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Post by James Fujita on Aug 20, 2010 22:11:46 GMT -8
This has been an odd week: family from Japan came to visit. They wanted to go up to Sequoia National Park (so we did Thursday-Friday). Currently at home, but will head down to mom's house in San Pedro tomorrow (Saturday). The trip comes with opportunities: I convinced my cousin to try Amtrak, for a full day's worth of culture shock. Also, while our schedule didn't allow us to ride the park shuttles, I did create a full photo set of pictures of Sequoia's mass transit system: The Sequoia Shuttle, a Flickr set(note: I haven't added a full description to the photos, sorry... will add when I'm not busy playing tour guide) There are two types of shuttle: One goes from Visalia to the national park, and the other goes around the park. The inside-the-park shuttles are free, and if I had more time, I would have used the one from Wuksachi Lodge to Lodgepole (where a general store and post office are located), or perhaps the one from Lodgepole to Giant Forest (where many of the main attractions are). Another shuttle goes up to Moro Rock. Most shuttles are every 15 minutes or so during peak hours, and they were on the roads everywhere! Yes, and people were using them... you'll notice the random people getting on and off shuttles in my photos....
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Post by spokker on Aug 20, 2010 22:48:29 GMT -8
Transit Orientated National Park?
You can take the Amtrak bus to Yosemite. I wonder how well their shuttles work.
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Post by tonyw79sfv on Aug 21, 2010 3:52:34 GMT -8
I found an oddity of a picture more locally on Angeles Crest Highway CA SR2 at the junction of the closed CA SR39 in Google Maps' Street View. A Coach USA bus somehow made the trek up with the Google Street View car. maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=34.359663,-117.85253&spn=0.013232,0.027874&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=34.356977,-117.850609&panoid=u4gXO7isZ_KJM5mM73tF7w&cbp=12,224.8,,0,7.91
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Post by James Fujita on Aug 21, 2010 7:20:43 GMT -8
that's pretty amazing with the Street Views bus.
the Sequoia park shuttles are mostly about airport shuttle-sized, much more appropriate for high sierra roads. one thing's for sure, the parking lots get crowded quickly during the high season, so the shuttles are definitely needed.
and hiking counts as alternative transportation....
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Post by soundguise on Aug 21, 2010 11:46:36 GMT -8
My family spent a week in Yosemite Valley every year when I was growing up and although the traffic of RVs, trailers, cars, and trucks overloaded with camping gear was part of the weekend arrival there was almost no driving after that. The shuttle bus system is extensive and free. The entire valley is basically a one-way loop for cars. The shuttles have dedicated lanes and contra flow in some areas. Entire roads (some of which used to be available for cars) now only buses and bicycles. Of course you don't really need motorized transportation if you are able bodied. The series of bike trails and paths is surpassed only by the hundreds (maybe thousands) of miles of walking/hiking trails throughout the park. The shuttles are great after a long hike or bike ride and essential for mobility impaired visitors. Now that I have sufficiently gone down memory lane I have to pull out some old photo albums and smile. For the national parks and Yosemite in particular with its millions of visitors every year providing an alternative to cars is essential and I believe federally mandated. Yosemite Valley has serious issues with air quality because of the geography. These problems are at their worst at the peak of summer tourist season with all of the traffic and campfires. That doesn't even include the forest fires that are most likely during the hot, dry, late summer season. Reducing the number of parking spaces and having people take buses in has also been a big change over the years. Few of the people who work in the valley live their now and most ride shuttles in and out with the visitors. Campsite numbers have been reduced. Makes it harder to get a spot but all that much more rewarding when you get there. This has decidedly taken a detour and I apologize. Sequoia is always my recommendation when people complain they can't get into Yosemite.
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