Directions to Yosemite National Park
You are guaranteed a wilderness experience like no other, no matter which way you travel to Yosemite, via public transit or your own car.
Within Yosemite, various public buses offer free and charged transportation services.
The Yosemite location is in California, US. It is difficult to give a Yosemite National Park address as it covers over 4 counties and over 1200 square miles.
Gas and EV charging stations are also available in the park for people traveling by car.
The table below will show how to reach Yosemite National Park, its distance and travel time from parts of the south, west and north of the country.
| From | Time | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles area | 6 hours | 313 miles (504 km) |
| San Diego area | 8 hours | 441 miles (710 km) |
| Las Vegas* | 8 hours (June through October) | 400 miles (642 km) |
| Death Valley National Park* | 5 hours (June through October) | 270 miles (435 km) |
| San Francisco/Bay area | 4-5 hours | 195 miles (314 km) |
| Sacramento | 4 hours | 176 miles (283 km) |
| Reno & Lake Tahoe* | 5 hours | 218 miles (351 km) |
Due to road restrictions from November to May, it is necessary to take an alternate route if you are coming from Las Vegas, Death Valley National Park or Reno & Lake Tahoe.
The above table shows you how to reach Yosemite National Park from Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and other major cities.
Check more information on driving times and distances to various sites within Yosemite on the NPS website.
There are two ways to go to Yosemite National Park: public transportation (bus or rail) or private vehicles.
By Public Transportation
You can avail of public bus or train services to reach Yosemite National Park from cities across California and the rest of the country.
Service to Yosemite Valley is available throughout the year, but several other park areas are only accessible through public transport during the summer.
You can reach Yosemite Valley by booking an Amtrak train or bus.
During weekends in June and September, you can ride the limited service to White Wolf and Tuolumne Meadows and the daily service in July and August.
Alternatively, bus service from Greyhound is available until Merced, where you may change to the YARTS and travel on to Yosemite Valley.
YARTS offers limited service to Crane Flat, White Wolf, and Tuolumne Meadows daily in June and September but only on weekends in July and August.
Find out more about using public transit to reach Yosemite National Park.
You can also get around some places in Yosemite using the free shuttle system.
Yosemite Valley Shuttle System
Yosemite Valley is the most conveniently accessed site in Yosemite National Park due to the free shuttle service.
The shuttle system consists of two loops—the Valleywide shuttle and the East Valley shuttle—running daily between 7 am and 10 pm.
The Valleywide shuttle route passes through all spots, including Yosemite Valley lodges, restaurants, campers, and trailheads. Buses arrive every 12 to 22 minutes.
The East Valley shuttle only serves Yosemite Village, Curry Village, Pines campsites, and trailheads in eastern Yosemite Valley. Buses run every 8 to 12 minutes.
Mariposa Grove Shuttle
Access this shuttle to get around the Mariposa Grove and the Welcome Plaza, next to Yosemite’s south entrance.
Running approximately between 1 April and 30 November, the Mariposa Grove Shuttle is the primary way to get to Mariposa Grove.
Learn more about how to get to Yosemite National Park and its Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias region.
Badger Pass Ski Area & Glacier Point Tour
Usually, from mid-December through March, a free shuttle runs between Yosemite Valley and Badger Pass when the ski resort’s facilities are open.
Most people hike from Glacier Point by taking a one-way ticket from Yosemite Valley Lodge to Glacier Point and then climbing back to Yosemite Valley.
The climb up to Glacier Point is much harder, so the one-way ticket to reach the point on the Glacier Point Tour is quite popular.
Both bus routes remain closed throughout the winter, from November to June.
Check out some of the best Yosemite hiking trails and their various features.
Tuolumne Meadows Shuttle
During the summer, from mid-June through early September, the Tuolumne Meadows shuttle bus offers simple access to the whole Tuolumne Meadows region.
It provides service throughout the Tuolumne Meadows region between Tioga Pass and Olmsted Point, including Tenaya Lake.
Bus Service
Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) offers bus services to Yosemite.
Greyhound can be paired with YARTS service from Merced, CA, but does not provide direct bus service to Yosemite.
These buses run to and from various locations in the national park to assist hikers.
- Yosemite Valley-Tuolumne Meadows Hikers Bus
The Yosemite Valley-Tuolumne Meadows hikers’ bus connects Yosemite Valley with the Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center.
Also, stopping at some trailheads along Tioga Road, this bus runs from around mid-June until the beginning of September.
- YARTS Highway 120 East Bus
With stops at Crane Flat, White Wolf and Tuolumne Meadows, YARTS offers transportation between Yosemite Village and Mammoth Lakes for a charge.
This service is available every day in July and August but only on weekends in June and September if conditions permit.
