Horse camping at Bridalveil Creek Horse Camp, Yosemite National Park
Horse camping facts for Bridalveil Creek Horse Camp in Yosemite National Park, from National Park Service: sites, rig length, trailer parking, horse trails nearby and the rules. Where an agency doesn't publish something, this page says so.
More horse camps, trailer parking, horse-legal trails and rules in Yosemite: Yosemite horseback riding.
What are the horse camping facts at Bridalveil Creek Horse Camp?
- Managed by
- National Park Service [1]
- Park or forest
- Yosemite National Park [1]
- Listed for horses as
- Campsites open to horses [1] (National Park Service)
- Horse sites
- 3 [2]
- Max rig length
- 25 ft [1]
- Not published
- Not published by the National Park Service: horses per site, corrals, hitching posts. Ridden here? Add it in Ride Bring a portable corral or a highline.
- Reservations
- During the campground's open season (approximately mid-July through early September) reservations are required. Reservations are required for all sites, including the horse sites (3) and group sites (2). [1] Full text from National Park Service Book
- Coordinates
- 37.66209, -119.61893 [1] · Directions [1]
Where do I park a horse trailer at Bridalveil Creek Horse Camp?
Max rig length at the camp: 25 ft [1]
Stock-trailer parking in Yosemite: Frontcountry stock sites at Wawona (2), Bridalveil Creek (3) and Tuolumne Meadows (4) campgrounds, with a limit of two vehicles and two stock trailers per parking area. Stock can be loaded and unloaded at any stock camp, designated stock area or concession stable. [3]
Nearest trailheads (trailer access unknown)
Glacier Point
Yosemite Falls
Curry Village (Orchard)
Bridalveil Creek Trailhead
Westfall Meadow Trailhead
McGurk Meadow Trailhead
Ostrander Lake Trailhead
Mono Meadow Trailhead
Which horse trails start near Bridalveil Creek Horse Camp?
Valley Loop Trail
Buena Vista Trail
South Fork Merced
Merced Pass Trail
Alder Creek Trail
Ostrander Lake Trail
John Muir Trail
El Capitan Trail
Four Mile Trail
John Muir Trail
Chilnualna Falls Trail
Chilnualna Falls Trail
Plus 25 more named horse-legal trails in the same data, not listed here.
Trails within about 9 miles where the managing agency (or OpenStreetMap) marks horses as allowed. Mileage is the mapped length of segments with that name, not a loop distance.
When is Bridalveil Creek Horse Camp open?
- Season: The Bridalveil Creek Campground is typically open from mid-July through early September (exact dates vary); reservations are required. [1]
- Seasonal Winter Closure: September 7, 2026 to July 3, 2027 [1]
As of October 25, 2026. Check with the agency before you haul: seasons move with snow and fire.
What are the horse rules at Bridalveil Creek Horse Camp?
- Pets: Permitted; must be on a leash at all times. Fires: Wood and charcoal fires are permitted. People per site: A maximum of six people and six head of stock are allowed per campsite. [1] Full text from National Park Service Full rules
- "Except where otherwise posted or listed below, all designated trails in the park are open to stock use." Valley-floor stock trails are signed as bridle paths. [3]
- Closed to stock: bicycle paths, tram roads, shuttle routes; Mist Trail (Happy Isles to Nevada Fall), Snow Creek Trail from Mirror Lake, Mirror Lake Road; Lower Chilnualna Falls; Mariposa Grove except Perimeter Trail; Gaylor Lakes; Muir Gorge segment. [3]
- "Maximum of 25 head of pack and saddle stock per party." Overnight on non-maintained routes: 12 stock and 8 people. [3]
- "Cross-country or off-trail travel with stock is prohibited." Stock parties travel single file when possible. [3]
- "Grazing is permitted except within four miles of trailheads and paved roads or immediately surrounding any of the High Sierra Camps." [3]
- "Stock must be picketed at least 100 feet from any stream, lake, or spring." No tying to trees beyond loading and unloading. [3]
- Wilderness stock users must carry a shovel and rake to naturalize camps and scatter manure. [3]
- Llamas are not allowed on the High Sierra Camp Loop, the Vernal/Nevada Falls corridor, or the river trail from Nevada Fall to Merced Lake. [3]
- Private stock may stay overnight only in campgrounds with designated stock sites; reservations required; no stock camp in Yosemite Valley. [3]
- At stock camps: "Feed must be provided. Grazing is prohibited. The use of weed-free stock feed is required." Use hitch lines or portable corrals; wrap trees under ropes. [3]
- Several wilderness stock camps are closed, including Benson Lake, Crescent Lake, Hook Lake, Isberg Lake, Miller Lake, Rodgers Lake, Turner Meadow and Virginia Canyon-Castle Camp. [3]
Is there water for horses at Bridalveil Creek Horse Camp?
- Water for horses: Not published by the National Park Service. Ridden here? Add it in Ride
- Water hookup at the site: Not published by the National Park Service. Ridden here? Add it in Ride
- Drinking water (people): Yes - seasonal [1]
Ridden here?
Ride is a free iPhone app for logging rides, built for trail rides out of cell range: GPS keeps recording with no signal and the ride syncs later. If an agency hasn't published something on this page and you know it, add it in Ride.
Free · iPhone · iOS 16.4+
What other horse campgrounds are near Bridalveil Creek Horse Camp?
Packing for it: the horse camping checklist.
Sources
- National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/camping.htm, fetched October 16, 2026
- National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bvcamp.htm, fetched October 16, 2026
- National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/stock.htm, read and verified by hand October 24, 2026
- National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/directions.htm, fetched October 16, 2026
- OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/6114415918, fetched October 25, 2026
- OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/89203374, fetched October 25, 2026
- OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/13121446434, fetched October 25, 2026
- OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/7939036309, fetched October 25, 2026
- OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/89182026, fetched October 25, 2026
- National Park Service: https://mapservices.nps.gov/arcgis/rest/services/NationalDatasets/NPS_Public_Trails/MapServer/0/query?where=OBJECTID%3D14868&outFields=*&f=html
- OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1497840991
- USDA Forest Service: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_TrailNFSPublish_01/MapServer/0/query?where=objectid%3D10558243&outFields=*&f=html
- OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/373491941
- OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/203834185
- OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1193603702
- OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1104716413
- OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/162322315
- National Park Service: https://mapservices.nps.gov/arcgis/rest/services/NationalDatasets/NPS_Public_Trails/MapServer/0/query?where=OBJECTID%3D15283&outFields=*&f=html
- National Park Service: https://mapservices.nps.gov/arcgis/rest/services/NationalDatasets/NPS_Public_Trails/MapServer/0/query?where=OBJECTID%3D16205&outFields=*&f=html
- OpenStreetMap contributors: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/163901701
- National Park Service: https://mapservices.nps.gov/arcgis/rest/services/NationalDatasets/NPS_Public_Trails/MapServer/0/query?where=OBJECTID%3D21503&outFields=*&f=html