• View of Half Dome and Washington Column in Yosemite Valley

    Yosemite

    National Park California

Public Transportation

Getting to Yosemite

Bus service is available to Yosemite Valley (and, during summer, to some other areas of the park) from cities throughout California and the rest of the United States.

  • Amtrak provides a combination of train and bus service to Yosemite Valley. Amtrak also provides limited service to White Wolf and Tuolumne Meadows daily during July and August (weekends only during June and September).
  • Greyhound provides bus service to Merced, where you can transfer to YARTS to continue to Yosemite Valley. YARTS also provides limited service to Crane Flat, White Wolf, and Tuolumne Meadows daily during July and August (weekends only during June and September).

Specific directions are available showing how to access public transportation [600 kb PDF] from some of the major airports in the area.

Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) buses also provide service from communities along Highway 140 between Merced and Yosemite (including Mariposa, Midpines, and El Portal). During summer, service is also available from east of Yosemite, via Highway 120 (including Lee Vining, June Lake, and Mammoth Lakes) and west of Yosemite along Highway 120 (Sonora and Groveland).

 

Getting Around Yosemite

Free shuttle service (described below) is available within some (but not all) areas of the park.

If you arrive in Yosemite Valley by public transportation, access to other areas of the park is possible, as follows:

  • Yosemite Valley (free shuttle service around eastern Yosemite Valley)
  • Glacier Point (late May/June through October via fee-based tour)
  • Badger Pass (mid December through March via free shuttle)
  • Wawona (summer only; very limited free shuttle available from Wawona to Yosemite Valley in the morning and from Yosemite Valley to Wawona in the afternoon)
  • Tioga Road/Tuolumne Meadows (July and August, along with weekends in June and September, via fee-based tour and YARTS Highway 120 East bus)
  • Tuolumne Meadows (summer only; free shuttle service in the Tuolumne Meadows area)
  • Hetch Hetchy Valley (no public transportation)
  • Hodgdon Meadow (summer only; very limited fee-based public transportation via YARTS Highway 120 North bus)


Yosemite Valley Shuttle System

The free Yosemite Valley shuttle system provides convenient access around Yosemite Valley.

  • Yosemite Valley shuttle
    This bus provides service around eastern Yosemite Valley, including stops at or near all overnight accommodations, stores, and major vistas. This shuttle operates all year from 7 am to 10 pm.
  • El Capitan shuttle
    This bus stops at El Capitan, Four Mile trailhead, and the Valley Visitor Center. This shuttle operates from mid June through early October from 9 am to 6 pm.

Download a map [347 kb PDF]

Wawona-Mariposa Grove Shuttle

The free Wawona-Mariposa Grove shuttle bus transports passengers between Wawona and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias spring through fall. The bus picks up and drops off passengers at the Wawona Store, South Entrance, and at the Mariposa Grove Gift Shop. The Mariposa Grove Road closes several times each day from spring through fall when the parking lot becomes full. Visitors arriving on the shuttle bus are guaranteed access into the Mariposa Grove even when the parking lot is full.

Wawona to Yosemite Valley Shuttle
This free bus operates from approximately Memorial Day through Labor Day, departing daily from the Wawona Hotel at 8:30 am and from the Wawona Store at 8:35 am. The return trip departs from Yosemite Lodge at 3:30 pm.

Badger Pass

The free Badger Pass shuttle provides service twice daily between Yosemite Valley and Badger Pass ski area whenever the facilities at Badger Pass are open (typically mid December through March).

Glacier Point Tour
Many people purchase a one-way ticket on the Glacier Point Tour and take it from Yosemite Lodge to Glacier Point, then hike back down to Yosemite Valley. This bus does not make stops at other trailheads. Service is available when the Glacier Point Road is open (typically late May through October).

Tuolumne Meadows Shuttle

The free Tuolumne Meadows shuttle bus provides convenient access throughout the Tuolumne Meadows area between the Tioga Pass and Olmsted Point (including Tenaya Lake) during the summer (typically mid June through early September). See the complete schedule.

Tuolumne Meadows Tour and Hikers' Bus
The Tuolumne Meadows Tour and Hikers' bus (for a fee) provides service from Yosemite Lodge to Tuolumne Meadows and stops at various trailheads on the Tioga Road. Service is available July through early September.

YARTS Highway 120 East Bus
YARTS (for a fee) provides service between Yosemite Village and Mammoth Lakes, with stops at Crane Flat, White Wolf, and Tuolumne Meadows. This service operates daily in July and August and weekends only in June and September (conditions permitting).

YARTS Highway 120 North Bus
YARTS (for a fee) provides service between Yosemite Village and Sonora, with stops at Crane Flat, Big Oak Flat (Hodgdon Meadow), Buck Meadows area, Groveland, and Sonora/Jamestown. This service operates daily from mid May through September. Service to Sonora/Jamestown is not available on weekends and holidays.

  • YARTS Bus Service YARTS Bus Service

    YARTS provides bus service to Yosemite Valley from Merced/Mariposa/El Portal (Hwy 140), and, during summer, from Sonora/Groveland (Hwy 120W), and from Lee Vining/Mammoth Lakes (Hwy 120E). Read More

  • Amtrak Amtrak

    Amtrak provides service to Yosemite Valley from throughout California and the US Read More

Did You Know?

Nevada and Vernal Falls

In Yosemite Valley, dropping over 594-foot Nevada Fall and then 317-foot Vernal Fall, the Merced River creates what is known as the “Giant Staircase.” Such exemplary stair-step river morphology is characterized by a large variability in river movement and flow, from quiet pools to the dramatic drops of the waterfalls themselves.