In this post, I’m sharing my tips for camping with a baby in Yosemite.
We took Charlotte camping when she was just over 7 months old. The days were fun, but the nights were definitely a challenge. In this post, I’ll share a little about our experience and what I learned for next time. I’m also going to share a checklist of things to bring for camping with a baby.
If you’re looking for more posts about Yosemite, check out my full Yosemite Travel Guide and my tips for hiking Half Dome here.
Table of Contents
ToggleUltimately, I am really glad we took Charlotte camping in Yosemite National Park. It was so fun to show Charlotte the magic of Yosemite. But the nights were kind of a disaster. I did come away with a few good tips and advice.
Our first experience camping with a baby was kind of rough.
I was a little nervous about sleeping in a tent with Charlotte, as we haven’t slept in the same room as her since she was 8 weeks old. We brought along our pack-and-play for Charlotte to sleep in and set it up between our two cots. The first night she went down for bed totally fine around 7:45pm. Tyler and I went to bed a couple hours later.
I had just drifted off to sleep after finally shaking off the shocking ending to my book when I heard Charlotte start to wake up. Within 2 minutes she was sitting up and holding onto the sides of the pack and play, LAUGHING AND SQUEALING WITH DELIGHT. She could not believe that she was sleeping with us. Tyler and I just stared at each other over the gap between our cots and tried not to laugh. She was being so cute.
The problem was our tent was set up close to the bathroom, so the outside light made the tent way too bright. Normally she sleeps in pitch black in her nursery. Also, it was SO cold. I took the opportunity to bundle her up even more.
I tried to pat her back to sleep, nursing her back to sleep, even made Tyler fetch the Ergo carrier from the car to try to rock her to sleep like I do during her nap times sometimes when we are out and about. Nothing. She was babbling, smiling, so thrilled to be in our presence at such an hour.
I briefly considered just letting her cry it out, since she is sleep trained. But I couldn’t bring myself to let her cry in a campground. And it would have been excruciating/inhumane to make her cry right in front of us.
The midnight party went on for TWO HOURS. Finally I think she burned out enough that she fell asleep once I tried nursing her for the third time. She woke up again at 5am, and I pulled her into my cot with me because her little nose and ears were as cold as ice.
So then of course I didn’t sleep at all after that because I was so worried she was going to roll off.
The second night was equally as difficult.
All four of my nieces and nephews were there that night and were roasting s’mores right outside our tent. Needless to say, she was NOT going to miss out on that. She woke up 20 minutes after I put her down for the night and was wide awake until 10pm. I’m sure you can imagine my panic with her being wide awake well past her bedtime, but my mom told me to chill and just wait until the kids fell asleep to even try again.
She went down finally when all was silent in our campsite. She slept soundly in the pack n play until around 2am. I noticed she felt cold again, so I kept her with me in the cot until she woke up for the day around 7am.
Anyway, I know no one cares about this stuff except other moms of babies.
Go with family. My parents, despite also being in charge of my niece and nephew, were such a huge help. This post would have been far more dramatic (seemingly impossible but true) if we didn’t have the extra sets of hands. We even got to go on a sunset bike ride together the first night after we put her down. Still dreaming of those skies.
I highly recommend reserving a site as secluded and as far away from the bathrooms as possible so the light/noise from the bathroom doesn’t disturb your sleeping baby.
Baby friendly “hikes”: We did a few really nice walks that were perfect for having the stroller. There is a loop around the bottom of Lower Yosemite Falls. The trail is pretty flat, around a mile long, and brings you right to the base of the waterfall. This is a very easy hike to do with babies. We also walked from our campsite in Upper Pines to Mirror Lake one day. It was really hot out that day, so my nieces and nephews treated themselves to a dip in the water while got Charlotte out to stretch her legs and splash with her teeny tiny feet. And one morning, I walked through the valley floor from Yosemite Village back to the campground, but you could easily head towards Happy Isle instead. Don’t forget to bring plenty of water along for both yourself and your baby.
A few must-see spots when you’re driving in and around Yosemite: don’t miss the tunnel view on Route 41 which provides a stunning vantage point of El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Fall. You can also stop at Mariposa Grove which is near Wawona on the way in on Route 41. Glacier Point at sunrise is a bucket list experience.
Ideally, I suggest staying in the valley floor. Securing campground reservations can be difficult, but the traffic coming in and out of the valley each day can get really bad. It was really nice to be within walking/biking distance of everything we wanted to see the whole time we were there.
If you’re really smart, pony up and book a room at the nearest hotel. Kind of not kidding. If we go back to Yosemite in the next couple of years, you’ll find me cozied up at Curry Village.
It was a little crowded in the tent but nice to have for her to sleep in (when she did sleep), and we also used it a lot during the day. We’d put it on top of our Gathre mat outside in the shade and put some toys in it. She was happy as a clam.
It was way too hot in the campsite for her to be able to sleep in the tent, and we wheeled the stroller all around the valley floor while she snoozed. Something about the fresh air (and lack of night time sleep lol) allowed her to sleep SO soundly while we explored. We also used her stroller as a “high chair” to feed her during her meals. This worked perfectly.
So baby can sleep on one side and you can sleep on the other. It won’t block the noise (such as your husband cussing in his sleep), but it would at least provide some barrier. I found this one on Amazon that looks pretty solid.
I had Charlotte in a onesie, her footed pajamas, and two sleep sacks. She still felt cold, though, and I think that was part of her problem. I wish I had brought a little beanie for her. Also, I just found this adorable sleeping bag/sack that she obviously needs should there be a next time.
I think this is the part of the post where I ask if anyone else has advice for camping with a baby?
One thing I did learn is that we just need to keep trying. And while tent camping with kids might be on the back burner until they get a bit older, I am proud of us for giving it a shot.
We have been saying for years that we want to travel with our kids. We want to cultivate a sense of curiosity, adventure, and imagination within our little family, and we believe the way to do that is to get our kids outside and in the fresh air.
I hope this post about camping with a baby in Yosemite was helpful!
More Yosemite posts:
Check out more guides and family travel tips here.
It’s a pre-weekend pick me up: just a little note with links to the latest blog posts, what I’m reading lately, and products I’m obsessed with. Think of it as a friend dropping off a surprise latte in the morning--you know?