- YARTS Highway 120 North Bus
This YARTS bus serves the sites between Yosemite Village and Sonora for a fee.
The stops include Crane Flat, Big Oak Flat (Hodgdon Meadow), Buck Meadows area, Groveland, and Sonora/Jamestown.
This service is available every day between mid-May and September. The bus to Sonora/Jamestown is not available on holidays and weekends.
- YARTS Highway 41 Bus
This bus service offers transit between Oakhurst and Yosemite Valley, with stops in Wawona.
The bus operates every day throughout the summer. This route no longer offers servers in Fresno.
By Plane
Some Commercial Airports nearby are
- Fresno/Yosemite International Airport – Entry to Southern entrance, Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows
- San Francisco International Airport – Entry to Big Oak Flat entrance, Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) – Entry to Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows
- Oakland – Entry to Big Oak Flat entrance, Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows
- Sacramento – Entry to Big Oak Flat entrance, Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows.
- Mammoth Yosemite Airport – Entry to Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows
- Reno International Airport – Entry to Yosemite Valley
- Las Vegas Airport – Entry to Yosemite Valley
Note: Mammoth Lakes, Las Vegas, and Reno airports offer access to Yosemite when Tioga Road Highway CA 120 is accessible from the Eastern Sierra during the summer and fall.
Depending on the weather, Tioga Road closes for the winter. Call ahead for Road info.
Municipal Airports nearby are
- Mariposa-Yosemite Airport – Entry to Arch Rock entrance and Yosemite Valley.
By Train
AMTRAK trains connect with YARTS bus routes to provide direct buses into Yosemite Valley from San Diego, Los Angeles, Fresno, San Jose, San Francisco, and Sacramento to and from Merced/Riverbank.
By Car
Yosemite National Park allows cars with admission costs of $30 in the summer and $25 in the winter.
You can conveniently travel to Yosemite National Park in a private or rented car.
Study a road map before embarking on your road trip for the correct directions to Yosemite National Park.
Yosemite has free parking, but it’s not that plentiful.
Therefore, if you want one of these parking spaces, arrive early.
Yosemite is a highly frequented location and is crowded most of the year.
Traffic and parking are very challenging, especially in the summer months in Yosemite.
To avoid this inconvenience, book your tour online for a trip directly from San Francisco to Yosemite Park.
For a trip from Fresno or Oakhurst, book a tour for a full-day Yosemite Park trek.
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Be aware that GPS devices may not always offer clear directions to Yosemite National Park or inside it.
There is no single address within the approximately 1,200 square mile Yosemite National Park.
It would be wise not to rely only on GPS devices for navigation and directions to Yosemite National Park.
The National Park Service recommends using the information on the road sign rather than GPS units if there is a contradiction between the two.
The road signs and Yosemite road map are always correct when GPS is not.
However, driving in Yosemite presents a variety of challenges in the winter.
Take note that certain roads, including Tioga, Glasier Point and Mariposa Grove roads, are usually closed from around November to May or June.
For more information on Yosemite road closures, visit Yosemite opening hours.
Some routes in the directions to Yosemite National Park change as a result and require more driving time.
You must drive cautiously since relatively dry roads can have ice patches. Carry tire chains in your four-wheeled vehicle at all times.
The need to use them can arise at times, and plastic or emergency tire chains are unacceptable.
Fuel and EV Charging
Gas and electric vehicle charging facilities are also available in Yosemite.
Gas is always accessible with a credit card at Wawona, Crane Flat, and El Portal.
Tuolumne Meadows and Yosemite Valley no longer offer gas facilities.
Yosemite Hospitality provides free Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations within Yosemite National Park.
Outside the park, other charging outlets are accessible.
You can learn the locations of local EV charging stations with the Alternative Fuels Data Center.
Charging stations in Yosemite Valley include
- A Tesla and a level 1 at the Ahwahnee
- Village Store (Yosemite Village), one level 2
- Yosemite Valley Lodge has eight-level 2 stations by the Alder building and between the Juniper and Laurel buildings.
El Portal includes two level 2 stations at the Market and a Gas Station.
Two level 2 stations are likely to follow at Tuolumne Meadows in 2023 at the site of the former gas station west of the Tuolumne Meadows Store.
FAQs
Where is Yosemite National Park located?
Yosemite National Park is located in California. It is spread across four counties: Tuolumne, Mariposa, Mono and Madera.
How to get from Fresno Airport to Yosemite National Park?
The best option for reaching Yosemite from Fresno Airport is through a bus and a train. The cheapest option would be taking a bus.
You can find out the directions, time, route and the bus/train line from the link below.
Get Directions
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Featured Image: Nps.gov