I know this is in the wilderness but it should be clean. I cannot blame the workers but I think the stress on not using water makes it almost impossible to keep the camps clean. There have been problems with the spread of GI problems due to poor sanitation. Who knows why no one was warned about the hantavirus! I worry that the health of the visitors was not a high priority. The sites are beautiful but don't go unless you are willing to take risks with your health. I cannot imagine exposing my children to such risk. It is very sad. The camps could be a great experience and kept clean. The lack of cleanliness trumps everything. Our national parks should not offer people to stay in places which health departments would not approve if they were private hotels or motels.

We were a three-generation group of seven who thoroughly enjoyed our four nights (August, 2012) in Yosemite’s High Sierra camps. At Tuolumne Meadows, we were a group of ten (three of us chose to spend the next three nights at Yosemite Lodge), and had a good experience. There were lots of tasty selections for dinner and breakfast, the bathrooms were clean, the tent cabins were comfortable, and a Ranger led a lively campfire discussion.

The next three days at remote High Sierra camps featured breathtaking scenery with great photo opportunities. Glen Aulin (GA) had a view of a spectacular waterfall, May Lake (ML) featured the beautiful alpine lake, and Sunrise (SR) had a wonderful meadow. At all of these remote High Sierra camps, the tent cabins were comfortable and supplied with fire wood and wood burning stoves to make it easier to get started on the cold mornings. And we enjoyed the unique ways that we were called to meals (triangle at GA, conch shell at ML, and vuvuzela at SR).

The staffs at all of the camps were friendly and hard-working, but we most appreciated the dinner entertainment at ML (discussion of Yosemite’s history with a focus on education) and SD (dramatic performance of an appropriate Shel Silverstein poem). We were somewhat disappointed that two of the camps (GA and SR) ran out of hot chocolate, particularly since we had four kids between the ages of 8 and 15. But our group included one person with a vegetarian diet and one with a non-dairy diet, who were very well taken care, both in quality and quantity of food. On the day that omelets with cheese were served at ML, the person with the non-dairy request was served what appeared to be a six-egg omelet, and I enjoyed it very much!

Aside from the missing hot chocolate, there were two issues: no showers and Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). There are never showers at GA because of environmental concerns, but shower facilities may normally be used at ML and SR subject to water availability. This year, they were not available. We think that the staff did its best to make guests aware of possible exposure to HPS. When we were at Yosemite, it was communicated that it had been contracted by a few people staying in Curry Village. About three weeks after our trip, we received an email from DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, the park's concessioner who operates the High Sierra Camps letting us know that another person had contracted HPS, apparently at a High Sierra Camp. We were given more information about the seriousness of the disease and some resources, which is about all that could be done.

We have been to the Yosemite High Sierra Camps twice. It is a wonderful experience to be so close to nature and for anyone who wants anywhere from a moderate to a tough hike through the wilderness.

Staff of High Sierra camps are very hospitable and very able to help out guests. The FOOD is gourmet...which is excellent after a gruelling day hike from camp to camp. The accomodations are ample -- this is by no means your national chain hotel. This is roughing it out in the woods but at say, 10,120 above sea level, you will be impressed that the beds are comfortable, wool blankets are provided, a table, a chair, matches and some wood fire log. Community toilet/shower facilities are provided.

This is definitely an experience one should have at least once during their lifetime.

I called in March 2012 to see if they had any openings to ride mules and go to all of the High Sierra camps and they did. My husband, 11 yr old son, and myself went along with 7 other riders and 3 wranglers. Our trip was in July 2012. They did a good job and picking out a mule for my son and another 15 yr old on the trip, nothing fazed those mules; however mine got a little spooked occasionally over things like logs, birds, snakes and ?. He would jumped starled or one time he spined sideways and ran over to the side luckily he stopped and I did not fall off. You have to wear helments but after seeing all of the rocks on the trail, and a mule who spooked; I was very glad to have mine. All of the camps had pretty good meals and hot drinks before the meals, I wished they would put a lantern in the mess camp so you could play cards or games at night but they didn't so unless you built a campfire (which we had 2) there wasn't much to do but go to bed, which some nights that is all I wanted to do. You do need your fleece jackets, we used ours every morning and evening, but our t shirts were fine by mid morning. My son swamed in every camp that had a creek or lake nearby, and the cold did not seem to bother him. The trails were dusty so you needed your bandana. We had some really nice wranglers who I enjoyed talking to. Overall we had a good time, if you like riding, moutains, and national parks, you should do this trip.