White Wolf Lodge

Arrive early because this campsite is based on first come first serve! It’s $ 18 a night to stay here.
It was my first time camping and I am so glad it was at this campsite. This was a nice camp ground to stay at because it has running water. Which means there are working toilets and clean water faucets!!! The restroom was decent and there was toilet paper provided. However, I suggest bringing your own toilet paper as well as hand soap.
Amongst arriving, we were welcomed by one of the rangers there. She alerted us of basic information and told us what to do if we see bears, etc etc. She was really sweet! There’s a food storage where you need to keep all your food. There’s also a trash can/​recycling bin by the restrooms. Each campsite is provided with their own table, bbq pit, and food storage. For burning wood, you’re welcome to find dead tree branches/​wood near the campsite or along the hiking trail. Yay for FREE burning wood!!!
During the 2^nd night here, my BF and I heard wolfs barking at night. Scary!!!
There’s also a really cool hiking trail right next to this campsite. It’s definitely worth the 2 mile hike/​walk because at the end, you reach Lukens Lake. It’s so beautiful there… It seriously looks like something out of a movie.

We stayed here from a Tuesday to a Friday in July and had a blast! It is first come first serve and we had no problem finding plenty of available sites when we arrived around 830AM. Great site in the middle of Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows with plenty of trees, running water, and the ranger even stopped by our site to make sure we were enjoying ourselves /​asked if we have any questions about the area. Would definitely stay here again!

Awesome campsite for beginner to advanced car campers! Really easy to drive in and out with ample space for parking 2 – 4 large cars depending on the campsite. There are around 70 campsites that are supposed to be first come first serve, but we saw one site that was reserved for some particular reason.
Communal «amenities»:
— Trash and recycling bins
— «Auditorium» seating area for shows/​performances
— Ranger talks Sunday-​Friday
— Payphone (remember no cell reception!)
— Covered male/​female washrooms with:
— Running (drinking) water
— Wash basins
— Flushing toilets in stalls
— Toilet paper
— Mirrors
Campsite «amenities»:
— Spacious lockers to store food/​toiletries
— Fire pit
— Campfire grill over fire pit
— Picnic bench
— Parking
General costs: $ 30/​vehicle for Yosemite park entrance fee, $ 18/​night/​campsite (includes vehicle parking), $ 8.45/bundle of firewood
I read from other reviews that the campground was supposed to be more «secluded», but I guess that depends on the weekend and where you choose your campsite. At campsite #7, we were quite close to 5 – 6 other neighboring groups… so close that we could smell their campfires, hear their snoring, and sing along to their music. That location was still convenient to the washrooms even though it didn’t look that way on the map. I think if we had driven a bit further in though, we would’ve found more isolated sites. We were just worried that all the sites would be full, so we just grabbed the first one we saw. In fact, there were plenty of other available sites that weekend!
Another bonus is that the campsite is actually around the corner from a bunch of great hikes including Lake Lukens (passing by two rivers and many wildflowers) and even Hetch Hetchy if you can make it that far! If you’re hardcore, you could pick up firewood along the trails, but it’s much more convenient to just buy firewood. We picked ours up from Yosemite Valley (Curry Village) about an hour’s driving distance. White Wolf is on higher ground than the Valley, meaning it’s about 10 degrees cooler, which is great during the summertime. We were lucky, and I don’t think it dropped lower than 50 degrees the weekend that we were there, but it can get pretty chilly (down to 30s) I’ve heard.
Quiet time is at 10pm, which can be early for some. You don’t need to put out the campfire or the lights, but just keep voices and music low after that time. Check-​out time is technically 10am, but isn’t really enforced.
The only negative was the POLLEN! Apparently the END OF JUNE is pollen season. I’m not sure which tree it was coming from, but all of our tents and cars were dusted with yellow pollen by the end of the first afternoon. Don’t come here if you are allergic… or else come prepared with lots of meds!
Also, be sure to bring some BUG REPELLENT… those nasty guys like to come out in the evenings. The mosquitos are especially active along the trails nearby, so be warned. There’s also a fair share of (harmless) spiders and ginormous black ants. Ah, the joys of camping.
All-​in-​all though, we had a great time here thanks to all conveniences of the campsite and the super nice ranger, which made everything go relatively smoothly considering we were all first-​time car campers!

