Getting Around Yosemite Valley: The 2 Free Green Shuttle Loops & Early Morning Parking

Yosemite Valley's roads form a giant one-way counter-clockwise loop: Southside Drive carries traffic east into the Valley, and Northside Drive carries traffic west out of the Valley. On summer weekends and holidays from mid-morning through the afternoon, every car park in the Valley fills to capacity. Follow this simple early-morning 'Park Once' rule and you will never waste a minute of your trip in traffic.

1. The 3 Main Free Day-Use Parking Hubs (Arrive Early in the Morning)

All car parks inside Yosemite National Park are completely free. Drive into the Valley in the cool morning light and park your car for the day at one of these three hubs:

1. Yosemite Village Parking (Near Shuttle Stops #1 & #2): best starting hub for the Welcome Center, Ansel Adams Gallery, Museum, The Ahwahnee and Cook's Meadow.
2. Yosemite Falls Parking (Just West of Yosemite Valley Lodge, Near Stops #6 & #7): huge lot right across from Lower Yosemite Fall.
3. Curry Village & Trailhead Parking (Eastern Valley, Near Stops #13, #14 & #16): park here if your first stop of the morning is the Mist Trail (Vernal and Nevada Falls) or Mirror Lake.

2. How the Two Free 'Green Valley Shuttle' Routes Work (Early Morning to Late Evening)

Once your car is parked, hop onto the free green hybrid and electric shuttle buses (or rent a bicycle), which run on two overlapping routes:

• Route 1, The 'Valleywide Shuttle' (All 19 Stops, Every 12 to 22 Minutes): loops around the eastern and central Valley: Stop #1 and #2 (Yosemite Village and Welcome Center) → Stop #3 (The Ahwahnee) → Stop #5 (Village Store) → Stop #6 (Lower Yosemite Fall) → Stop #7 and #8 (Camp 4 & Yosemite Valley Lodge) → Stop #11 (Sentinel Bridge) → Stop #13 and #14 (Curry Village) → Stop #16 (Happy Isles and Mist Trail) → Stop #17 (Mirror Lake).
• Route 2, The 'East Valley Shuttle' (Fast Express Loop for Hikers, Every 8 to 12 Minutes): skips the western half of the loop and shuttles rapidly back and forth only between Yosemite Village (Stops #1 and #2), Curry Village (Stop #14), Pines Campgrounds, Happy Isles and Mist Trail (Stop #16) and Mirror Lake (Stop #17).