Car Camping Under the Stars with the 2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness

The 2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness stands as a capable refuge for those seeking to car camp off the beaten path. Its interior design and robust roof rails transform it into a mobile basecamp, ready to deliver you to remote forests and mountain valleys.

With the rear seats folded flat, the cargo area opens to 69.1 cubic feet of usable space. That’s enough room for an under-6-foot adult to stretch fully while the rigid frame and reinforced structure keep you secure.

The roof rails, designed to support rooftop tents with an 800-pound static load capacity, add another dimension to adventure. While I utilized the spacious cargo bay on my trips, other Forester owners in the community have successfully mounted lightweight rooftop tents to access elevated views and extra sleeping capacity, perching themselves above the forest floor.

I had one week to test the Forester Wilderness. That week would take me from the high alpine country outside Yosemite to the dense coniferous forests of El Dorado National Forest. Two sleeping trips separated by a few days of driving and exploration. Two different ecosystems. One vehicle that proved capable of reaching many a secluded forested area, off beaten paths and in the midst of incredible scenery.

The drive from my home to the Yosemite area required navigating mountain highways that twist through the Sierra Nevada foothills. I took a lesser known route, through Hornitos Road and Highway 49.

Here is where the Forester’s drive mode system revealed its first advantage. The vehicle’s SI Drive system offers Intelligent and Sharp modes, beyond the default normal setting. In Intelligent mode, the transmission and throttle response prioritize smooth acceleration and fuel efficiency on standard highway stretches.

When the road turns serpentine, when elevation climbs steeply and guardrails appear at the edge of pavement, Sharp mode becomes essential, and I found switching back and forth between these two modes made my drive immensely easier.

Hitting Sharp mode tightens the throttle response and adjusts transmission mapping to hold gears longer. The effect is immediate and you can feel the power change. The Forester’s 2.5-liter flat-four engine, producing 180 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque at 3700 rpm, feels more engaged.

The continuously variable transmission no longer hunts for the right ratio; it commits to lower gears when climbing grade.

On the winding roads north of Oakhurst, where Highway 41 climbs toward the park, this mode made passing slower vehicles smooth and purposeful.

The Forester held its line through curves with competence, its steering light but effective, the chassis absorbing elevation changes without drama.

My first escape took me just outside Yosemite National Park during the heart of winter. The goal was simple: sleep close enough to catch the granite walls glowing in the first light without battling the crowds or a predawn drive. I wanted to witness El Capitan transform from shadow to fire.

The temperature plummeted to near freezing that night. My sleep system began with a yoga mats laid directly on the flattened seat backs, smoothing hard ridges and seams. On top of that foundation, I unrolled a thick summer sleeping bag, layered with my zero-degree sleeping bag and several other snow-ready down blankets to layer and adjust temperature with. The strategy worked. Inside the cabin, I was kept well insulated. I forgot pillows during both sleeping trips, but a rolled up jacket works in a pinch.

But the real magic was the panoramic moonroof. I slid the interior shade back completely, revealing unobstructed glass to the winter sky.

From the warmth of my sleeping bag, I watched stars drift over the silhouette of the Sierra Nevada. The cold air outside pressed against the glass, but heat radiated from my blankets, creating perfect conditions to view the night sky without exposure. It felt like resting inside a planetarium. The glass kept the freezing wind at bay while allowing the visual intensity of the night sky to fill my view.

When dawn broke, the transition was subtle at first. Then rapid. Gray light turned soft pink. The valley floor remained dark while the granite faces of El Capitan caught fire with orange light. I was already there to witness it, warm in the Forester’s cargo bay, watching the light sequence shift from shadow to illumination in real time.

A few days later, with Yosemite’s granite walls behind me, I drove east toward El Dorado National Forest. This drive required a different kind of road navigation. The highway from the valley floor climbed steadily, moving from oak-dotted grassland into transitional forests of ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir. The elevation gain was gradual but persistent, and the road remained paved but narrower.

This is where X-Mode enters the equation. The Forester Wilderness’ enhanced dual-function X-Mode system offers two distinct settings: Snow and Dirt, and Deep Snow and Mud. While not necessary for standard paved mountain roads, X-Mode becomes critical when reaching the logging roads and forest service tracks that lead to backcountry sleep spots.

My destination in El Dorado National Forest was Bassi Falls. The trailhead sits accessed by forest service roads that transition from maintained gravel to rougher, more technical terrain. These are precisely the roads where most standard SUVs begin to struggle.

Before leaving the highway, I diverted from the main route to test the Forester’s capabilities on a section of rough road. Engaging X-Mode’s Snow and Dirt setting adjusted the vehicle’s behavior across five key systems. The engine throttle mapping became more responsive to small accelerator inputs, preventing jerky power delivery.

