YARTS opens summer bookings to public

Yosemite transit is the story here — not just another travel booking window. YARTS, the regional bus system that runs into Yosemite National Park, opened summer 2026 reservations to the public on May 5. That matters more than it normally would because Yosemite is not using a timed vehicle-entry reservation system this year, which means more people can just show up and try to drive in. The gap is pretty obvious — easier park entry on paper can turn into longer lines and uglier parking hunts in real life. (abc30.com) ### What actually opened? Summer seat reservations on YARTS are now bookable online for trips into Yosemite. YARTS is the public bus network linking gateway communities like Merced, Fresno, Sonora, Mariposa, Oakhurst, and Mammoth Lakes with the park. This is not a new service launch from scratch — it is the annual summer schedule opening up for advance booking, which is the useful part if you are trying to lock in a peak-season Yosemite day. (abc30.com) ### Why does this matter more in 2026? Because Yosemite changed the driving rules. The National Park Service said there will be no timed day-use or peak-hours entrance reservation system in 2026 after reviewing 2025 traffic and visitor patterns. That sounds simpler for drivers, but the tradeoff is obvious — if more cars can attempt entry without pre-screening, (abc30.com)cally pitching itself as the release valve. (nps.gov) ### Does riding YARTS skip the worst part? Mostly, yes — the worst part for many summer visitors is not the park itself but the car logistics around it. Local coverage tied the reservation opening directly to avoiding entrance-line headaches and parking stress, and YARTS frames the service as a way to reach Yosemite without driving the whole trip yourself. The catch is that reser(nps.gov)u out of the private-car bottleneck. (abc30.com) ### When do the buses actually start running? The main summer routes begin May 22, 2026. That includes Highway 120 from the Sonora side and Highway 140 from the Merced-Mariposa corridor. The eastern Highway 395/120E route starts later, on July 1, and runs through September 30, with some runs ending August 31. So “summer reservations are open” does not mean every corridor starts the same day. (yarts.com) ### Which routes are the key ones? Highway 140 is the classic Merced-to-Yosemite line and one of the most practical options for visitors coming by Amtrak or from the Central Valley. Highway 120 serves the Sonora and Groveland side. Highway 395/120E is the seasonal east-side link from Mammoth Lakes, June Lake, and Lee Vining, and that route depends on summer(yarts.com)rely on which side of Yosemite you are approaching from. (yarts.com) ### Are reservations required? No. YARTS says reservations are available in limited quantities, but walk-ons are still allowed if space remains. That means booking ahead is the safer move for busy summer dates, especially now that Yosemite’s broader access rules may pull in more spontaneous visitors. There are also small booking and walk-on surcharges, so this is a convenience system, not a free hold-your-spot perk. (yarts.com) ### So who should care? Anyone planning a Yosemite trip this summer without a strong tolerance for uncertainty. If you were already going to drive at dawn, circle for parking, and improvise, this changes less. But if your goal is a predictable day trip, YARTS reservations just became one of the cleaner planning tools available for 2026. That is the real news here — not that a bus exists, (yarts.com)e useful than usual. (abc30.com)