Fish Camp (formerly Happy Camp and Berry's Fish Camp) is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in Mariposa County,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States. It is located east of Mariposa, at an elevation of . The population was 49 at the 2020 census. The ZIP Code is 93623, and the community is inside

area code 559 Area codes 559 and 357 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan for the central San Joaquin Valley in central California. The numbering plan area includes the counties of Fresno, Madera, Kings, and Tulare, an area largely c ...

. Known for its logging history and as a gateway to

Yosemite Yosemite National Park ( ) is a national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service ...

, it's evolved into a hub of hospitality since the 19th century. Key attractions include the historic Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad and the modern Tenaya Lodge, showcasing its transition from a logging town to a tourist destination. The Fish Camp post office opened in 1924, closed in 1933, and re-opened in 1939. The name comes from a fish hatchery at the place. Driveway to Tenaya Lodge

Geography

Fish Camp is on

California State Route 41 State Route 41 (SR 41) is a state highway in the U.S. State of California, connecting the Central Coast (California), Central Coast with the San Joaquin Valley and the Sierra Nevada. Its southern terminus is at the Cabrillo Highway (California ...

, just south of the entrance to

Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The p ...

, and north of Oakhurst. It is the site of the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad, a heritage tourist line, and Tenaya Lodge, a resort owned by

Delaware North Delaware North is an American multinational food service and hospitality company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. The company also operates in the lodging, sporting, airport, gambling, and entertainment industries. The company employs over 5 ...

. Approximately one mile north of the community is the Summerdale campground, the original location of Fish Camp. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP covers an area of , of which , or 0.50%, are water. The community is in the valley of Big Creek, which flows north into Yosemite National Park, where it joins the South Fork of the

Merced River The Merced River (), in the central part of the U.S. state of California, is a -long tributary of the San Joaquin River flowing from the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada into the San Joaquin Valley. It is most well known for its swift and st ...

near Wawona.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above . According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Fish Camp has a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps. Fish Camp, located around a mile above sea level, is renowned for its seasonal snowfall, frequently indicating the region's snow line. Nearby, the Goat Meadow Snowplay Area in the

Sierra National Forest Sierra National Forest is a U.S. national forest located on the western slope of the central Sierra Nevada in California, bounded on the northwest by Yosemite National Park and on the south by Kings Canyon National Park. The forest is known for ...

, just north of Fish Camp, attracts visitors for sledding and cross-country skiing.

Ecology

Fish Camp is home to several protected species designated by their Federal Special Status (FSS). These include avian species such as the California Spotted Owl (''Strix occidentalis occidentalis''), the

Great Gray Owl The great grey owl (''Strix nebulosa'') (also great gray owl in American English) is a true owl, and is the world's largest species of owl by length. It is distributed across the Northern Hemisphere, and it is the only species in the genus '' St ...

(''Strix nebulosa''), and the

Northern Goshawk The northern goshawk has been split into two species based on significant morphological and genetic differences: * Eurasian goshawk The Eurasian goshawk (; ''Astur gentilis'', formerly ''Accipiter gentilis'') is a species of medium-large bird of ...

(''Accipiter gentilis''). The area also supports nocturnal mammals like the

Pallid Bat The pallid bat (''Antrozous pallidus'') is a species of bat that ranges from western Canada to central Mexico. It is the sole species of its genus and is closely related to Van Gelder's bat (''Bauerus dubiaquercus''), which is sometimes includ ...

(''Antrozous pallidus''), Townsend’s Big-Eared Bat (''Corynorhinus townsendii''), and the

Western Red Bat The western red bat or desert red bat (''Lasiurus frantzii'') is a species of microbat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is found in western North America and Central America. Taxonomy Previously, it was believed to be a subspecies of the ...

(''Lasiurus blossevillii''). Additionally, terrestrial mammals such as the

Sierra Nevada Red Fox The Sierra Nevada red fox (''Vulpes vulpes necator''), also known as the High Sierra fox, is a subspecies of red fox found in the Oregon Cascades and the Sierra Nevada. It is likely one of the most endangered mammals in North America. The High S ...