Cool little campground that does not usually require prior reservation.
Pros: Secluded campground with less people
Cheap drop in rates of $ 18 a night
Clean water and restrooms
Small local trails to the campground
Great staff of rangers
Plenty of space on each campground
Grill available
Cons: Quite a drive from the popular yosemite valley
No signal for any phones (expected at that high of an elevation)
More mosquitoes than other sites i believe
Will definitely pay a visit again if the trip is a last minute one but probably wanting to try other campgrounds for a new experience!

White Wolf is a neat campground but rather small.
It is essential that you put your food away here, many bears like this area and the fact many campers are careless.
1) Roughly 8,000 feet
2) Running Water
3) Flush Toilets
4) Easy access to the Road
5) Lots of nearby trail routs
6) it is 40 Minutes to Tuolumne Meadows: there is a food store there and hamburger place and lodge as well
7) At the speed limit, You be in in Yosemite Valley in — 1:00) hour! or 1:20 Min
You will find that the Hikers Bus comes here, that allows you or your kids to go to Tuolumne Meadows and the drivers teach all the way there of the area.
1)
The YARTS Bus comes by as well, that bus goes to Mammoth and the Valley
2)
Take a walk a night and you will see the Milky-​way! You will see the solar elliptic. You will hear the wind and smell the earth. Just 20 minute walk out of the camp it will be there — away from the lights and people.
Kids are amazed! Even the Famed and Loved
The Princess of White Wolf:
O, what was she, 2 years-​old, out on a full moon hike (The Night Crawler) with her ranger mother, suddenly stands up and points to the stars. Her mother says, «That is Venus, the child nods and points again, the mother says, that is the Milky-​way, the child looks up mouth open and eyes wide and waves her hand across the whole sky. The mother say, Yes all of that is the milky-​way.» The child reaches up and holds her mothers hand and they both stare outward in awe. …Nothing more beautiful than that to behold in life…
And you will see that, here, the chance to peer in to the sky, to allow your children a chance to take in the world of nature and the heavens !
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Excellent campground with good facilities. Can get super cold in August (30s at night) but not too hot in the day time (whereas the valley can be 90+). The bathrooms are pretty clean and attended daily, and the bear boxes are huge and sturdy (we had two campsites and fit food for 3 days). Campsites are pretty even grounded and space for 2 big cars without any issue. There’s also lodge down at the bottom that has food, supplies, rangers, and even some night time events that are excellent. Great place to stay!

We had made reservations for Crane Flat but the campground was consumed by the smoke from the fires this last week. We ended up staying at White Wolf and found a great spot there. We stayed for five nights, our camp spot was huge and the bear locker was enormous. They had running water, mirrors, and flush toilets. It was $ 14 a night which was super reasonable. It was in the middle of everything (Tuolumne Meadows and the valley). the only thing that would give it five stars is showers. Also no mosquitoes!

I came here on July 1 2014.
First Come First Serve Campsite
Make sure you guys bring a very warm sleeping bag and maybe an extra blanket because it is freezing cold during a bad night! Some nights were surprisingly warm and it felt like one of those summer nights that just feels SOO COZY!
As long you put on mosquito repellent you wont get any bites.
Not a campsite to party at but, drinking alcohol and sitting around the campfire telling stories or listening to music on the low function is awesome.
They also have activities where they take anyone who wants to participate star gazing and i heard its beautiful.
Restrooms were pretty well compared to other restrooms I have been to while camping.
It’s one of the campsites where the roads are alright. My car was super low so i scraped a bit.
I took one star off because there was this annoying off duty manager or whatever and she kept getting on our asses because we were young kids. When she saw these mid twenty guys she totally acted different and was flirtatious for a 40 year old lady. But the second time we camped here we had a nice ranger looking dude that was awesome.

