Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tions.htm
to determine current conditions. Tuolumne Meadows is in the eastern area
of Yosemite National Park off Tioga Road (CA 120 East). For parking, follow signs
to the Tuolumne Lodge and Wilderness Permit office. There is a parking lot on the
left signposted for Dog Lake and the John Muir Trail, or you may find additional
parking in the Wilderness Permit lot and then follow the signs to the John Muir
Trail. The park runs a free shuttle-bus service from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. along Tioga
Road from Tuolumne Lodge to Olmsted Point from July 4 through Labor Day; the
trailhead can be found at Shuttle Stop #2.
R
ED'S
M
EADOW
C
AMPGROUND
—Red's Meadow can be reached from Mammoth
Lakes. From the Mammoth Ranger Station and Visitor Center (on CA 203, 3 miles
west of US 395), head west on Main Street for 1.5 miles and turn right to continue on
CA 203 (Minaret Road), climbing nearly 5 miles to Mammoth Mountain Inn.
During the summer months, you cannot access Red's Meadow or the Devils
Postpile National Monument via car from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. unless you have camp-
ground or resort reservations, a handicap placard, or a special permit. Wilderness
Permits do not allow you vehicular access. Mandatory shuttles operate from the
parking area in front of Mammoth Mountain Inn beginning at 7:15 a.m. Tickets can
be purchased at the Gondola Building in the Main Lodge; the 45-minute shuttle to
the Devils Postpile area is free for kids under 3, $4 for children ages 3 to 15, and $7
for all other adults. Shuttle service within the national-monument area between
campgrounds and trailheads is free; Red's Meadow Resort and Campground is
Shuttle Stop #10. For more information, contact the Mammoth Ranger Station and
Visitor Center at (760) 924-5500 or visit the city's regional-transit site at
If you have reservations or are traveling in the off-season (October through
early June), continue driving up the hill to the Minaret Summit Entrance Station
(9,175 feet) and follow the steep narrow road the remaining 7 miles to the Devils
Postpile Monument Area, Red's Meadow, trailheads, and campgrounds.
For hikers not being picked up at Red's Meadow, you may also return to
Yosemite from Mammoth via public transit on the YARTS bus. Buses leave from
various points in Mammoth to Tuolumne once daily between 7 a.m. to 7:30 a.m.
($20; about two hours each way). Call (888) 89-YARTS or visit
www.yarts.com
for
current rates and schedules. Unfortunately, because the shuttle bus that leaves Red's
Meadow for Mammoth does not arrive early enough for visitors to catch the bus
back to Yosemite, you'll have to overnight in Mammoth in a hotel or RV camp-
ground.
Public transit is also available to Mammoth Lakes along US 395 between Reno
and Ridgecrest via Inyo Mono Transit's CREST bus. The bus travels north between
Bishop and Reno via Mammoth Lakes on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and south
between Mammoth Lakes and Ridgecrest on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
There is also limited Saturday service between Bishop and Mammoth lakes only.
Rates and routes are subject to frequent change; call ahead for information and re-
