I Went to Yosemite on Amtrak

[Robert W]

I have been into Yosemite many times. From me as a teen ager, (I am 86) up into 20 years ago. My last time was taking my daughter and her brother up to camp there. She has been there after that trip. I always drove or was in a car when driven there. It is magnificent. I want you to see this video where a camper went in on Amtrak, though his final part there was on the Amtrak Bus. I did not know Amtrak has busses to Yosemite. I am way up in Idaho and hope that in the spring I will go back to CA and to Yosemite. This video shows the splendor of Yosemite. If any want to visit the valley, try to get into shape first. And keep in mind bears love campers food supplies.
Hope enough of posters enjoyed it so that it was worth showing here.

 

[Zincwarrior]

You have a lot of time.

 

[Concerned American]

I have been into Yosemite many times. From me as a teen ager, (I am 86) up into 20 years ago. My last time was taking my daughter and her brother up to camp there. She has been there after that trip. I always drove or was in a car when driven there. It is magnificent. I want you to see this video where a camper went in on Amtrak, though his final part there was on the Amtrak Bus. I did not know Amtrak has busses to Yosemite. I am way up in Idaho and hope that in the spring I will go back to CA and to Yosemite. This video shows the splendor of Yosemite. If any want to visit the valley, try to get into shape first. And keep in mind bears love campers food supplies.
Hope enough of posters enjoyed it so that it was worth showing here.

I believe Amtrak has busses to Yosemite Valley, but there isn't an Amtrak rail within fifty miles of Yosemite park. I've been all over that park and know it well with no fewer than fifty visits. LOL, those pipes most likely carry water from Hetch Hetchy reservoir to SF. That reservoir has been given credit for breaking John Muir's heart as it flooded Yosemite's twin valley.

 

[boevans]

We camped each year in Yosemite below the fire falls.

I hope you had a wonderful time.

 

[ZestolPastilevsky]

So did Steven Seagal in Under Siege 2. It's like Die Hard...on a train.

 

[American Eagle]

Amtrak?! What a joke. lol

 

[Concerned American]

We camped each year in Yosemite below the fire falls.

I hope you had a wonderful time.

Wow, you are probably one of the three people on this board that are old enough to have actually seen the fire fall. It hasn't been done since the mid 60s.

 

[Robert W]

I believe Amtrak has busses to Yosemite Valley, but there isn't an Amtrak rail within fifty miles of Yosemite park. I've been all over that park and know it well with no fewer than fifty visits. LOL, those pipes most likely carry water from Hetch Hetchy reservoir to SF. That reservoir has been given credit for breaking John Muir's heart as it flooded Yosemite's twin valley.

True and I have seen both myself. I only went to Hetch Hetchy one time and it was a hell of a long time ago. That flooded canyon has been a blessing to San Francisco plus other cities that receive the water such as Fremont, CA. In fact I lived in Fremont where my home got water directly from the Hetch Hetchy pipeline. Fremont water comes mostly from wells. The city did an interesting thing back in the 1950s by drilling added wells very close to the SF Bay and pumping all of that salty water back to the Bay. It took a good many years but the wells closer to the hills produce good drinkable water.

 

[Robert W]

Wow, you are probably one of the three people on this board that are old enough to have actually seen the fire fall. It hasn't been done since the mid 60s.

I have seen them when they were operating. I have also been at the top of the falls and saw how they do the fire falls. People by the thousands would get good viewing places in the floor of the valley to see it and photo it. My parents photoed the fire falls.

 

[Robert W]

We camped each year in Yosemite below the fire falls.

I hope you had a wonderful time.

I have camped also at those camps you talk of.

 

[boevans]

Which year did the Yosemite fire falls end?

The Yosemite Firefall, a spectacular event where burning hot embers were pushed off Glacier Point to create the illusion of a glowing waterfall, ended in January 1968. The National Park Service decided to stop the event to preserve the natural state of the park and prevent damage to the meadows caused by the large crowds it attracted1.

 

[Concerned American]

I have seen them when they were operating. I have also been at the top of the falls and saw how they do the fire falls. People by the thousands would get good viewing places in the floor of the valley to see it and photo it. My parents photoed the fire falls.

 

[Concerned American]

I have seen them when they were operating. I have also been at the top of the falls and saw how they do the fire falls. People by the thousands would get good viewing places in the floor of the valley to see it and photo it. My parents photoed the fire falls.

I never got to see it. I saw it on my view master when I was very young, but they quit doing it by the time I moved there. I've got split emotions. I understand the very good reasons that prompted the cancellation, but I still would have liked to see it in person. I was opposed to Carlsbad Caverns doing away with colored lights in the cavern as well. I don't see any difference between natural and colored lights---neither are natural underground, but colored lights in specific locations enhanced the experience. Carlsbad is still pretty spectacular.

 

[odanny]

If you have not taken an overnighter on Amtrak before you should not expect to be on time to your destination, you also overpay for a tiny, cramped sleeping quarters, but the food is very good and all included in the price. The problem with Amtrak is all the delays you will experience and that you will pay more than you would if you got on a plane and arrived in a few hours.

 

[Robert W]

I never got to see it. I saw it on my view master when I was very young, but they quit doing it by the time I moved there. I've got split emotions. I understand the very good reasons that prompted the cancellation, but I still would have liked to see it in person. I was opposed to Carlsbad Caverns doing away with colored lights in the cavern as well. I don't see any difference between natural and colored lights---neither are natural underground, but colored lights in specific locations enhanced the experience. Carlsbad is still pretty spectacular.

I have missed going to Carlsbad so I am not fully aware of the impact of the lights you speak about. As to the firefalls in Yosemite, during one of my myriad of times in the valley I was told the reason they quit. Actually my time at the top gave me information. They had to cut or use a lot of timber for the firefalls. And it is a narrow road to the top. Also they used at least one bulldozer I believe. I imagine on google one can learn the truth for the cancelling. I have a recollection that they did it again recently. But I can't swear that is true.

They changed the location for the recent falls. It used to be on the Opposite side of the valley much closer to Half Dome.

In late February, the 'Firefall' can be seen flowing over the edge of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. This natural phenomenon draws in visitors from all over who hope to witness the magic. In 2025, the dates for this event run from February 8 through February 23.3 day