YART

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js hill
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YART

Post by js hill »

Has anyone taken the YART bus from Yosemite Valley to Mammoth Lakes? We are hiking from South Lake to Yosemite Valley this summer. We will be exiting the JMT at Happy Isle in Yosemite Valley. Is there a YART bus stop near this trailhead or do we need to take the Valley Shuttle to a YART bus stop? Does anyone know what time the busses stop leaving for Mammoth? Do you have to pay cash for a bus ticket or do they accept credit cards? Do we need reservations? I looked at the YART website and there is not information up yet for the summer of 2012. Also, is there public transportation from Mammoth to Bishop/South Lake?
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markskor
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Re: YART

Post by markskor »

js hill wrote: We will be exiting the JMT at Happy Isle in Yosemite Valley. Is there a YART bus stop near this trailhead or do we need to take the Valley Shuttle to a YART bus stop? Does anyone know what time the busses stop leaving for Mammoth? Do you have to pay cash for a bus ticket or do they accept credit cards? Do we need reservations?
Happy Isles is but one of the many shuttle stops for the Yosemite Valley Shuttle. This shuttle is free (but sometimes very crowded depending on time of day) and makes a continuous loop around the Valley floor... (Actually a convoluted figure 8 with Curry as the center hub). Suggestion: After getting off the trail at HI, grab this shuttle, get off at the Stables two stops later and walk ~1/8 mile to the Backpackers camp...(one night only - no reservation needed - $5 pp - safe to leave gear) and after bagging a site there, head back over to Curry (same shuttle again). Pizza and beer will probably come first but afterwards, check the transportation kiosk near the Curry wooden arch for the next morning's Yosemite - Mammoth bus schedule. Make a reservation there for tomorrow morning. Price pp is around $20 to Mammoth, and this morning bus (at least last year) left around 8:00 AM from Curry Lodge - 8:30 Yosemite Lodge and takes about 2 1/2 hours to get to Mammoth. This is the YARTS bus. Schedule/prices this year expected to be similar but you never know.

There is another bus, not a YARTS but called something like "the Tuolumne Shuttle" - whatever. This bus, at least last year, left at 5:00 PM in front of the big stone Nature building in Yosemite Village (next to post office) and does the same route to Tuolumne and then on to Mammoth...gets in Tuolumne ~7:00 PM and Mammoth after dark...dropped me off in Mammoth near the Shiloh Inn/ MacDonald's.

The morning bus always worked better for me...always made reservations the night before in Curry and never a problem. BTW, both these buses - just ask the driver - will drop you off anywhere on route in the park. You can also flag down these buses too in the park and bus driver will issue you a ticket on the bus- (cash only - no CC on bus) but at both the Curry kiosk and the Lodge reservation desk, they do take plastic.

BTW, Mammoth buses are great but can be very time consuming depending on where you are going.
From Mammoth on, check the Crest bus or maybe it is called Ridgeline - There is definitely a bus that goes south down 395 but do not know prices or schedules.
Mountainman who swims with trout
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js hill
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Re: YART

Post by js hill »

Thanks for all the info. Your suggestion that we spend the night at the nearby backpackers' campground was something we hadn't even considered, but we are definately including that into our plans. Can't wait for summer to get here. js hill
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sparky
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Re: YART

Post by sparky »

The backpackers camp was full after my hike last year and we were depending on it. We ate and showered before securing the site, was probably the mistake
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snusmumriken
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Re: YART

Post by snusmumriken »

The morning bus is the hiker bus and that one goes only as far as Tuolomne Meadows, not all the way to Mammoth.
This according to Yosemite Park web page http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bus.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; .

5 pm YARTS bus stops in front of the Yosemite Valley Visitors Center.
$15 fare, buy ticket directly from bus driver, no reservations.
Gets you to Mammoth Mountain Inn at 8:51 pm.

All fares / times according to last years schedule. Double check when this years schedule gets published later in the spring. However I've ridden the YARTS bus several times over the years and it was always a late afternoon bus from Yosemite Valley Visitors Center to Tuolomne and on to Mammoth.
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hikerchick395
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Re: YART

Post by hikerchick395 »

I've only taken YARTS the direction from Mammoth to Yosemite Valley. Our drop off point was in Yosemite Village, then the bus went on to the lodge. But as for Mammoth to Bishop look into Eastern Sierra Transit (ESTA.) Schedules change all the time due to budget concerns, so keep that in mind when planning.


Also consider taking your vehicle to your exit point and getting all of the shuttling out of the way before your hike.
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AlmostThere
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Re: YART

Post by AlmostThere »

I did Mammoth to Tuolumne Meadows on YARTS. In the future, all my shuttles will be at the beginning of the trip, so that we walk out to the car, instead of trying to get to a stop first thing in the morning.

YARTS stops at several places in Mammoth - we stayed at a campground/RV resort that was walking distance from it. They only take cash, btw.
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js hill
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Re: YART

Post by js hill »

I think you're correct. I called the YART office and was told that the bus for Mammoth leaves at 5 pm from the lodge in Yosemite. Thanks for the heads up.
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Re: YART

Post by OzSwaggie »

Just adding that we caught the evening YARTS bus to Mammoth last year and it was a little stressful as the bus left from a different place than we had thought and we were a bit confused; there were not many people around (including other YARTS bus drivers) who could direct us. You say that YARTS has told you they leave from the Lodge and I think that is where we waited in error and the bus actually left from the Village, in front of the Visitor Centre... But my memory could be failing me here... so maybe just make sure you give yourselves plenty of time to check it all out when you get there. If you are in the right place at the right time with suitable cash you will be fine, so give yourself time! You will know you are at the right bus stop when there is an appropriate YARTS timetable (Mammoth - Yosemite Valley) posted at the stop. The only other thing to say is that it takes four and a half hours to get to Mammoth. It's a very twisty windy road and boy, I felt really bus sick! Luckily the driver stopped to let people off from time to time (so I jumped out to stand on the ground for a few minutes each time) and he stopped for a bit of a break at the Whoa Nelli Deli near Lee Vining so we could stretch legs and get a cup of tea. It was a very spectacular bus ride, going over Tioga Pass, and extremely good value for the $15!
Last edited by OzSwaggie on Sat Apr 07, 2012 4:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: YART

Post by OzSwaggie »

mistake
Last edited by OzSwaggie on Sat Apr 07, 2012 4:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
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