Yosemite How to Get There
Getting there, flights…
The closest international airport to Yosemite is San Francisco. There are several direct flights a day from the UK.
If you are flying from elsewhere in the US, Fresno, Merced and Modesto all have airports and are nearby.
To find the best deals on your flights and accommodation, we recommend 1Plus2Travel. They are a great search website and search all the online consolidators so you don’t have to!
Otherwise, we like Skyscanner or Expedia for a good listing of all the operators running flights.
Getting there, driving…
Top of Vernal Fall, Yosemite National Park
The easiest way to access and enjoy Yosemite is with a car. You can rent a car (or an RV) in San Francisco and from there it is a 4-5 hour drive to the Park.
We recommend Holiday Autos or Easycar for car hire. Check out our car hire info for ways to save money. You may want to cover your excess and increase your liability cover with a policy like that from Worldwide Insure or Insurance4carhire.com.
The best route into the Park will depend on where you are staying and the time of year you are travelling but once you are out of the city traffic it is an easy drive. Route 120 is at higher altitude than route 140 and often has sufficient snow to require snow chains so check the Park Service website regarding road conditions if you are not travelling in high summer. Route 140 is very picturesque from Mariposa but has been partially blocked from a landslide so you will have a wait at traffic lights through the single track section. This tends not to be any more than 5-10 minutes unless you are attempting to travel into the park on a weekend or an American Holiday.
Please note that Sat Nav can sometimes give poor directions into and around the Park as it is huge and does not have a single address. For more information go to
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/driving.htm
Getting there, public transport…
You can get to Yosemite using public transport but your options are fairly limited. If you are travelling from either San Francisco or Fresno you can catch the Amtrak train or a Greyhound bus to Merced. From Merced you will need to take the YARTS (Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System) bus to Yosemite. For more information please see the following
Fun in the Merced River, Yosemite Valley
In addition to some difficulty getting there, travelling around the Park itself can be difficult without a car. There is a free shuttle bus run by the Park Service around the major attractions, amenity and trailheads within Yosemite Valley. The roads can get very busy here and parking can be difficult so we strongly recommend you use the bus when travelling in this area.
Outside the valley your options are not that good. There is a very limited free shuttle bus service to the South Entrance of the Park at Wawona. The YARTS service up to Tuolumne Meadows is designed to bring visitors into the Valley for the day so arrives at lunchtime and leaves early evening which is of no use if you want to travel out of the Valley to the Meadows and back on a day trip. There is no public transport up to Glacier Point although you can take a (paid) tour .