Dirt Flat

Overview

Dirt Flat campground is situated on the north side of the Merced River. This small camp features walk-in tent sites on the river. The remote locates of the site makes for a quiet and peaceful camping experience.

Recreation

During the spring and early summer, the Merced River is a popular location for white water rafting and kayaking. Several private companies offer guided rafting trips.

Facilities

The campsites at Dirt Flat meet accessibility standards and offer picnic tables, grills and fire rings. Vault toilets are available.

Natural Features

The Sierra National Forest, located on the western slope of the central Sierra Nevada, is known for its spectacular mountain scenery and abundant natural resources.

The terrain includes rolling, oak-covered foothills, heavily forested middle elevation slopes and the starkly beautiful alpine landscape of the High Sierra.

Nearby Attractions

This campground is close to the west entrance to Yosemite National Park. Yosemite offers a variety of activities that include scenic driving, picnicking, hiking and fishing.

Charges & Cancellations

Once your reservation start date has begun, neither the Recreation.gov Contact Center nor the campground manager will be able to modify your reservation.

Camp site features

Across 7 camp sites:

  • Pets allowed: 2 of 7 sites
  • Largest party: 6 people

Directions

From Highway 140, turn on to Foresta Road. Landmarks include Red Bud Picnic Area and a National Park Service warehouse. After bridge, turn left onto the spur road. Immediately turn left onto Incline Road. Continue 1.5 miles to the facility.

Stay Limit

Check in from 2 PM, check out by 12 PM.

Reviews

45 reviews
5 stars
17
4 stars
8
3 stars
4
2 stars
9
1 stars
7
Ying C
Loop:Area Dirt Flat
Site:
Reviewed 4 years ago
On a busy weekend when all campgrounds in Yosemite Valley, this may be a good option. It's about 30 min to the Valley. For some reason the online reservation system always shows weekend dates as not available when they in fact are. We reserved Wed.-Thu. and found from the camp host that the weekend was in fact wide open, but we still could not reserve it online and had to reserve it through the camp host.
Emily M
Loop:Area Dirt Flat
Site:
Reviewed 4 years ago
Very difficult to find as the directions were unclear and very little to no cell phone service. Once there, the campsite was terrifying. It appeared abandoned and smelled of death. We ended up having to leave to get a hotel and couldn’t have another day in Yosemite like we were planning. Also, no way to drive up to campsites and only parking for maybe 5 vehicles. Would not recommend at all.
Jerome S
Loop:Area Dirt Flat
Site:
Reviewed 4 years ago
Clean campground, nobody there but us. No water but that’s mentioned on the reservation. It’s a short walk to the car. Only a few minutes from Yosemite valley. Road noise is an issue here but the Merced river drowns most of it out.
Clay M
Loop:Area Dirt Flat
Site:
Reviewed 4 years ago
There is no running water. The bear boxes are also a bit small and didn't fit my cooler. Other than that, it's nice to be near the river.
John C
Loop:Area Dirt Flat
Site:
Reviewed 4 years ago
Site 1 was very nice and you could walk down to the Merced. However, no water and the bear box was broken and couldn't be locked. Used the one at Site 2. Bathrooms were clean. Hostess was nice.
Sharon P
Loop:Area Dirt Flat
Site:
Reviewed 4 years ago
This campground was a little tricky to find - make sure you locate on a map before heading in as you won't have cell service. The reservation system indicates that there are 20 sites - there are 6. Our reservation was not posted when we arrived - even though it was evening. The sites are very primitive. Fire pits were full of ash, no tent pads, picnic tables falling apart. Maybe we got there before they were really ready for visitors. It is, however, a good location outside the park. If you have the option, there is another site . 2 miles down the road - dry gulch campground - where the sites were nicer.
Availability

See the Camp Sites section below to find detailed booking availability.

Camp Sites

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