@RCBodyslam said:
How do I view public user lists?
I must be missing something simple and obvious.
All I want is to access lists that users have made public.
How do I do that without knowing their user id's or names?
How does someone view my public user lists if they don't know my name or anything else?

This feature existed in the past.
There are plans to restart.
https://trello.com/c/XhFS0yjE/8-restore-list-searches
See the long To-Do List on Trello.

Trello's To-Do list
https://trello.com/b/k34aFUme/web
https://trello.com/b/bVlsp6wz/api
If you want you can vote. More votes, faster. :-)