Yosemite National Park is the single most popular destination for GoSilver Airstream renters, and it is an easy tow from our Lathrop shop: about 117 miles east on CA-120, roughly two and a half hours to the Big Oak Flat entrance and right around three hours into Yosemite Valley. You are on Highway 120 from the moment you leave Lathrop, one road nearly the whole way. The National Park Service counted 4.1 million visits in 2024, so the difference between a great Yosemite trip and a stressful one comes down to two things: taking the right road with the trailer, and reserving your campsite early. Here is what we tell every renter.
The drive from Lathrop, and the one road to avoid
Follow CA-120 East through Manteca, Oakdale, and Chinese Camp toward Groveland. As you approach Groveland, your maps app will try to send you onto Old Priest Grade. This is important: if you are towing, do not take Old Priest Grade. It is a steep shortcut meant for cars only. Stay on CA-120. We have had a couple of customers take Old Priest Grade anyway, and even though they made it, it was a white-knuckle experience we would not recommend to anyone. Highway 120 is not exactly a walk in the park either, but if logging trucks can make their way up and down this road, so can Airstream towers.
Along Highway 120 from Groveland to the park, there are a handful of RV parks and campgrounds you can stay at. To make it easy, we have checked them all out. Our top recommendations: Yosemite Lakes RV Resort if you want hook-ups, and Dimond-O Campground if you can do without.
RV parks with full hook-ups
Yosemite Lakes RV Resort: We recommend this park for beginner Airstreamers or anyone who wants the glamping rather than camping experience, meaning no roughing it required. It is part of the Thousand Trails collective (membership), but they keep quite a few spots for non-members too. The spots are close together, but they come with full hook-ups and the resort is well maintained. The biggest bonus: it is the closest full hook-up RV park to Yosemite, only 9 minutes from the park entrance. It is popular with families and can be crowded in peak season.
Yosemite Ridge Resort: Another great full hook-up option, quite a bit smaller with only 15 spaces, which means no big crowds. It has a pool, its own gas station, a general store, and a restaurant. In exchange, you are further from the entrance (about 17 minutes), and there are no fire pits.
Yosemite Pines: Closest to Groveland and its restaurants, bars, and grocery markets, but the furthest from the park entrance (about 28 minutes). Around 200 sites with both full and partial hook-ups, plus a general store, pool, petting zoo, and family activities. Each site has a fire pit. We stayed here on one of our own trips and were not fans of how close the sites are, and there are quite a few long-term residents.
Campgrounds with no hook-ups
Dimond-O Campground: For the more adventurous, or anyone experienced with towing and backing up, we highly recommend this campground just 15 minutes from the park entrance. Only 38 sites, so reserve the moment you know your dates. One customer told us she booked the day her window opened, six months in advance, and that is normal for peak season (April through September). Most sites are back-in, so backing experience helps, though we will send you off with walkie-talkies if you and your travel partner are up for the challenge. There are no hook-ups here. Read what dry-camping in an Airstream actually means here, and we recommend renting a generator. In exchange you get a secluded, private campground surrounded by trees, quite possibly the most serene campsite on Highway 120.
Sweet Water Campground: A good option if you are willing to rough it but not yet confident backing up the trailer. It is 13 minutes from the entrance with 14 sites, some pull-through. Space is limited, so reserve far in advance, and bring a generator. The sites sit in a large cleared area, so less privacy, but some have clear, beautiful views of the surrounding forest.
The Pines Campground: The smallest and furthest from the entrance (21 minutes), set in the Stanislaus National Forest with its own hiking trails. Only 12 sites plus a group option that works well for large parties. Open year-round; reservations highly recommended. We do not recommend Lost Claim Campground due to the narrow, bumpy roads inside the campground.
Camping inside the park
Camping inside Yosemite National Park is also a great option. The NPS details for RV camping are here. RV sites (listed as RV non-electric and Standard non-electric) book up fast, so make reservations the moment they open, five months in advance. Reservation information is here.
Ready to go?
Browse our Airstream fleet and check dates here. Every rental comes stocked and trip-ready, and if you would rather skip the towing altogether, ask us about delivery and setup. Here is exactly how the rental process works.
