Driving / Roads, Yosemite National Park

If you have the opportunity, use all three major entrances into or leaving Yosemite National Park
1) South Entrance (Highway 41 from Fresno)
2) Arch Rock Entrance (Highway 140 from Merced)
3) Big Oak Flat Entrance (Highway 120)

Note that Tioga Pass is closed in winter.

For road and weather condition: 209-372-0200

We chose to drive to Yosemite, entering the park by the south near Wawona, although there are also entrances to the east and the west. Entrance to the park costs $20.00 per car (including passengers) and hikers/cyclists are charged $10.00 each. These passes are valid for 7 days. Bus passengers may enter free of charge.

There are day-use car parks in the park. Although we had no difficutly finding spaces they may fill up early in the day during the peak season.

It is time to leave the park. I planned to go over the Sierra Nevada by taken the Tioga Pass. Unfortunately the Tioga Pass was still closed. I had to make a big detour to get over the Sierra Nevada. I had to go a long way to the north to Lake Tahoe, it was the first available pass I could cross. But I had to hurry, that pass could be closed at any time because it was snowing a lot in the mountains.

As soon as I got out of the park the sun started shining. I had a lot of miles to go, but who cares in this kind of weather :-)

Unbelievable how quickly the weather conditions can change. One moment the skies are blue and the sun is shining. The next moment.... SNOW!

I was nearly in Lake Tahoe, but I still had to cross the pass. The radio was warning that the pass could close any moment for everyone that didn't have snowchains. And of course I didn't... it was my summer holiday! I didn't expect to need snow chains! I was in luck, I passed the checkpoint just in time. A lot of cars drove into the ditch because of the slippery conditions, but I got through in one piece... I could continue my trip!

I drove to Yosemite on Hwy 41 from Fresno. It was a beautiful drive through the narrow road, but my rental car was a little too small for the trip. I had many SUV's come right up behind me, and they wanted me out of their way-now! Thankfully, the turnouts are there so no harm was done, but it got a little hairy at times. It definitely marred the trip a bit.

I have traveled in and around Yosemite Valley for years, since I grew up in the central valley less than two hours from the park entrance and patrolled the county as a deputy sheriff. The majority of people approach the park from the west, via Hwy 120, which lends itself to much congestion. If you are coming from the east don’t bother reading any further as you will find your way. However, if you are coming from the west and want to see some great spots and maybe miss some traffic, read on. No matter where you start from get yourself to Hwy 99, which runs directly up the middle of the State and find your way to Stockton (just south of Sacramento). In Stockton take the exit off Hwy 99 onto eastbound Hwy 88 (Waterloo Road) or near Lodi (just north of Stockton) take Hwy 12 (east, not west) over to Hwy 88. Stay on Hwy 88 for about 70 miles and see some of the best scenery of the high Sierra mountains in California. If you want to go to Lake Tahoe you can take the cut off at Hwy 89 (north) or for Yosemite take Hwy 89 south (little further on Hwy 88) toward Markleville. Stay on Hwy 89 until you hit Hwy 395 and then head south. You can stay on Hwy 395 to the town of Lee Vinning where Hwy 120 comes over from the Yosemite Valley. This is the east entrance to the park and not as heavily traveled. Before heading into the park you will probably want to spend the night on the Hwy 395 side somewhere. The best spots are in the town of Bishop. The Holiday Inn Express is good and the Whiskey Creek Grill has some really great food. Bad news is Bishop is about 60 miles south of the Hwy 120 turn off to the park entrance so you have to double back in the morning. If you are coming from Los Angeles you can hit Hwy 395 (north) by cutting over from Interstate Highway 5 by heading toward Lancaster and Palmdale.

With the exception of the congestion that becomes a bottleneck of traffic around the village, driving around certain portions of Yosemite valley can be a pleasant experience. The main road splits into one way roads which lead to "stop and gawk" sights such as El Capitan meadow or the slippery path up to Bridal Veil Falls, both of which are definite places to stop and check out the scenery.

Glacier Point Road is a 4 mile spur road that ascends 3000 plus feet above Yosemite Valley. From the top, the entire valley is visible along with Half Dome and numerous other peaks. A short paved trail leads to the overlook from the parking lot.

The roads leading into and through Yosemite are extemely steep and winding. While some people treat the park roads as if they were a race track, it can be dangerous to take these curves too fast. Be careful driving and make sure to put your car in lower gear when heading downhill.

When driving around the roads of Yosemite - you will invariably see lots of turn-outs - often with loads of cars and people lookng off into the distance. The natural respone is to look out your window and see what all the fuss is about. And when you do, you'll usually be floored - so much so that you may forget for a moment that you are actually driving a car! Often people will gaze up at the awesome face of El Capitan, and, after gasping for a moment, will decide they have to stop, and will come to their senses either heading straight towards the edge of the road or into the back of another motorist going throught this same process!

The solution: when you see a turnout - especially if there are people there - STOP - get out, and THEN see what they're looking at. It is Yosemite after all, so no doubt it will be awesome! Plus, this way you won't miss anything!