Park your car at Yosemite and bikeshare

People-powered transit for Yosemite

The Yosemite Conservancy has been making the Yosemite visitor experience more pleasing since 1923. Two years ago, the funding started for a bike-sharing project, and it is going strong today.

Since COVID-19, many countries are not allowing US citizens to visit their countries. This has inspired more people to take to the roads and visit parts of the United States they have never seen before.

Yosemite Valley has always been crowded, which is why the rangers at Yosemite have created a way that you can park your car and ride a bike around the beautiful valley of Yosemite. They even provide a helmet for you.

Using the bike share is easy: Download the Yosemite Bike Share app, unlock a bike, and pedal on your way.

How It Works:

Download the free Yosemite Bike Share app for Apple/iOS (via the App Store) or Android (via Google Play).

2. Sign up using your mobile number and email address. Once you register, you’ll receive a pin via text. When prompted, enter the pin in the app. (You only need to enter the pin once, when you sign up; after that, your pin will be stored in the app.)

3. Head to a Yosemite Bike Share station to pick up a bike. Bikes are available in two locations: at the Yosemite Village Parking Area (sometimes called Camp 6) and on the Yosemite Village mall, between the Valley Wilderness Center and the Valley Visitor Center. (See map below.)

4. Choose a bike. Before you pick up a bike, make sure your Bluetooth and location services are enabled on your phone! Use the app to unlock the bike’s rear-wheel by scanning the QR code between the handlebars. When you scan the code, the lock on the bike’s rear-wheel automatically opens.

5. Stay safe: Use the helmet provided with the bike, or bring your own. To unlock the helmet, click the symbol on the app.

6. Pedal to your destination. Stick to roads and designated bike paths (see map below). You can keep a bike for up to two hours at a time.

7. When you are through riding, return the bike to the station where you picked it up. Be sure to leave the bike in the “Used Bike Corral” area. To end your ride and lock the bike, manually close the lock on the rear wheel and press STOP on the app. Double-check that the app has registered the end of the ride before you leave!

If you would like to add your photo to Twitter or Instagram use the hashtag #yosemitebikes

And, please, pick up any trash in the park. Keep our park clean in every way you can.

Visitors play an important role in helping to significantly reduce waste at our parks and can do their part by following these simple steps when planning their next trip:

Plan and Prepare – especially with additional health and safety precautions amid the global pandemic including requirements to wear masks, social distancing, and new reservation systems. Think about what you bring into the parks and check to see if it can be recycled or composted in the park you are visiting. Choose materials that can be reused and take them with you. Avoid buying single-use items and disposing of them while in the park.
Opt for Online when you can – instead of a paper map, try smartphone apps to help navigate your way around the park, when/where access is available.

1. Bring Your Own Coffee Mug – bring a reusable coffee mug or buy one from the park visitor center or concession to help reduce waste at parks.

2. Bring Your Own Water Bottle – bring or buy a refillable water bottle and take advantage of convenient water refilling stations located around the parks.

3. Choose Reusable Bags – bring your own reusable bag or tote for your supplies to help eliminate plastic bag waste.

This work is also connecting the next generation of advocates wanting to keep our parks healthy and sustainable. From a partnership with Nature Bridge at Yosemite National Park that aims to expand outreach about zero-landfill practices to local students to the Zero Landfill Ambassador Program in Denali National Park and Preserve where students are finding solutions to waste and recycle issues in the park and gateway community, these youth are inspiring others to join us in our waste reduction efforts.

“This project proves what’s possible when national, local, and community partners join forces to innovate,” said National Park Foundation President and CEO Will Shafroth. “Together, we’re gaining valuable knowledge that can benefit the more than 400 national parks across the country, aligning with the National Park Service’s sustainability goals.”