JMT

[eric schultz]

I am looking at hiking the JMT solo this August. I live in Phoenix. I will be starting my hike in Yosemite. My plan is to park my car in Lone Pine or at the Whitney Portal, if possible. Private transportation is not cheap. If I use the bus from Lone Pine to Mammoth Lake then catch the bus from Mammoth Lakes to Yosemite Valley it will cost me another day. So my drive from Phoenix is 11 hours plus another 10 hours on a bus. Is there another way to go?
Thanks
Eric

[Katy Anderson]

If you study the timetables of YARTS and EST you will see that the actual bus rides only amount to about 5.5 hours.

Start early in the morning from Lone Pine and be at the TH in Yosemite Valley to start your hike by midday. Or do your driving from Phoenix, then a two hour bus ride to Mammoth, hotel there, next morning 3.5 hours on the bus and then hit the trail.

Another option is hitching up highway 395. Less reliable, but often faster.

[Bob Gross]

Keep in mind the stretch of road from Lone Pine to Whitney Portal. It is only 14 or 15 miles, but it is very hilly. Cars can't go at highway speeds. It might take the greater part of an hour to travel, depending on what vehicle is in front of you. Also, on many summer days, the overnight parking lots at Whitney Portal will be jammed, so often drivers have to cruise around looking for a slot.

Just to make it more complicated, when you park a car at Whitney Portal, you can't leave food in your car. There are bear lockers for food storage scattered around the various lots, but that is just something else to soak up time.

–B.G.–

[Dana Sherry]

2 of us guys tried and took 3 hrs to hitchhike from Lone Pine to Mammoth. It's highly variable, eventually you'll get a ride, but you really need a cute girl with you for instant success.
A ride from WHitney Portal down to lone Pine would be easy- especially in afternoon. We got a ride almost instantly. You just approach drivers getting ready to leave as opposed to them wizzing by at 60mph. Morning would be dif as everyone is coming up.
Good luck

[Peter Bakwin]

I've had good luck thumbing. Once with attractive female we got from the Portal to Tuolumene with a total road-side time of less than 10 minutes. You could leave your car in Lone Pine (on street, or you can park at the C of C for a small fee), take the CREST bus up to Lee Vining (if memory serves that goes early a.m.?), then thumb into the Valley (make a sign). When you get off the trail it should be easy to get a ride back down from the Portal, especially in the afternoon.

Note that the CREST bus doesn't go every day.

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