Red’s Meadow to Vermilion Valley Resort - Day and Section Hikes - page 52

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 children under age 3, $4 for children ages 3 to 15,
and $7 for adults. Shuttle service within the national-monument area between camp-
grounds 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 [phone] or visit www.ci.mammoth-lakes.ca.us/transit/region-
al_transit.htm .
If you have reservations or are traveling in the off-season (October to 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.
Public transit is 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-
servations at [phone] or [phone]. More information can be found on
the Web at www.countyofinyo.org/transit/CRESTpage.htm .
Public transit also services the route between Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes.
YARTS buses leave from various points in Yosemite to Mammoth Lakes once daily
between 5 p.m. and 6:50 p.m. ($15; approximately two hours each way). Contact
YARTS at (888) 89- YARTS or visit www.yarts.com for current rates and schedules.
This does, however, force an overnight in Mammoth Lakes.
To take advantage of these public-transit options, you must travel the 4 miles
between Mammoth Mountain Inn, where the Red's Meadow Shuttle drops you, and
the city of Mammoth Lakes, from which the CREST and YARTS buses depart. This
can be done via the Bike Park Shuttle that operates from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily,
late June through September. The bike shuttle runs from the Mammoth Lakes Vil-
lage transportation hub (Minaret Road at Canyon Boulevard) to the Adventure
Center located across the street from Mammoth Mountain Inn. This service is free
for hikers.
Lastly, you could contact Mammoth Shuttle by phone at [phone] to ar-
range for private transit on demand. This is a pricey option but may be worth it for
larger groups. Prices range considerably from $100 (from one eastern-Sierra trail-
head to another) to $600 (from Mammoth to Kings Canyon). The price to go from
Mammoth to Yosemite averages $200 (per eight-passenger shuttle, not per person).
V ERMILION V ALLEY R ESORT —To get to Vermilion Valley Resort (VVR), you
will most likely need a friend to pick you up or try your hand at hitchhiking. The
closest main highway is CA 168, 30 miles northeast of Fresno, but the final 14 to 20