This is the most ludicrously bad lodge I have ever encountered. At 9.40 am one morning I came by hoping to get some breakfast. Impossible; breakfast closes at 9.30 am. But what I saw was not pretty. This is basically a small, ugly, rundown farmhouse. Near as I could tell, it only has three portions: (1) dining room. This was closed; no entry. (2) General store. What a Monty Python joke! It is a closet sized room with a 2×2 ft hole in the wall, through which you may stick your head in. You are not allowed to enter. Inside are some 3 or 4 shelves with some packaged goods on them. You may request the staff person to fetch you one. Criminey – every picture I’ve seen of 1850s general stores were at least nice enough you could actually enter them through the front door. (3) Washrooms. But reserved for guests only; you are not allowed in. I’m not sure what would have happened if I had arrived early enough to be able to get breakfast served. Since I was not staying at their cabins, would they have told me to go out and pee in the bushes? As this makes clear, there is no lobby, parlor, sitting room, or any other amenity of this kind at this place.
I do not understand all the positive reviews. What is these folks’ standard for park lodges: it’s wonderful if it’s better than sleeping in the ditch? I have been in a lot of national parks and never before encountered anything this crummy. Obviously my life had been incomplete.

Yosemite, by and large, is a very trampled and over-​used park, let’s face it. However, it is on the way to some very pristine places, and sometimes one needs a place to lay your head while on the road… I’ve stayed here a couple of times and it works for me. Don’t expect real peace and quiet. Too many people around for that. But neither is it all citified. Best thing I can say is that the lodging is decent and so is the food–

I’m hesitant to review this place, it’s so wonderful and it’s already in such high demand!
Most of the reviews on Unilocal were for the tent cabins, so despite that we were renting an actual cabin (there are only 5), my expectations were low.
When my husband and entered the cabin we were really impressed. See the pictures attached. Even though electricity was shut off at night we had propane heating which kept us toasty warm. The beds were nice and comfy and clean. There was a private restroom, with an actual bath! How great is that? Overall the room is very clean and comfy.
Just a few steps away is the restaurant. We didn’t have dinner there, but we did have breakfast. I thought the prices were really reasonable considering how much it must cost to cart all that food in. I posted a pic of the breakfast menu, it was a buffet with all the basics.
I’m really glad we stayed here instead of Yosemite village. You get all the perks of camping (quiet, remote) with all the perks of a hotel (nice warm bed, bath, restaurant). It was great!

We were lucky in July when we just walked up to the concierge desk and ask for cabin. They had 2 holds on tent cabins, but released one for us. Great, we paid and went on our way to explore the valley. We made reservations for dinner at the lodge for $ 25 per person. It was a family style dinner, where we shared the table with other visitors. Great way to make new friends. The food was delicious, the staff was nice. The night cold and dark, but the sky was something else. No cell phone or radio, no TV, just us and nature. The next morning, the breakfast buffet, a very good spread, was served with hot coco or tea, or coffee. We became friends with the local law enforcement. Next time, we stay longer. Great job White Wolf.

I ended up staying here when visiting Yosemite, as it is one of the closest first-​come-​first-​serve sites. Bridalveil Creek Campground is closer, but at the time I went it was not yet open. White Wolf is the next closest campsite to Yosemite Valley (other than reserve sites). It took us ~50 minutes to drive to the valley from here.
It’s a steal at just $ 14 a night! I couldn’t believe a site in Yosemite National Park was going for so cheap. However, we came up on a Wednesday morning… on the weekend the campground was entirely full (last weekend in June).
I’ve done my fair share of camping, and this campground is relatively luxurious. They have running water, so you have flush toilets and even a sink with a mirror. The bear boxes for your food are enormous… we had six people sharing one box and we managed to fit 3 coolers and lots of other crap. The campsites are large and spacious; we had six people, four tents, and four cars… no problem! There is a «lodge» on the premises that sells snacks and meals, and a few amenities like ice and firewood. The sites themselves are scenic, and there are a few hiking trails that go directly out of the campground (try the Lukens Lake trail!). The location of the campground centralizes you between Yosemite Valley and the scenic drive up Tioga Pass to visit Olmstead Point and Tuolumne Meadows.
I highly recommend this campground if you are unable to obtain reservations closer to or in the valley (i.e. if you don’t plan your vacations 1 year in advance). Everything was well-​maintained, and even though there were bears present it was never an issue (as long as you make proper use of the bear boxes!). It got down into the 30’s at night, but it was nothing my down bag couldn’t handle.

