
Then he proceed to grumble and move the sign to the middle. Seriously rude! And we asked for our quarter back and he rudely said, «front desk!»
For crying out loud! I’m from New York. I’m not some tourist that you can put down and make us look dumb.
Seriously Yosemite! Hire pleasant people please! Some of your bus drivers are nice and friendly.

I stayed in this camp last week. This is the second time I’ve stayed in Yosemite’s Housekeeping camp. While I find the accommodations ok, I was not impressed by the following:
1, There is a NO DOGS ALLOWED ordinance, however, we saw 3 different people walking their dogs, off leash, in the camp. There doesn’t seem to be any upholding of this policy.
2. This is a big one. The bathrooms! We spent a lot of time ‘chilling’ by our campsite and we witnessed Yosemite personnel visiting the bathroom building, which was directly adjacent to our site, several times during the day. i mean, at least 3 times a day. The sinks still had remnants of soap, toothpaste, etc. on them from the first day we were there. There are only 3 stalls in the women’s room and none of them were EVER cleaned! To me, cleaning a toilet means you squirt cleaner into it and brush the bowl. It was very clear this was not done. If they aren’t doing this at least once a day then WHY are their employees visiting the bathrooms. it seems all they do is check the seat protectors and toilet paper. Had I thought of it, I would have taken a picture of the same toilet each day and show the people in the office! Oh, just a head’s up, none of the bathrooms have paper towels or hand drying machines.

This is a great place but not true camping. Some folks just aren’t «campers» or they just should not be around other folks in a communal setting. This is a great setting and the location is perfect. You are NOT wilderness camping when there are tent cabins, water, electric, etc. If that is what you want then get a permit and go for a hike.
Do NOT bring Speakers for your iPod/​boom box, etc.
Do NOT bring your own firewood*.
*Firewood Information
In an effort to protect Yosemite from invasive species, it is advised that you purchase your firewood at or near your camping destination. Don’t transport firewood outside a 50-​mile radius of location of procurement.

I have been coming here with my family since I was a baby and it has been one of my favorite spots in the Valley where we camp at… You get a good view of Half Dome and ur right there on the River swimming away :) can’t wait to go back this August :)

Housekeeping is a wonderful camp that is well maintained. the grounds are clean and the employees are eager to help. We had an amazing time. the fire pits have grills attached that work well, any other extras you may need can be rented for reasonable prices. This is now my families yearly destination it was so nice. Bathrooms are clean and there is on site laundry. This was the first of many great trips to this camp! Thank you from the Gonzales family!!!

I have stayed at the Yosemite Housekeeping Camp for three consecutive years now. Each stay was more pleasant than the next. Each camp site is a half cabin with their own fireplace grill. It’s not totally roughing it out as each half cabin has its own outlet, one by the fence and one inside the tent. There’s also accessible water for washing dishes and a men/women’s restroom. If you’ve never gone camping this would be a great place for the first time family. A river is a walk away from the campsite. Have your flashlight at night and go down to the river to stargaze and catch shooting stars. Its peaceful with the sound of the river running. If Yosemite isn’t a bucket list on your place to visit then make it.
My best advice for a great experience at Yosemite Housekeeping is to come prepared with everything you need. So plan your trip out for each day from morning to evening. Set up your meal plan and have a check list of all the cooking supplies you’ll need for the trip. There’s families who make it out to Yosemite every year and actually decorate their campsites with some kind of theme and Christmas lights making their experience more festive.
Housekeeping camp is dead center in the middle of everything. Everything is a walk away or you can simply use the bus. Every trip we made everyone had bicycles. Bicycles are the best method to really taking in all of the wonders of Yosemite.
When going in June, the temperatures are very cold. The best month for Yosemite would be July and early August. But if not, Yosemite is great year round. Yosemite will never become dull. There is always something new to discover.

Thanks to my friends and their wonderful family I have been coming to this location within Yosemite since 2007. This is a trip I look forward to every year, and feel sad leaving everytime. This location offers everything a family camping trip could ever ask for. They have all your bare essentials from electricity, beds with your rented bungalow. showers, toilets, sinks, running water, fire pits, to a near by store with all ingredients to make your camping trip a complete success. Their location is ideal cause it’s dead on in the middle of everything, only minutes away on a bike ride or bus ride from the popular yosemite falls and curry village.
The key to making your trip a success include these main factors, great company, great food, getting away from the city life & enjoy the great outdoors, and breathe in all the fresh air your body possibly allows you too.
Since I have a family now and a new born on the way, I will definitely have to wait a few years until I’m able to come back to this fantastic yearly trip. But when I do, I hope this location doesn’t change and people enjoy/​respect this area the way it deserves so we can preserve this area for generations to come. I hope to bring my Son when he gets older here, so he can enjoy this place like I have for so many years.
Personal Thanks, to the staff/​developers in Yosemite. I hope to come here again sometime in the near future.

