“Look closely and I think you will see a future Yosemite experience that will allow everyone to enjoy this place in a way that is commensurate with Yosemite’s scenic majesty and grandeur, leaving behind the crowding, cars, and congestion that seem to be an increasing part of our everyday lives.”
Introductory Letter to Final Yosemite Valley Plan--Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (YVP) David A. Mihalic, Yosemite Superintendent, 2000
Ready, get on your bike, and go!!!! Whether you have a few hours, one day, or a whole week to spend in Yosemite Valley, the best way to “go” throughout the Valley is by cycling on its more than 12 miles of trails. The activity will secure a spot in your memory as an engaging and worthwhile experience.
It’s the great equalizer in the quest to find a mode of transportation that benefits the user and the environment while reducing congestion. Cars may be the better choice in getting from one end of the Park to the other, but within Yosemite Valley, which is only about a mile wide and seven miles long, touring by bicycle easily wins out as the most ideal way to see all it has to offer.
Would a day be enough time to see it all? No, one day is never enough time in Yosemite, but if you’re in the Valley and you want to make the most of your time there, get on a bike and go! Your age or disposition does not matter! In fact, it’s guaranteed to improve your disposition! It’s true, it would be helpful to know how to navigate a bicycle, but if that skill has not made it into your life yet, then make room to learn how to ride before you come to the Park. It will not only improve your ability to go about seeing Yosemite Valley, but it will also enhance your life in general.
Understandably, not everyone possesses a bicycle to bring to Yosemite. Even if you do own one, you may not have the means to transport it to the Park. Fortunately, that is not a barrier to enjoying bicycling in Yosemite Valley. The National Park Service and its affiliates have made it easier for Park visitors to access bicycles in the Valley. The Yosemite concessionaire, Aramark, provides bicycle rentals at three locations. Additionally, the non-profit organization, Yosemite Conservancy, operates a “Bike-Share” program during the summer months (e.g., June through October). These two resources can open up Yosemite Valley in ways you may not have imagined. Let me describe these options and then share cycling possibilities going into Yosemite’s future.
BICYCLE RENTALS THROUGH YOSEMITE'S CONCESSIONAIRE
Bicycle rentals can be accessed for a fee at three locations in Yosemite Valley from April through October (conditions permitting). These sites include: 1. Yosemite Valley Lodge (next to the swimming pool), Yosemite Village (next to the Village Store), and 3. Curry Village (near the Front Office at the Bike Rental Kiosk). For 2021, rentals opened for service on April 9th at Yosemite Valley Lodge and Curry Village, and on April 30th at Yosemite Village (see map below).
Bike rentals are available between 8:00 am to 6:00 pm and the last rental of the day occurs at 4:45 pm. All bikes must be returned by 5:45 pm. Park rules require that riders stay on the bicycle paths and off the hiking trails. Riders younger than 18 must wear a helmet at all times. Rental bicycles must stay within Yosemite Valley. The chart below provides the rental rates as of May 2021. More information can be found at the Aramark Yosemite website by clicking here.
BICYCLING WITH YOSEMITE CONSERVANCY’S BIKE-SHARE PROGRAM
The free Yosemite Conservancy Bike-Share Program provides 50 bicycles in Yosemite Valley which are available for use on a seasonal basis (usually June through October; follow social media for updates when the bikes become available at @yosemiteconservancy and @yosemitenps).
This unique service, first piloted in 2018 and supported by donors of the Conservancy and by the National Park Service, allows for the use of bicycles for a maximum of two hours at no charge. The purpose of the program is to address the goals of the Yosemite Valley Plan to reduce traffic congestion in the Valley by providing “eco-friendly” transit options for short trips.
The free-standing bicycles can be found at two centrally located kiosks: Near the Yosemite Village Post Office and near the Yosemite Village Day Use Parking area (close to the roundabout—see map below). To unlock the bicycle, one needs to download the free Yosemite Bike-Share app for Apple/iOS (via the App Store) or Android (via Google Play) by registering with your mobile number and email address. A PIN will then be provided which should be entered on the app (only required once). Choose a bike from the “Sanitized” group (for COVID-19 safety protocol, you’ll return the bike to the “Used” group). Then scan the QR code displayed between the handlebars with your phone and the back wheel will unlock! You can use the helmet provided by clicking on the helmet icon on the app. Stay on designated bike paths and roads while enjoying your tour of Yosemite Valley!
THE BEST WAY TO SEE YOSEMITE VALLEY
Cycling remains the best way to enjoy all Yosemite Valley has to offer. Three alternatives currently exist to make that available to visitors: 1. Rent a bike from the Yosemite Concessionaire for a fee at three different locations, 2. Use one of the 50 Bike Share Program bicycles available at two locations in the Valley for no charge, and 3. Use your own bicycle.
Many other cycling options, however, could be added to the list in Yosemite’s future. John Muir once said that getting around Yosemite Valley in “carriages” made for a convenient mode of transportation. Although speaking about horse and buggy, his observation could prove prescient for our day. For example, cycle rickshaws, or “horseless carriages,” have taken on new popularity around the world as an eco-friendly way of transporting tourists. Wikipedia references a quote from Ed Sobey’s book, A Field Guide to Automotive Technology (2009), describing rickshaws’ "novelty value as an entertaining form of transportation." I wonder how many rickshaws could be purchased in place of a $250,000-$300,000 shuttle bus to shuttle Park visitors around the Valley.
Plus, other “horseless carriages” options exist with four-wheeled surrey bikes! Disneyworld currently offers two- and four-person quadricycles at their resort in Florida, USA. Tourists would surely love this form of getting around Yosemite Valley (especially at a nominal fee)!
Ebikes are also becoming more and more popular as an eco-friendly form of transportation. As their costs come down, these could also provide greater access to Park sites, especially for those with impaired mobility.
Can you imagine cycles of all kinds being the chief mode of transportation in the Valley? Superintendent Mihalic’s words opening the 2000 Final Yosemite Valley Plan might finally see fulfillment in “leaving behind the crowding, cars, and congestion that seem to be an increasing part of our everyday lives.”
This might require that Yosemite be designated a “Cycle Freedom Zone.” Note that I did not say a “Cycle Free Zone,” but a “Cycle Freedom Zone.” A cycle freedom zone prioritizes cycling over automobile driving, thereby improving health, protecting the environment, and enhancing the best way to see Yosemite Valley!
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