Seeking a more quiet and scenic spot to stay inside the park, my boyfriend and I settled on White Wolf Lodge for 3 nights in late June. I really like that the lodge is situated away from the main highway and that makes it a pretty quiet spot. We also wanted to do most of our hikes in the high sierra area of the park. The tent cabin we rented was pretty spacious with a wood stove, a table with 4 folding chairs, one double bed and 2 singles. Something I found odd is that both times I spoke to someone at the lodge prior to arrival they told me that ALL of the tent cabins have 4 single beds, yet ours had a double which is what I had asked for all along. Go figure. The wood stove really heats up the whole tent IF you can keep it going. We had some trouble with some of the wood not being seasoned and it was tough getting the fire started and keeping it going at times. They do provide wood and good kindling every day as well as fresh towels and washcloths, which they bring to your cabin while you’re out hiking in the middle of the day. It gets really cold at night (mid 30s to 40s) but they provide wool blankets which keep you warm in bed.
The common bathroom was always clean and I never had to wait for a shower or sink, but the lodge was not full at this time of the year. The shower has just one push button and starts out warm but gets really hot the longer you keep it on, which could be a problem for people sensitive to hot water. There are a couple of electric outlets by the sinks which are convenient for a hair drier or charging your camera battery while you wash up. I used the hand driers to dry my hair, they worked great :-)
We did not eat at the lodge as the prices were pretty high, breakfast buffet was about $ 13 per person and dinner was a fixed $ 25 per person. We bought coffee in the morning for $ 2.50/cup and you can get refills. The coffee is really tasty and nice and strong just the way I like it. They do not allow you to bring your own stove or to build a campfire but we did manage to heat up tortillas for our wraps on the wood stove and also to heat up water for an instant soup (the water never boiled though). There was a family who stayed near us who did have a 2 burner propane stove which they set up on top of the bear locker, so I suppose you could try and hope none of the other guests report you to the management.
A good place to stop and grab some food at a decent price is on Tioga road about 1 ½ miles before you reach Tuolumne Lodge, there’s a store which offers quite a few choices of food you can heat up in water and instant soups, as well as smoked salmon, hot dogs, chips, etc… There’s also a small restaurant (I think it’s called Tuolumne Grill), but it was already closed when we got there. Both the grill and store are supposed to close at 5pm but the store was still open past 5. Oh, and there’s a post office and mailbox there too.
Overall, it was a good experience staying here. The staff we interacted with were friendly and helpful. I would’ve enjoyed my stay more if we were allowed to build a campfire and to cook our own food and if we had really good wood for the stove. By the way, they told us when we arrived that there is one campfire ring that guests are allowed to use but we never looked for it, I suppose you could use that to make smores and roast hot dogs.
Tips: If you want some hot food, bring a pot to put on top of the wood stove for instant soups or meals you can heat up in water as well as aluminum foil to heat up other stuff. Bring thermal pj’s and a beanie to keep warm at night. The bear lockers are really large, you can fit two large coolers and several bags with your other food and toiletries. We brought a combination lock to keep it secure because I read on trip advisor that some people had problems with food being stolen. I brought the heavy duty wax earplugs so that I could sleep soundly and not be woken up by early risers and their cars, and they worked like a dream.

3 stars. 5 stars for the location of the Lodge, and 1 star for nearly-​boiling unbearably hot water in «showers» (that are impossible to use) that can possibly damage person’s skin and cause skin irritation and burns. They made the water hot and non-​adjustable so that people will not take more than few seconds using precious water in showers. This is unacceptable and is a health hazard. The employees are a hit or miss – many need basic customer service training, Some were incredibly friendly and nice and some were extremely rude. So it’s 3 stars for customer service. 1 star for employees touching coffee steering sticks with their un-​gloved, dirty hands (!) when they give you coffee — disgusting and a health hazard. 1 star for not providing kindling for the stove and poor quality firewood that just won’t start or keep burning (I had to use my full supply of personal fire starter sticks – 6 of them, in one night, to start that fire). The Lodge is rustic and staying there is somewhat close to camping experience. I prefer to camp, though. A couple of extremely hostile rangers live close to the site and they do dislike minorities, so beware. Great location – a small fast creek, boulders and rocks, conifer trees and the mountain air, 2 lakes to hike to within a short distance and abundance of wildflowers and bears. The lodge has a lot of potential, just needs some basic improvements and employee training. The manager is a nice guy. The tent cabins and boulders in the middle of the Lodge make a pretty sight and the starry sky viewing is amazing there; there’re a couple of beautiful meadows right next to the lodge. The place is quite peaceful.

