Tioga Road (the continuation of Highway 120 through Yosemite National Park, CA) will tentatively open to all vehicles on Thursday, May 27, at 8 am, weather and conditions permitting.
- Also this week: Caltrans Announces Ebbetts and Sonora Passes to Close Indefinitely Due to Incoming Snowstorm
The full length of the road will be open to bicycles May 23–25, conditions permitting.
Important things to know:
- A reservation is required to drive into the park. A reservation is not required to enter the park by bicycle (but the $20/person entrance fee still applies).
- Be prepared for a long ride with many hills and major elevation gain/loss.
- Watch for icy spots.
- No services are available. Bring adequate water and food for a strenuous ride.
- In case of emergency, expect a delayed response from rangers and/or ambulance. Cell service is not available on Tioga Road.
Last year Tioga Road opened on June 15th. The earliest it has opened in the last 10 years was May 2nd, in 2014.
Tioga Road closes due to snow usually from sometime in November through late May or early June. The road closure extends from the Tuolumne Grove, just east of Crane Flat, to Tioga Pass Entrance Station. (Highway 120, the continuation of the Tioga Road outside the park, is often closed in winter from Tioga Pass to five miles west of Lee Vining.)
When the road is closed, it is not possible to drive to Tuolumne Meadows or enter Yosemite National Park from the east. All other park entrances, including those along Highway 120 from the west, Hetch Hetchy, Highway 140, and Highway 41, remain open all year.
