Leaving a car at Yosemite

imported
#1

Has anyone done the JMT and left their car in Yosemite. I was wondering if this is possible and if so, where is the best place to leave the car.

Thanks,
Crockett

Crockett

#2

Along the same line, can you tell us how one gets shuttled back to their car at the end of the hike or if they park near the end, how they get shuttled to Yosemite to start their hike. Any recomendations in working out the logistics would be appreciated.

Thanks also!

Skeemer

#3

Last time I hiked the JMT, we left a car down at Whitney Portal. There is a bus (see www.yarts.org) that runs from Mammoth to Yosemite Valley, the only trick is getting from Whitney Portal to Mammoth, but if you are comfortable hitching it shouldn’t be a big deal. We didn’t hitch – we just rented a car in Mammoth and used it to shuttle the car down to Whitney Portal, which worked great. It is nice to have the car down there at the end so you don’t have to worry about logistics at the end of your trip. This year we’re just doing a key exchange with my brother, not a bad way to go if you can find someone hiking northbound.

If you decide to leave your car at Yosemite, I think they have a backpacker’s lot. It is not right by the trailhead, but you can take the shuttle to Happy Isles (the start of the trail).

Good luck with your trip!

kanga

#4

There is a backpacker parking lot near the trailhead at Happy Isles. It is in a safe area. Just be sure to use the bear boxes if you have any items that have an attractive odor (shampoo, soap, etc)

Katy