It’s a gorgeous place — rustic and beautiful because of its simplicity. Great location far above the congested valley floor, with hiking trails of varying levels of difficulty accessible from the parking lot. Worth noting that despite a well meaning and very friendly staff, things are not all that well organized. For example:
A party arrived just as we finished a long hike, claiming we were in their tent cabin. The manager was all set to evict us until we produced our reservation, which clearly indicated we had the cabin for the night. So it’s good to have back-​up paperwork just in case. No harm done — just some entertaining hand-​wringing. Plus, the interlopers had a giant RV to spend the night in…
AYCE (all you can eat) isn’t always accurate, especially if you have a late seating for dinner. We hiked almost 20 miles the day we were told they had run out of food, and that it wasn’t actually AYCE (as it had been the night before). The people we shared our table with had the same reaction.
When we asked for an extra glass of wine in recognition of the fact that somebody else (maybe the party of 12 who arrived when we did and whose reservation had gotten «lost») got part of our dinner, the manager appeared and said rather archly, «I don’t understand. We fed you… and…now you’re asking for free wine?» Irritated when we confirmed he understood correctly, he insisted on pouring (we offered to do it ourselves). He then pivoted in the direction of the kitchen, threw his head back and rolled his eyes… priceless.
I’m sure it’s a tough job. Everyone seems to want to trade something out of the pre-​packed lunches for something else, and we overheard a well heeled couple reporting the loss of their Ralph Lauren down pillow to one of the staff. He handled it like a pro, and we laughed about it all day.
Don’t get me wrong — I’d stay at White Wolf again in a second. Just go prepared, take plenty of Alleve (if you plan a long hike) and some wine you like, and maybe a stash of granola bars in case they run short of something.

There’s nothing like ex-​employees giving this place 5 stars, but hey! I LOVE good old White Wolf. I worked there for 3 summers and can safely say that I escaped the insanity of the valley, and the heat! It’s a great inbetween Toulumne and Valley experience. It’s cute and sweet and close to the some decent hiking.
And there are most likely still a ton of bears. I’m surprised my car never got ripped into.

I managed this camp in 2009 and wrote the sign Mike V discussed in his review.
This camp is a rustic lodge serving AYCE breakfast buffet and AYCE Family Style Dinner. Sandwiches are sold around lunch time and the tiny general store is available for drinks, snacks and camping needs throughout the day. Also available at the lodge are canvas tent cabins and motel-​esque bath cabins.
Please be aware that the store is closed for an hour each day as the small staff that lives on site needs a break for lunch.
Electricity is provided by generator from 6 am to 11pm. Each bath cabin has it’s own bathroom with tub/​shower combo and hot water. Bath cabins have electricity and gas heat.
Tent cabins have no electricity, use wood burning stoves for heat and guests must use the shower-​house for their bathroom/​shower needs.
There is no cell phone signal. There is no internet. Only heaven on earth.
Reservations fill early for the lodging and due to limited well size the showers are available only to registered guests. I love this place and although I don’t work there anymore I would highly recommend stopping by, grabbing a snack and chatting with the staff whom can guide you to excellent bouldering, fishing and hikes in the area.
Lots of bears. Every night.
Beautiful flowers, World class birding, scenic streams full of feisty brook trout and opportunities to boulder in a unique environment abound.
Check out the Flickr page below for pictures of the flora and fauna found within a short hike of White Wolf.

Who wouldn’t want to relax after a hike at a place where the sign reads:
«Kids, we have ice cream. Parents, Two Words: Cold Beer»
And the bears are cheap. like CHEAP (like, less than 7 – 11 singles prices).
There are many great back-​country hikes out of Tuolumne, I highly recommend them if you have the time.

White Wolf Campground is just pass the White Wolf Lodge off Tioga Road. There are about 70 sites, some very private sites. All non-​reserved and $ 14 a night. #23 is a great site and can fit 2 tents. They have flushable toilets and basin sinks for washing dishes too.
Words of caution. It gets SUPER cold at night (about 32 – 35 degrees) and bears do frequent the sites looking for food. We would know, «White 51» paid a visit to our site 2 times looking for food and snatched a bag out of our bear locker while we were all standing there.
There needs to be a few more water spickets around the sites (not just at the bathrooms) and if they have showers at the lodge next door they could put them in at the campground too.