Union Democrat

CAMPING

By GUY McCARTHY

Three major Highway 120 campgrounds closed

Three large Yosemite National Park drive-in campgrounds — Tuolumne Meadows, Crane Flat, and Bridalveil Creek — will be closed all of next year for rehabilitation and upgrades, with the one at Tuolumne Meadows potentially remaining shuttered until 2025. Together, the three campgrounds currently have more than 575 drive-in campsites. Each campground has sites with room for tents and RVs up to 35 feet long. Bridalveil Creek, Crane Flat, and Tuolumne Meadows also have room for trailers,

as long as 24 feet, 27 feet, and 35 feet, respectively. Campsites in Yosemite are supposed to be limited to six people per site. Tuolumne Meadows Campground at 8,000 feet elevation is the largest in the park, with 304 sites on 140 acres. It’s about 2 hours, 20 minutes driving from downtown Sonora and about 1 hour, 15 minutes from the Big Oak Flat entrance on Highway 120. It includes a backpackers campground that will be relocated, seven group sites, and four horse sites.

‘Major’ plans at Tuolumne Meadows

Renovations at Tuolumne Meadows Campground are described as “major” and intended to implement a portion of the 2014 Tuolumne River Plan aimed at preserving the Tuolumne River, its meadows, and its water quality in the park. The City and County of San Francisco own the water rights to the Tuolumne River above Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in the park. The Hetch Hetchy System provides water to 2.7 million people in the Bay Area. The plan at Tuolumne Meadows Campground includes relocating 17 campsites away from the Tuolumne River; relocating the backpackers campground to the John Muir Trail trailhead; redesigned campsites with hardened parking pads; new picnic tables, food lockers, and fire rings in each campsite; upgrades for existing restrooms and two new restrooms; an updated water and sewer system; improved accessibility for people with disabilities, including the Dana Campfire Circle; and improved and simplified roads. The number of campsites at the campground is expected to remain the same.

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https://uniondemocrat.pressreader.com/article/281560885075786

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