Hello! I'm meeting friends in Yosemite (Upper Pines campground), who are there through the end of October. I'm coming from Denver. I was considering flying into Sacramento and just renting a car. But then I heard it’s possible to fly into Oakland and take BART to Amtrak which takes you to Yosemite Lodge.

So, I need to investigate travel logistics, but if you found something that worked-out smoothly and economically, let me know, in flying-into Callie and getting to/from the Park. (I do not need my own car during my stay in Yosemite.)

Thank you!

What I do these days is fly direct from Denver to Sacramento on Southwest - no baggage fees if you have wall gear, and no change fees. Then rent a car. If you don't need a car you can get a bus from Fresno or Modesto, but as far as I know you need to fly through SF for Modesto, or LAX for Fresno - both of which are a drag. No train to Yosemite Lodge that I know of - maybe to XXX and then bus.

Matter of fact I'm using this method a week from yesterday - woo hoo!!

Paul

Check out YARTS

www.yarts.com/

No train goes into the Valley , but buses do . How about flying into Fresno , it is probably a little closer than Sac. Any public transportation configuration you take is going to be slow . If I could , I would just beg and bribe my friends in Yos. to come pick me up at the airport .

I just cashed in 25K miles on United (non-stop: Denver/Sacramento), but I’ll be hit w/ $50 for taking one bag each way. Blah. Then, Paul, I just looked at SWA, and it would have been $288 w/ two FREE checked bags. Maybe I’ll switch. And I’ll probably just buck-up and rent a car, even though I won’t need it once I’m in the Valley. I’ve been waffling on this trip for so long that at this piont, I’m just going for it. If anyone has add'l transportation ideas, please continue to share. Thanks!

Yea just rent the car if you're saving a bunch of money on plane ticket , there is so much else to see within four to five hours, especially if some passes are still open , you can drive around and explore the area more , Sierra Eastside , Mono Lake , Bodie , White Mtns. , Sequoia , there are endless things to see .

It's an extra hour driving from Sac to get to Modesto, but way less hassle with the direct flight from Denver on SWA. The free bags and no change fees are golden. I've gotten off walls late a few time, and just gotten gouged by other airlines with change fees. SWA is way better to deal with. Also, the last time I flew in/out of Modesto, I busted my butt to get to the airport only to find out my connecting flight to SFO was delayed due to fog - I spent 8 hours waiting in an airport with no bar, and it took 5 or 6 calls to find a pizza delivery service that would deliver to the airport.

Paul

Just for clarification, the YARTS bus to Yosemite leaves from Merced. You can reach Merced by Amtrak from SF, Sac, or Fresno.

Depending on how long you're going to be staying in Yosemite, renting a car could be a big waste of money (since it sounds like you won't be needing it while you're in Yosemite).

There are non-stop flights on United from DEN to Fresno. Land in Fresno, public bus to the Amtrak station, Amtrak to Merced in 1 hr, and then YARTS bus to Yosemite. Definitely the easiest way to do it with no car.

Also, Fresno is 2 hours from the Valley by car, whereas Sac is 3.5 hours from the Valley by car. Your friends may have been willing to just come pick you up in Fresno.

I'm with Tom on this one. Talk your friends into picking you up. I live in Fresno and the drive isn't that bad. 2.5 hours one way from the Upper Pines Campground to the airport, but it goes by fast and will save you a ton of trouble. Plus, there's this great little pizza joint in Oakhurst which is about half way. It's called Little Geezers or something like that and has a mean pepperoni pizza for only $5. If your friends say no to that are they really your friends?