Yosemite National Park

Upper Pines Campground improvements

Yosemite National Park is one of the most renowned and highly visited parks in the National Park System; Yosemite Valley is the primary visitor destination in the Park. In an effort to accommodate increasing visitation while protecting the Park’s resources, the National Park Service (NPS) completed the Yosemite Valley Plan (YVP). The YVP set forth detailed conceptual plans for planned improvements and outlines the goals for campground expansion, improvements and relocations within the Valley. A tiered plan from the YVP - Curry Village and East Yosemite Valley Campground Improvements Project Environmental Assessment was then completed. This plan and EA provided programming and conceptual alternatives for several existing and new valley campgrounds including Upper and Lower Pines Upon selection of the preferred alternatives and approval of the EA, a NPS Pacific West Region IDIQ task order was contracted to complete Title I & II services (design development and construction documents) for Phase One expansion/improvements to the Upper Pines Campground.

The project included two major areas of the Upper Pines Campground: development of a new campground loop for recreational vehicles (RV) and a new walk-in campground. The RV Campground Loop includes 32 camping spurs with full hookups, new restrooms, and site restoration. The Walk-In Campground, on a previously undeveloped site adjacent to the existing Upper Pines Campground, includes 59 walk-in tent camping sites, new restrooms, extended roads and parking area and an access bridge. The project also includes renovations of existing campground roads, utility infrastructure upgrades, site furnishings, and signage, campground entrance station and landscape restoration.

The project included several in-park design charettes, public workshops, and detailed on-site analysis, several on-site design reviews and conformance to many environmental and resource protection mandates.

FiLL p.l.l.c. principal Phil Hendricks Jr. ASLA served as the project manager, lead landscape architect and site planner while EDAW for both the Curry Village and East Valley Plan and the Lower and Upper Pines Campground improvements.