transportation from Florence Lake/Vermillion valley resort

All discussion related to transportation to, from and within the Sierra Nevada. Need directions or flight information? Info on road conditions? A ride to the trail head? Can you offer a ride, or do you run a transportation business or shuttle service for the Sierra Nevada? Come on in and post the details!
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omara52855
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transportation from Florence Lake/Vermillion valley resort

Post by omara52855 »

My neice and I are wanting to hike 1/2 of the John Muir trail. Here is our plan: We will fly into Fresno rent a car and drive to Yosemite Valley. Then we will begin our hike in Tuolumne Meadows and plan to hike out to Florence lake or the Vermillion Valley Resort. Does anyone know of any shuttle service or transportation that doesn't cost a fortune back to Yosemite. Does anyone have any suggestions about hiking this portion of the John Muir trail? Thanks! :)
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The Other Tom
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Re: transportation from Florence Lake/Vermillion valley resort

Post by The Other Tom »

No help on the shuttle back to Yosemite, but if you're going to start your trip from Tuolumne, you might want to consider flying into Reno. I've done it both ways (Fresno and Reno) and I much prefer Reno. It's a much nicer, easier, scenic drive.

Another option is to exit over Mono Pass to Mosquito Flats (on the eastern Sierra). It may be easier to get a shuttle from there since you don't have to cross the sierra to get back. As a last resort, you can get a bus from Mammoth lakes to Yosemite (probably changing in Lee Vining), which means you'd have to exit at Red's Meadow.
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Re: transportation from Florence Lake/Vermillion valley resort

Post by BSquared »

On the other hand, it's reputed to be very easy to hitch from VVR to Fresno, though I've not tried it personally. When I did the trail in 2004, a group that I was hiking with got a ride out to Fresno from someone who worked for VVR, I believe (I think a small amount of cash changed hands). There are usually *lots* of people hanging out at VVR, and if you let it be known that you need a ride to Fresno you're likely to find someone.

-B2
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Re: transportation from Florence Lake/Vermillion valley resort

Post by fishmonger »

personal experience trying to hitch a ride from VVR to Mono Hot Springs just down the road: negative. I had to walk the entire piece of road, it was about 100 degrees and it was the last time I left the Muir Trail towards that side of the mountains. Then I had to walk from Mono Hot Springs to Florence Lake, and yet again, every vehicle that afternoon drove by, waving at me like I was some cute roadside attaction.

Only on the last mile up to Florence Lake after the main road turned off to the right I was able to get a ride to Florence Lake.

In general, my hitch-hiking experiences around the Sierras have been so bad that I simply won't even try any longer. In Europe, you can cross the continent in 2 days hitch-hiking, while here you can't even get a ride up to Whitney Portal on a 105 degree day carrying a big pack. I walked that entire road, counting about 50 cars zooming right past me, always making sure not to make eye contact.

I've read on another board that people have been successful to line up transportation from Fresno to VVR via Craigslist, offering gas and something like $75 for the service.
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Re: transportation from Florence Lake/Vermillion valley resort

Post by cmon4day »

Just hike back to Yosemite :)
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Re: transportation from Florence Lake/Vermillion valley resort

Post by fishmonger »

cmon4day wrote:Just hike back to Yosemite :)
word!

Last year I spent a ton of time and $$$ to get a shutle from Whitney Portal to Yosemite. This year we're just hiking the Muir Trail Yo-Yo and solve all those transportation issues with an even better hike
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Re: transportation from Florence Lake/Vermillion valley resort

Post by BSquared »

fishmonger wrote:Last year I spent a ton of time and $$$ to get a shutle from Whitney Portal to Yosemite. This year we're just hiking the Muir Trail Yo-Yo and solve all those transportation issues with an even better hike
What's your schedule? We're going N-S starting 10 July; are we likely to cross paths?

-B²
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Re: transportation from Florence Lake/Vermillion valley resort

Post by fishmonger »

BSquared wrote:
fishmonger wrote:Last year I spent a ton of time and $$$ to get a shutle from Whitney Portal to Yosemite. This year we're just hiking the Muir Trail Yo-Yo and solve all those transportation issues with an even better hike
What's your schedule? We're going N-S starting 10 July; are we likely to cross paths?

-B²
still planning, but the goal is starting in June 29 at Happy Isles (or Glacier Point, if I can figure out the logistics to be up there in the early morning - is there long-term parking up there?).

