RV travel guide
Mariposa County
County seat Mariposa, 1,451 sq mi across California. Everything an RV traveler should read before rolling in — where you can boondock, the roads worth the detour, and the local rule that actually matters.
The county in brief
A traveler's read on Mariposa County
CA-140 along the Merced River canyon is the only Yosemite approach open year-round to rigs over 25 ft — the Tioga Pass closes by November, Big Oak Flat carries a 7.5%-grade switchback warning, and the South Entrance via Wawona crosses a 5,200-ft pass with a 25-ft cap on the Mariposa Grove shuttle road. Mariposa County is small (1,451 sq mi, smallest of the Sierra rim counties) but holds the western 60% of Yosemite National Park inside its boundaries.
The county seat town of Mariposa (population 1,526) holds the courthouse continuously operating since 1854, the oldest functioning courthouse west of the Mississippi. El Portal Administrative Site is the year-round NPS housing town; private RV-friendly campgrounds concentrate at Indian Flat and Yosemite Pines on CA-140.
RV travel intelligence
Read the land before you roll in
The three things that shape an RV trip here — where you can boondock, the roads worth the detour, and the local rule that trips travelers up.
Dispersed camping
low
Low — mostly private or developed-only
Nearby National Park Service units
Yosemite (western Arch Rock + South Wawona entrances)
Scenic drives & state byways
CA-140 El Portal corridor · CA-49 Gold Country
Ordinance note for RV travelers
Sierra NF dispersed permitted under fire-restriction calendar; county prohibits overnight stays on shoulders of CA-140 within El Portal Administrative Site.
Sourced & cited
Every fact traces to an official source
Population and land area from the US Census; ordinances and park adjacency from county.gov, the National Park Service, and the US Forest Service.
More for Mariposa County travelers
Go deeper around Mariposa County
9 cross-linked peers across PickRV's places catalog — siblings, parks, public land, cities, and the parent state hub.
In the same state
Other California counties in our catalog
National Park Service
NPS units near Mariposa County
Arrival logistics
City guides near Mariposa County
Parent state hub
California on PickRV
Sourced from the PickRV places catalog · live availability disclosed on every landing.
Nearby & related
Keep planning California
Sourced costs, campground directories, and the places worth a detour — the next layer of California trip planning.
- California RV rental costFuel · camping · tax, sourced
- California RV-friendly campgroundsHookups, rig limits, booking tips
- RV rental companies in CaliforniaLocal hosts & outfitters, verified
- Campervan & van rentals in CaliforniaVan-life routes, rules & rigs
- California Pacific Coast Highway 1 RVPickRV Wiki · 12 min read
- RV rentals in CaliforniaPickRV Wiki · 6 min read
- Scenic landmarksBucket-list overlooks
- Wildlife refugesWildlife-watching stops
California rules · last verified 2026-05-10
- Rental tax
- 9.75%
- Min driver age
- 21+ std · 25+ Class A
- Gravel roads
- Permit required
- Generator quiet
- 22:00-06:00
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