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| Vernal Falls |
If there's an ultimate California destination accessible without a car, it has to be Yosemite. You can catch a bus or BART in the Bay Area, get on Amtrak's San Joaquin and ride less than three hours to Merced. From there, Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) runs the two-and-a-half-hour bus trip to the park. Whether you include a YARTS ticket as part of your Amtrak purchase or a la carte (I did the latter), it's a great way to go to Yosemite for an overnight, a weekend or even longer -- and paradoxically, by traveling slowly, without a car, you may find it easier to break away from the pack.
For my visit a few weeks ago, I had an early breakfast date at the Ahwahnee, so I caught the 6:10 a.m. YARTS bus out of Merced, where I'd arrived the night before. I was one of only three people to board at that early hour; I asked one of the others, clearly a regular, which side would afford the best Yosemite views, and he suggested the right side. I settled in to a comfy coach seat and listened to Internet radio until the cell coverage got spotty as the topography started its gradual roll from valley farmland to Sierra Nevada. I'd had Radio Boise on at the time, and the scenery actually reminded me of South Central Idaho, where I lived for many years.
We took on a few more passengers along the way. The man who advised me to sit on the right side disembarked in Mariposa, apparently on his way to work there. (YARTS is indeed a source of local public transportation as well as a sweet ride to Yosemite.) I listened to more music and soon enough, we were at the Yosemite entrance, being waved through at a bus gate. It was too early for lines at the entrance, but I'm sure there are times when that bus lane is a real blessing.
Of course, Yosemite's scenery is the best reason to let someone else drive. YARTS passengers are free to gawk at the passing views as Highway 140 curves close to the Merced River's churning rapids. As we entered Yosemite Valley, I noticed the couple in front of me move to the left side of the bus. There was plenty of room for changing seats, so I followed suit a few rows back and got my first glimpse in about 20 years of Yosemite Falls.
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| Yosemite Falls from the YARTS bus window |
YARTS drops off passengers at several park locations, all of which connect to the Yosemite Park shuttle system. I got off at the Ahwahnee, ready to marvel at its rustic but refined -- and thoroughly Californian -- charms: Think granite and light-hued wood instead of heavy dark beams, and Persian rugs instead of animal trophies on the walls. Although it costs a small fortune to stay at the Ahwahnee, its dining room and public areas are open to all comers.
Following breakfast with Kate (thanks, Kate!) and Jane, I briefly broke my no-private-transport rule and accepted a ride to Curry Village near the Mist Trail staging area since they were going that way, more or less, anyway. I followed the signs to the Mist and Muir trailhead and set off for Vernal Falls. The falls were gorgeous -- if crowded -- but the hike's true highlight came just a few minutes in when I saw a bobcat just a few yards off the trail. Only a few other people were around at that point, and no one dared reach for a camera. It was a sacramental occasion; we all briefly communed with the animal before it padded out of sight.
After the hike, I ambled around the Happy Isles nature area near the shuttle stop for a while, but the Merced's roar -- coupled with the crowds on the Mist Trail -- had begun to wear on me. I knew exactly what I wanted to do next: spend more time at the Ahwahnee. (Yes, some of us go to national parks as much for the architecture as for the nature.)
The Ahwahnee's magnificent grand lounge was nearly empty, since most people were either out enjoying the day or napping in their guest rooms. No sooner had I claimed a wonderful armchair by a window than about two dozen people came in on the Ahwahnee's historic tour. Among other things, I heard how the hotel was turned into a Naval convalescent center during World War II.
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| Down by the lazy Merced River |
After that, wandering aimlessly around the Ahwahnee grounds, back past the guest cottages, I discovered a perfect -- and perfectly abandoned -- patch of riverbank aside the Merced. I took a few photos before my phone battery died, then I sat down, took off my shoes and socks and dangled my feet, one at a time, in the cold water of melting Sierra ice. I sang a little; I read a while; and I was present, yet again, to bear witness to creation. And when it was time to leave, the YARTS bus stop was a 10-minute walk away.
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| Yosemite shuttle and YARTS stop at The Ahwahnee |
Trip notes:
My plan was to spend a full day at Yosemite without getting up too early after my late-shift job, so I decided to take the mid-afternoon train to Merced and spend the night there before catching the early bus. Merced was better than I expected, but next time, I'd either go all the way to Yosemite or the closer gateway town of Mariposa.
Unlike Merced, where a knot of chain motels is nearly a 2-mile walk from the train station, Mariposa has several lodgings near its YARTS bus stops. Other options on the YARTS route include El Portal and Yosemite View Lodge. If you don't stay in the park, be aware there are no coin lockers at Yosemite, so you need to travel light. For my overnight in mild weather, I was able to get by with a light jacket and my day pack essentials: phone, earbuds, book (on Kindle), a change of shirt and underwear, ID and water.
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| All I took for a 32-hour trip |
Yosemite is a big place, and if you want to see more of it than the many sights near its famous valley, you may need a car ... or maybe not. Tours and guided hikes and horseback rides are available to such farther-flung park sites as Glacier Point and Tuolumne Meadows.
I took the late-afternoon YARTS bus out of Yosemite, and it was as crowded as the morning bus was empty. I happened to snag one of a few seats with a power outlet so I could charge my near-dead phone battery and cocoon with my music. Quite a few National Park Service employees caught the afternoon-drive bus from NPS facilities on the park outskirts, and a bunch of schoolkids got on at Mariposa, bound all the way to Merced. How marvelous it is that people can commute to and from Yosemite.
Back at Amtrak in Merced, about 60 high school students from Berkeley were awaiting the same train as me, which was running about 20 minutes late. Even with an extra car added, the train was packed -- but since it was dinner time, I bought a burrito and a bottle of Anchor Steam, snagged a seat and a newspaper in the cafe car and rode there until we passed Stockton. By then, there were seats open in the regular train cars. I claimed one and enjoyed the rest of the ride to the Bay Area and Richmond.
It takes one or two hours longer to travel from the Bay Area via public transport as it would with your own rig. That perceived loss of freedom means relatively few Americans travel to Yosemite without a private vehicle, but I saw plenty of international travelers doing so -- and of course, it's more Earth-friendly. Whether you plan an extended Yosemite trip or simply want a change of scenery from the city without renting a car, it's easy and pleasant to do via the Amtrak-YARTS-park shuttle trifecta.
For more information:
Amtrak San Joaquin
YARTS
Yosemite shuttle system
Yosemite National Park (National Park Service and visitor reservations)
Yosemite-area tourism
Read more about places to visit in California.