The continuously variable transmission shifted strategy, holding lower gears to maintain consistent power. The Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system’s center differential locked up faster and now accounts for steering-angle data, improving stability when turning on slippery surfaces.

The result felt like a completely different vehicle. Where normal mode allowed some wheel slip on rutted sections, X-Mode anticipated it and prevented it. The Forester’s increased ground clearance of 9.3 inches, combined with the aggressive final-drive ratio of 4.11:1, meant the vehicle climbed washboard surfaces and cleared deep mud holes surfaces with confidence. The all-terrain Yokohama tires found bite on loose rock. The front skid plate protected the undercarriage from the sharp edges of embedded stones.

For steep descents, on both semi-paved and dirt roads, X-Mode’s hill descent control proved essential. Rather than riding the brakes down a rutted grade, the system automatically managed braking, allowing controlled descent without driver intervention. This freed my attention for steering and terrain awareness rather than managing brake temperature or pedal modulation.

The forest closed in as elevation increased. The terrain shifted from oak savanna into dense coniferous forest dominated by sugar pine and white fir. The trees grew so tall that even in mid-afternoon, the canopy filtered the light into a green-tinted dimness.

The air temperature dropped noticeably, and the smell of crushed needles and moist earth filled the cabin despite closed windows.

I hiked Bassi Falls in the evening to catch the light as it changed across the landscape.

The trail meanders through the coniferous forest, following Bassi Creek upstream. The ponderosa pines and firs grew densely on both sides of the path.

Their trunks were so thick and so numerous that they created a visual wall. The air smelled of dry needles, stone, and something else—the clean mineral scent of high elevation forest air.

The trail follows the creek, and the sound of water grows louder as you climb. The stream tumbles over granite in a series of small cascades. The granite here is white and gray, shaped by water and time into smooth undulating surfaces.

Then Bassi Falls appeared. A 109-foot cascade tumbles over granite slabs, fed by pristine creek water and the winter melt from higher elevation. The winter light struck the falls at an oblique angle, turning the mist into something luminescent.

Water droplets caught the sun and fractured it into component colors. The base of the falls gathered mist that hung in the air like a living thing. I stood there as the sun sank lower, watching the orange light shift and deepen. The surrounding pines seemed to glow from within as the low-angle light caught their branches.

I hiked back to the Forester as darkness gathered between the trees. The forest at dusk becomes a different place. The noise of animals, birds calling, squirrels moving through branches, slowed to stillness. The air quickly grew colder.

Parked in the small lot, sandwiches and hot tea from a thermos became dinner. Sitting in the open cargo area with the liftgate raised, listening to the complete silence of the forest, the glow of the moon rose above the trees.

The moon moved slowly across the opening in the canopy. Its light filtered through pine needles and cast shifting shadows inside the cabin. I kept the moonroof shade open, and at one point in the night, I woke to see the moon perfectly centered in the glass above me, framed by the silhouettes of branches reaching upward like hands.

Sleep came easily. The yoga mat setup proved its worth again, providing just enough cushion to make the firm surface comfortable. Heavy blankets trapped heat. The Forester enclosed me without suffocating the view.

Morning broke with intensity. A soft sunrise burned through the mist trapped beneath the pine canopy. Light moved across the granite slabs beside the road, turning gray stone into something alive and warm. The temperature rose, and condensation that had collected on the Forester’s windows overnight began to evaporate, clearing my view of the transformed landscape.

For anyone planning to use their Forester this way, certain items become essential. Insulation matters more than calculations suggest, so bring more blankets than you think you need.

A sleeping pad or yoga mat bridges gaps in the folded seats and protects your back from the hard surface. Thermos containers keep beverages hot through the night.

And always leave that moonroof shade open, waking up to the sky is the best feature this vehicle offers.

The 2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness was engineered for these moments. Its lay-flat seats eliminate awkward angles. Its roof rails stand ready to support rooftop tents for those who want elevation. Its SI Drive modes transform highway driving, making sharp mountain passes smooth and confident.

Its enhanced dual-function X-Mode opens access to forest service roads and rough terrain that standard vehicles cannot reach. Its panoramic moonroof transforms sleeping into observation. It removes barriers between you and the environment while maintaining the security of a solid shelter.

In the darkness between forests and stars, across one week of driving from one mountain range to another, the Forester proved it could handle every phase of the journey. It moved smoothly on pavement. It climbed rough roads with purpose.

It provided a secure place to sleep under open sky. In that week, the Forester became something more than transportation. It became a platform for experiencing the wildest parts of California on your own terms.