Bicycle

Cycling is an ideal way to take in Yosemite Valley. You can rent a wide-handled cruiser (per hour/day $12/33.50) or a bike with an attached child trailer (per hour/day $19.26/60) at the Yosemite Valley Lodge or Half Dome Village. Strollers and wheelchairs are also rented here.

Car

Roadside signs with red bears mark the many spots where bears have been hit by motorists (many hundreds have been injured, including 27 alone in 2016 and more than 100 killed since 1995), so think before you hit the accelerator, and follow the pokey posted speed limits – they are strictly enforced. Valley visitors are advised to park and take advantage of the Yosemite Valley Shuttle Bus. Even so, traffic in the valley can feel like rush hour in LA.

Glacier Point and Tioga Rds are closed in winter. Even if driving a rental vehicle, sometimes tire chains are required and it’s recommended to always have them on hand from November to March.

Nonguests can generally park in the lots for Half Dome Village, Valley Lodge and Majestic during the day – dashboard parking permits for guests only are checked after 5pm.

The closest gas station to the Valley is in El Portal, which you have to leave the park to access, 15 miles away. Next best, and in the park, is at Crane Flat a little over 17 miles away. Wawona Chevron has high-priced gas, but is the only option between Oakhurst and Yosemite Valley. Electric vehicle charging stations are located in the parking lot of the Village Store and the Majestic Yosemite Hotel.

Village Garage provides emergency repairs and even gasoline when you’re in an absolute fix.

RV

Consider the following if you’re visiting Yosemite National Park in a RV:

There are no electrical hookups.

Generators can be used in campgrounds only during certain hours.

In Yosemite Valley, the maximum length for RVs is 40ft, for trailers 35ft.

No vehicles over 25ft on Mariposa Grove Rd; trailers aren’t permitted. No vehicles over 25ft on Hetch Hetchy Rd; maximum width 8ft mirror to mirror.

No trailers or vehicles over 30ft on Glacier Point Rd past the Sentinel Dome/Taft Point Trailheads.

RVs over 24ft are not recommended for Yosemite Creek and Tamarack Flat campgrounds or for Porcupine Flat or White Wolf.

Yosemite’s only year-round dump station is in Yosemite Valley near the Upper Pines Campground. Wawona and Tuolumne Meadows stations open in summer.

For more information, see www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/rv.htm.

Public Transportation

The free, air-conditioned Yosemite Valley Shuttle Bus is a comfortable and efficient way of traveling around the park. Buses operate year-round from 7am to 10pm at 20- to 30-minute intervals and stop at 20 numbered locations, including parking lots, campgrounds, trailheads and lodges. These get very crowded in late spring and summer. For a route map, see the Yosemite Guide or check www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/upload/valleyshuttle.pdf.

Free buses also operate between Yosemite Valley and the Yosemite Ski & Snowboard Area (winter only). The Tuolumne Meadows Shuttle runs between Tuolumne Lodge and Olmsted Point in Tuolumne Meadows (usually mid-June to early September), and the El Capitan Shuttle runs a summertime valley loop from Yosemite Village to El Capitan.

Two fee-based hikers’ buses also travel from Yosemite Valley. For trailheads along Tioga Rd, catch the Tuolumne Meadows Hikers’ Bus, which runs once daily in each direction. Fares depend on distance traveled; the trip to Tuolumne Meadows costs $14.50/23 one way/return. The Glacier Point Hikers’ Bus is good for hikers as well as for people reluctant to drive up the long, windy road themselves. Reservations are required.