Yosemite Valley is the most popular part of the most popular National park in California and is the subject of many notorious stories of traffic nightmares and full parking lots. To combat this, Yosemite has done a lot to promote car-free alternatives to access and get around the park. The Valley actually has one way more of getting around that doesn't doesn't get as much attention: it's biking!

A few weeks ago, my friends and I decided to go check it out. My partner and I each own a Brompton, which folded into a small enough package to go into the boot. Combined with our friends' full-sized bikes on a hitch, we were able to fit 4 bikes in one Honda CR-V.

And off we went, leaving the cool summer of the Bay heading deeper inland and enjoying the change of landscapes from suburb, to farm, to rolling hills and eventually the mountains. We had an overnight campsite. On the way to the campsite, we drove on the seasonally open Tioga Road Pass that is open to bikes-only for one day in May while snow clearing operations take place. However, we were gearing up for a different kind of bike ride the next day, on the Valley floor.

The experience of riding a bike on the Valley floor is unmatched.

Having been to Yosemite before by tour bus and by car, I can confirm that it's way easier to gawk at those beautiful granite peaks on your own time and not having to crane your neck out of the window of a moving vehicle. I also had not appreciated how by being slow, I was able to listen more closely to the sounds of the Valley floor: water flowing, birds chirping and wind rustling in the trees.

As far as I could tell, most roads in Yosemite Valley seem to have separated multi-use paths. It was very enjoyable to get around safely while rarely having to merge into traffic. One of the most interesting places for me was the Happy Isles Loop Road. Several sections of this road are closed to private vehicles, only open to the shuttle bus and bikes. While this can seem restrictive for cars, it keeps the intense traffic and parking demand out, making more areas calm and safe to access for all those who wish to marvel at those iconic views.

These paths and roads stitch together to create a wonderful 12mi bike loop connecting all the big trailheads that start from the Valley Floor (see RideWithGPS). If we came early enough we could've managed doing two of the smaller hikes in one day, zipping between trail heads on our bikes.

The bike loop connects almost all trail heads and shopping areas. Those that choose to bike between areas are reducing their demand for the shuttles and parking while having more fun. The good news is that all trail heads and buildings had bicycle parking (honestly they could've had a lot more) which makes it nice if you needed to stop anywhere for a cold drink or souvenirs after a hike.

While the bike itself is a cheat code to getting around the Valley quickly, the bike paths were comprehensive enough to take us to places that were less accessible by foot or bus. This meant that they're less busy and at some moments we had a little stream or vista all to ourselves or a chance to explore the mountain base without a long hike. You'd never know that the parking lots were full!

Online discourse around Yosemite and other National Park often over-fixate on overcrowded trails or full parking lots and are combined with nostalgia for the good-old-days. However, it's unrealistic to wish a place to go back to how it used to be especially for a National Park.

Why you may ask? Isn't the whole point of the National Park to "preserve" nature?

Well, it's not really. The Organic Act of 1916 that established the National Parks explicitly codified that National Parks should allow access for the general public as well as preserve its wild and natural beauty for future generations.

....to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.

- Organic Act of 1916.

The best way to continue the NPS' mission and handle all this demand isn't to restrict visitors but to actually plan for them. In 1968, NPS Director of Research, Ronald F. Lee published that "there is no substitute for a visit to a national park". The same report also ruled out increasing entrance fees to control visitor numbers as "favoring affluent visitors [...] Such a public policy would be intolerable in the United States".

There are some real f***cars quotes in Lee's report like: "Proliferation of automobiles is one of the greatest problems of modern living in the United States."

In 1968! A man ahead of his time.

Lee's 1968 report advocated for the public transport that Yosemite implements today in 2026:

This [Public Transport] avoids unmanageable traffic congestion at one's destination, eliminates the parking problem, and--a benefit overlooked until Greyhound featured it--a more relaxed journey, if one "leaves the driving to us." Public transportation in a national park, in addition to relieving congestion, may well give the sightseer a more meaningful trip.

- Chapter 9: Public Use of the National Park System 1872-2000

Yosemite manages all demand of private vehicles by making car-free alternatives more appealing. There are shuttles to move you around the valley floor so you only need to park once. There are regional shuttles between different areas of the park and major regional transit hubs like Merced or Fresno.

But one aspect that Lee did not mention in the report and may still be under-explored is the potential of bikes to expand access to new areas of the park without increasing traffic demand. The newly established Yosemite Bike Share is a step in this direction.

By providing viable alternatives to the car for getting around the park, Yosemite has successfully democratized access to nature and simultaneously made it pleasant for us all. More people can access big and busy parks like Yosemite while still finding a quiet stream to relax next to.

My only wish with Yosemite is that there were more cycling infrastructure between parts of the park. It should be easier to go to El Capitan Meadow to watch climbers, or perhaps do some biking along the Merced River. This would make more parts of the park accessible to people without a vehicle and also disperse the crowds over a larger area in the future.

Seeing Yosemite Valley by bike was something really special for me and opened my eyes to how important cycling can be not only for crowd management but also personal enjoyment. I had that feeling of freedom and a sense of exploration that I long for in the Bay. The same strategies that help cities fight congestion also help National Parks but I get to enjoy the freedom of the great outdoors on my own terms and on my own two wheels.

As Lee predicted, we had a more meaningful trip.