Scalping Campsites

For those of you who haven't tried to reserve a campsite in Yosemite these days, it's a pretty stressful process. The campsites seem to sell out within minutes of being put on sale...and you have to plan months in advance if you hope to get one for any date during the summer.

Of course, as any good marketing expert will tell you, when there is scarcity, there is also a black market. So now there are a few people who are snapping up the Yosemite campsites and "flipping" them as if they were cult wines or real estate.

Only one problem: The NPS says that you will need a photo ID to check into your campsite, and if your name doesn't match the name they have on their reservation order, you are going to be out of luck.

Which means that there are going to be some unhappy campers in Yosemite this summer. sigh.

On the other hand, if you have a backpacking permit, you can camp in one of the backpacking campgrounds in the park for free for one night before and one night after your backpacking trip. And between those nights, you can camp in the wilderness and see the best part of the park.

What's not to like?