Visiting Yosemite National and camping in october

You can’t just show up at Yosemite and take over a camp site. You must reserve it. Simple as that.

Yes it’s open 365 and it’s extremely popular. When friends and I go we stay at the Lodge. Reservations are made months in advance for our rooms.

Oh and one last thing the friend who makes the reservation always calls to secure it. Never reserves online.

Thank you for your reply, it's very useful.

Can we like , camp outside the park and visit the park daily ?

Kind regards

"Can anybody tell us how we can manage please ? "
Keep trying. Some campground reservations only become available 2 weeks in advance per the park website, and cancellations are not uncommon, so your persistence will likely be rewarded.
Dealing with some of the NPS websites can be pretty frustrating, especially for high demand places like Yosemite.
There's always the option of calling the park directly to speak to a live human being. Most of the park rangers we've ever dealt with were quite helpful in helping to sort things out. They'll be able to provide the most up to date information regarding the likelihood of getting into a park campground or, failing that, they'll be able to suggest alternatives outside the park.

"Can we like , camp outside the park and visit the park daily ?"
Of course you can, though it can be a long drive into the valley from anywhere outside the park.

Campsites at Yosemite can be booked almost a year in advance. It’s one of the most popular National Parks in the country. But camping outside of the park and coming in during the day is doable. It is well worth doing, it is beautiful. Good luck.

There are National Forest campgrounds outside the park on the roads leading to the entrances, but it is hard to sort through the listings on recreation.gov and figure out where they are located. I think your best source for help is the Yosemite forum on TripAdvisor; people there are very knowledgeable and helpful. Calling the Yosemite rangers is pretty much a waste of time, unfortunately; it can take a long time to sort through the phone menu options to talk to a real person and you may never reach one. And all they can do is tell you what you already know—-the campgrounds are booked up months ahead, and if you keep trying you might find a cancellation but it takes persistence and a lot of luck.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g61000-i315-Yosemite_National_Park_California.html

If you do find a good campsite outside the park, you only need a reservation to enter the park in October on weekends and holidays. So avoid those days when you look for campsites.

Or consider booking a tent cabin at Curry Village inside the park. It will cost more than a campsite outside the park, but you will be sleeping inside the park, right in Yosemite Valley. I checked and saw these tent cabins available most days in October. It can get quite cold at night in the unheated tent cabins, so you will need warm sleeping bags, but you would need those for the RV as well. Book the accommodations inside the park on the official website only:

https://www.travelyosemite.com/

But camping outside of the park and coming in during the day is
doable.

Just to add, if staying outside the park you will need advance reservations to drive into Yosemite from 5 am to 4 pm if visiting on a Saturday, Sunday and/or Oct. 14 Monday. This would be in addition to your park pass (one pass will cover both of you).
https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/reservations.htm
https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/fees.htm#reservations-timed-entry

My comments are related to hotels in the park, but maybe the info will be helpful for securing a camping spot. I would keep trying to book the nights you want. Check per individual night instead of for your entire stay. If one night becomes available, grab it and then keep trying to fill in your dates. I just booked rooms for family at the Ahwahnee and the Yosemite Valley Lodge that way, I started stalking the website about 3 weeks ago, and the reservations are for early July. It is easy to book online, and you can cancel for free online also, 7 days prior, for hotel reservations. Availability is almost real time online, with the exception of the early morning hours when they are updating the site. Since bookings are made so far in advance, people's plans change, and there are cancellations. If you have a lodging reservation within the park, you don't need the day pass.

Parking is really difficult, making driving in on most days a hassle. Once we park, we usually just leave our car there, and use the shuttle, or hike around the valley.

I hope it works out for you. We travel a lot, but always keep going back to Yosemite. It really is special.

I’m not sure if anyone mentioned that your entrance fee is good for 7 days so you can go in and out of the park without additional charges.

Hello Greet, if you cannot get a camp site in the valley I would try to get the cheapest tent in Curry Village, that way you can drive into the valley with your RV and park in the parking lot. I know that sounds like defeating the purpose of traveling in an RV. However, I think without a reservation in the valley you must park your vehicle outside the park and bus in. The rules about driving into the valley changed a few years ago, and I'm not sure just how that works. I live in Sacramento and have been to Yosemite at least 25 times but not since the entry rules changed about 4 years ago. In October, and not on a weekend, should be a wonderful time to go, the daylight in the valley will be shorter, crowds less, but the waterfalls won't be as wonderful as May. So, it's a trade-off but one I have done several times. And FYI I would never stay outside the park, that would break my heart. It's a long ride in just from the gates, and if you want to get up early and see the wildlife like a coyote catching frogs for breakfast you won't be able to that. Keep trying, people change their plans and cancel their reservations and you may be able to book what you are looking for. J