North America - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 194

Go car-free
Help to reduce traffic congestion
in and around Yosemite by
taking public transport into
the heart of the park ( W www.
amtrak.com; T [phone]).
Trains go from San Francisco
(3.5hr; US$34) and Los Angeles
(6hr; US$38) to Merced, 130km
southwest of Yosemite Valley.
From Merced you can take a
YARTS bus (Yosemite Area
Regional Transportation System)
that goes all the way to Yosemite
Valley for US$25, which includes
the park's US$20 entrance fee
(3hr; W www.yarts.com; T +1 877
989 2787).

255 meander along the merced
The emphasis in Yosemite is on taking it
slow. White-water rafting is banned in the
park, but at Curry Village Recreation Center
you can rent a small inflatable raft and float
downstream along the relatively calm waters
of the Merced River and enjoy wonderful views
of the park's forested riverbanks and towering
cliffs, including Half Dome and Yosemite Falls.
Though it's possible to paddle your way along
the 5km route in little more than two hours, it's
best to make a day of it, pulling up at a sandy
beach for a picnic. Give yourself a healthy dose
of life in the slow lane.

256 A dip in a natural pool
There's nothing quite like a swim
in a natural pool to cool off after
a long day hiking. Yosemite is
not short of places to swim, and
though the water is generally
cold, from mid-July to September
(when there's no longer the early
season snowmelt and the days are
hot) the water temperature rises
sufficiently for a nice dip. The two
most popular areas for swimming
are the Merced River in Yosemite
Valley and the south fork of the
Merced River in Wawona, but for a
quiet spot head to Sentinel Beach
or Swinging Bridge, with superb
views of the jagged mountain range
that lines the U-shaped glacial valley.

Need to know Rafts (for 4-6 people) cost from
US$20.50 per person per run or US$13.50 for
under-13s, including return shuttle bus to the
Curry Village Recreation Center ( T +1 209 372
8319).

Cooling off in one of Yosemite's
many rivers; Taft Point, Yosemite