Turn around at Lone Pine around July 16/17, back to Yoemite around Aug. 2nd. This schedule includes 5 full rest days and a few detours to not totally duplicate our route.

Look for a group of three with two hikers who look absolutely too young to be out there for a trip this long :-)


current hike plan

Code: Select all

29-Jun	Day 7 	13.7		Happy Isles - Sunrise Camp
30-Jun	Day 8 	10.2		Sunrise Camp - Tuolumne
1-Jul 	Day 9 	12.5		Mono pass trailhead - Alger Lake
2-Jul 	Day 10	13.0		Alger Lake - Reds Meadows
3-Jul 	Day 11	0.0 		Rest Day Reds / spare weather day
4-Jul 	Day 12	17.0		Fish Valley up to Grassy Lake area
5-Jul 	Day 13	12.0		Grassy Lake - Goddale Pass, Graveyard Meadow
6-Jul 	Day 14	14.0		Vermillion resupply, Bear Ridge, Marie Lakes
7-Jul 	Day 15	3.0 		Hang at lake half a day, Salley Keyes Lakes
8-Jul 	Day 16	12.0		MTR supply, Goodard Canyon
9-Jul 	Day 17	15.1		Evo Valley to Wanda or Helen Lake
10-Jul	Day 18	15.0		Helen Lake - Gold Staircase area
11-Jul	Day 19	15.5		Golden Staircase - Lake Marjorie
12-Jul	Day 20	14.7		Lake Marjorie - Rae Lakes
13-Jul	Day 21	19.0		Rae Lakes - Bighorn Plateau
14-Jul	Day 22	0.0 		extra day / weather day
15-Jul	Day 23	17.0		Bighorn Plateau - Mt Whitney
16-Jul	Day 24	11.3		Mt. Whitney - Portal
17-Jul	Day 25	11.3		Portal - Mt Whitney Summit
18-Jul	Day 26	15.0		Whitney Summit - Junction Pass north Side
19-Jul	Day 27	17.5		Junction Pass - Woods Creek
20-Jul	Day 28	0.0 		extra day / weather day
21-Jul	Day 29	15.0		Woods Creek, Pinchot - Upper Basin
22-Jul	Day 30	13.0		Mather Pass, Dusy Basin via Cirque Potluck Knapsack
23-Jul	Day 31	13.0		Wanda or Helen Lake 
24-Jul	Day 32	19.0		Helen Lake - Blaney Meadows area
25-Jul	Day 33	12.0		Blaney Meadows - Selden Pass, Marie Lakes
26-Jul	Day 34	19.0		Marie Lakes, Bear Ridge, Silver Lake
27-Jul	Day 35	16.9		Silver Pass - Duck Creek
28-Jul	Day 36	6.0 		Duck Creek - Reds Meadows
29-Jul	Day 37	14.0		Reds - JMT to 1000 Island Lake area
30-Jul	Day 38	20.0		1000 Island - Tuolumne Meadows
31-Jul	Day 39	0.0 		extra day / weather day
1-Aug 	Day 40	15.0		Tuolumne - Clouds Rest
2-Aug 	Day 41	11.0		Clouds Rest - Yos. Valley
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Re: transportation from Florence Lake/Vermillion valley resort

Post by BSquared »

Actually, fishmonger, it looks like we may not see each other: we're expecting to be heading down LeConte Canyon and up to Palisade Lakes on the 21st and 22nd, and I think that's exactly when you'll be leaving the trail to do the Palisade-Basin thing! Rats!

-B²
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Re: transportation from Florence Lake/Vermillion valley resort

Post by fishmonger »

BSquared wrote:Actually, fishmonger, it looks like we may not see each other: we're expecting to be heading down LeConte Canyon and up to Palisade Lakes on the 21st and 22nd, and I think that's exactly when you'll be leaving the trail to do the Palisade-Basin thing! Rats!

-B²
there are so many spare days in our schedule, I doubt it will work out that way. Last year we started slow and got faster and faster, which if we can manage that on this hike as well, we're going to be at least 2-3 days ahead of schedule at the turnaround point.

I guess we'll run into you north of Muir Pass somewhere. On the northbound hike we are on the JMT proper from LeConte Canyon through Sunrise High Sierra Camp in Yosemite, so if we are just a little bit ahead, we should meet on that stretch.

Look for these two troopers:Image
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