I asked for hardcore camping but I guess that was just my wild imagination of I having to make my own fire out of two sticks or stones rubbed against each other. I thought, having to go fishing and hunting for my meal and hide in the woods whenever I have to pee sounded so exciting and very adventurous.
We were going to camp in Toulumne Meadows to get the experience I aspired above. But then we came across Yosemite Housekeeping camp while searching for other possible camping areas. When I read that this campsite has electrical outlet, all those adveturous imagination I had in my mind vanished like bubbles in the air. All I could think of was, I could bring my hair dryer! Yay!
My boyfriend was about to reserve a tent in the Toulumne Area. I found out it is more expensive and thought, Yes! I would have a good excuse to tell him to not book there. I told him its a little too expensive for just a tent and then started telling him about Housekeeping Camp, It’s location, our advantage if we stay here and how way cheaper it is than Toulunmne ($ 106/​night tax inlcuded and Tuolumne was $ 150 something i think).
Housekeeping camp is located in the Yosemite Valley which pretty much is the center of attraction and where all the services like clinic, hotels, bike rentals, small stores and other things that you might need while in Yosemite are at. Being a good boyfriend that he is, the only question asked was if I was sure its what I really like. With a very delighted face, I said yes. Then he booked it.
The campsite has its own laundry and shower area. Hot shower! Yipee! For something that is publicly used, the shower rooms are clean and they give you clean towel to use too. Ice maker in the same bulding where you check in. I wouldn’t rely on it cuz it was out service the following day.
Our tent which we were lucky to have is way less disgusting compared to other tents. The fences of ours are new too and we are located near the creek and the water faucet for everyone to use. Each tent has its own beds, firepit, table and seats. Two outlets and lights (switches are above the outlets, REMEMBER THIS TIP).
We brought rice cooker I wish I brought a coffee maker! I am not a fan of the bed but better than sleeping on the ground. Or I don’t know, maybe sleeping on the ground would have been better.
We decided to go camping amidst Hantavirus alert. Athough there was no stopping us from going, I did some precautionary measures. I wiped our matresses with disinfectants before we used them, also the shelves and table especially every morning before preparing our food.
Dogs or pets are not allowed, they are considered as bear’s meal and could attract them in the campsite. Also be prepared to be frequently visited by all kinds of wild animals, like squirrels, racoons and yellow jackets.
We liked this place and we really had a great time camping here.

First of all, this is camping people. You want something clean & comfortable, make reservations at the hotel!
We loved this place! We experienced Upper Pines and Curry Village, and loved them as well, for specific reasons I will get to those reasons in a bit.
We had originally booked with Upper Pines, but heard that a couple of weeks before our trip out that it had snowed and the week we were to visit, there may be rain. So, since we had experienced some weather issues a couple of visits ago, my husband found this camp after looking at Curry Village again. The reason we wanted this location because we wanted to have a camp fire, which we love doing & using.
Check-​in was helpful and friendly per my husband, I was outside taking pic’s! We pulled up to our sight & checked it out. We were both pleased with what we saw, and our location was perfect! We had the beach (river) with sand area and the Yosemite Falls view from our campsite, so awesome!
There is an outlet available, a prep or cooking table (wood legs, & aluminum top), a picnic table (some table types differ at other sites) under a covered area. There is also one outdoor lighting already available (with switch) in the patio area. Right outside of your fenced area is a water spout or fountain, and on the other side of that are the bear lockers (we bring locks).
Your sleeping quarters, a three cyinder block wall (which you share with your neighbor), canvas rooftop and front doors. On top of that canvas ceiling is another canvas, this is connected with your neighbor as well. You have a bunk bed on one side and a queen on the opposite side of the room. In between the two you have the bookcase and mirror and on that same wall you have one, 2 plug outlet. You also have one light available inside the quarters, which gives out enough light.
Depending where you are staying, the showers (generic shampoo and body soap available in the shower) are not too far. One night we rode our bikes, and another night we walked (the weather was great the week we were there). Please note women, in the «shower» room there is only one sink and one toilet. They also have laundry facilities for your use. If you don’t want to bring your own sheets, pillows etc. they have that available for a fee, you could pick up firewood here too. Small convenience store in this area too.
We found the beds to be comfortable. I brought old sheets & comforter from home for our beds and used our sleeping bags on top of that. It was actually warm one night, we had to unzip our bags. You are near the river and I think in the distance I can hear the Yosemite waterfall, so bring ear plugs if this will not put you to sleep.
Shuttle stops near by.
Tips for first timers:
Bring broom, small rake (if the leaves will bother you) something to wipe tables down, and something to secure your canvas when you retire for the night. We used the clothespins I kept in our camp box. We just used beach mats to lay on the floor between the beds. The pictures that the Unilocaler’s added will give you some ideas what you will be facing and what to bring. I’m excited to visit this site again, I hope we could get the same spot, it was perfect! We came at the end of April, the weather was absolutely perfect to go biking, hiking and walking. The other times we had come it was snowing and freezing so this was very nice not having to bundle up. I hope your experience a good time at Housekeeping as we did.
Oh, when we tented at Upper Pines a couple of years ago, we set up our tent, had a camp fire (it was cold!) and hit the sack after dinner. We woke up to snow! Thank goodness my husband made reservations at Curry Village «just in case,» for whatever the reason. We packed our things and we were warm & dry for the duration of our stay. Yes, at Curry Village it is heated (some are not). When we returned to Upper Pines to check our tent, it caved in from the heavy snow! We probably needed a better tent. So each campsite is good for certain occasions or reasons. We enjoyed each location… Happy Camping!