(''Vulpes vulpes necator''),

American Marten The American marten (''Martes americana''), also known as the American pine marten, is a species of North American mammal, a member of the Family (biology), family Mustelidae. The species is sometimes referred to as simply the pine marten. The n ...

(''Martes americana''), and the Pacific Fisher (''Martes pennanti pacifica'') are present.

History

In the latter half of the 19th century, Fish Camp, located near Yosemite Valley, developed significantly due to various economic activities. The town's growth was driven by the logging industry and later, tourists bound for Yosemite.

Stagecoach Era

Fish Camp's history begins with the opening of the Wawona

stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

road to

Yosemite Valley Yosemite Valley ( ; ''Yosemite'', Miwok for "killer") is a U-shaped valley, glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California, United States. The valley is about long a ...

in 1875. It became a vital traveler's stop, and a target for stage robbers.

Logging

The first permanent settlements in Fish Camp were in support of the logging industry. The Madera Sugar Pine Logging Company heavily exploited the surrounding forests to meet the growing construction demands for lumber in late 19th century California. The logging activities not only transformed the local landscape but also created pastures that were later used by sheepherders. During this period, Fish Camp was also known as “Happy Camp,” a nickname derived from a red-light district located to the south of the current town center, catering to loggers and mill workers from the

Sugar Pine ''Pinus lambertiana'' (commonly known as the sugar pine or sugar cone pine) is the tallest and most massive pine tree and has the longest Conifer cone, cones of any conifer. It is native to coastal and inland mountain areas along the Pacific coa ...

mill. Bootleggers ran booze out of Fish Camp during the prohibition years to meet demand from the loggers and mill workers.

Lodging and hospitality

Fish Camp has served as a mountain stopover for travelers heading to Yosemite for more than a century. In 1883, Albert Phillip, a prominent local entrepreneur, established a two-story hotel featuring 12 bedrooms, along with a kitchen, dining room, and parlor. In addition to his hotel, Phillip ran a freight service connecting Raymond and Yosemite Valley and transported ore from the nearby Star Mine at Mt. Raymond to North Fork using teams of ten animals. By 1925, Charles Beery had taken over the property in Fish Camp, developing it into a resort. However, Beery's Paradise Lodge was plagued by several fires, the last of which occurred in 1942. Following this, the property was sold to the H.J. Baker Real Estate Company in 1943. The new owners constructed The Silver Tip Lodge, which remained in operation for 35 years until it was destroyed by arson in 1981. The lodge was famous for its community events, including an annual

turkey shoot A turkey shoot is a Shooting sports, sport shooting event featuring marksmanship competitions, with Turkey (bird), turkeys as prizes. Originally, the turkeys were themselves restrained and put in place to serve as the targets, while modern versio ...

and barbecues featuring locally sourced bear. In 1990, the

Marriott Corporation The Marriott Corporation was a Hospitality industry, hospitality company that operated from 1927 until 1993. It was founded by J. Willard Marriott and Frank J. Kimball as Hot Shoppes, Inc. In 1957, it opened its first hotel in Arlington Count ...

opened the Tenaya Lodge, a 242-room luxury resort, enhancing the region's hospitality offerings. Currently, it is operated by

, a company specializing in park services.

Demographics

The 2020 United States census reported that Fish Camp had a population of 49. The population density was . The population was 44 (90%)

Non-Hispanic White Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...

and 5 (10%)

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

. The median age was 55.6years. There were 29 households, of which 10 were

families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...

and 13 were one person living alone. There were 154 housing units at an average density of , of which 29 (19%) were occupied. Of these, 9 (31%) were owner-occupied, and 20 (69%) were occupied by renters.

Attractions

Yosemite Sugar Pine Railroad

The Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad is a historic narrow gauge railroad near Fish Camp. Operating since 1967, it features steam locomotives and operates as a tourist attraction along the former route of the Madera Sugar Pine Lumber Company.

External links

Yosemite Trails Horseback AdventuresTenaya Lodge

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in California Census-designated places in Mariposa County, California Populated places in the Sierra Nevada (United States)