Driving / Traffic, Yosemite National Park

We did not know about the tire chain requirement when we were here in December 2003. There was a big snowstorm a day before and we were trying to enter the park via California Highway 41 from Oakhurst. As we drove the mountainous, winding roads, the elevation increased and heavy, deep snow started to appear on the side of the roads. Near Fish Camp, the traffic had stopped and apparently there was a ranger who was checking each vehicle for tire chains and each vehicle was required to put them on. We did not even have tire chains so we had to turn back and since we are from the Midwest and hate driving in snow, we decided not to visit the park. I'm not saying that you shouldn't visit Yosemite during the winter; it's probably very beautiful. Just be prepared to encounter winter weather and do have tire chains in your vehicle!

such a madness!!!! this is a proper word to identify how so many people drive their cars, vans o RV. I guess that max speed is 40 or 45 miles per hour because there are some risk of bear crossing...actually main cause of bears death is for drivers who run over them. So almost nobody respect that speed .. no paying attention laws and wildlife.. its a pitty and I shame on them

Be careful when you drive to Yosemite. It is curve after curve for miles. Especially going South from Yosemite Valley.

A lot of drivers become impatient so you can use the pull outs. Reduce you speed when pulling over so you don't go over the edge of a cliff.

Each winter, the Sierra Nevada recieves a large amount of snowfall (150+ inches), which will usually shut down many roads and trails in Yosemite National Park. This means that visitors in winter will not be able to reach places like Glacier Point, Mariposa Grove, and Tuolumne Meadows. Here is a bit of information about what's closed and what's not in winter:

Yosemite Valley: Open year round, roads are plowed in winter though chains may become necessary. The Mist Trail from it's first junction with the John Muir Trail to the top of Vernal Fall and the John Muir Trail from Clark Point to the top of Nevada Fall are closed in winter, and the cables ascending Half Dome are down.
Hetch Hetchy: Open year round, though a major snowstorm may cause the road to close temporarily; reduced hours in winter.
Glacier Point: The Glacier Point Road is usually closed from late October-early November to May. In 2006, the Glacier Point Road was opened on May 24. The Glacier Point Road is kept open to Badger Pass during winter.
Mariposa Grove: The Mariposa Grove Road is closed November to April. Plowing starts after snow stops.
Tuolumne Meadows: Tioga Rd is closed from Crane Flat to Lee Vining from late October to May. This is not definite; sometimes snow doesn't come until late in the season (one year, the road wasn't closed until January 1st the next year), and sometimes it snows alot (another year Tioga Rd wasn't open until July 1). In 2005, Tioga Rd was open on June 23, in 2006, on June 17; plowing usually begins on April 15, but on years of heavy snowfall this will be delayed to May 1. Plowing the road takes about 45 days, if there are no major avalanches.

Note that Yosemite's High Sierra Camps usually won't be open before July 1, and that on years of particularly heavy snowfall (like 2005), they were closed for the season.

If you're frustrated by the 35 mph signs on roads in the park and would like to go faster, remember that the speed limit is to protect wildlife, not you; national parks don't just preserve scenery, but the everything natural within its borders. Deer and other animals react with bad judgement when they see cars coming, and speeding will not give them enough time to escape. If you hit a deer, not only will the animal die, your car will be heavily damaged. Also, on Tioga Road, slow down for bears! Every red bear sign you see on the roadside signifies that a bear was hit and killed by a car there. Remember that this is their home and not yours.

Tioga Pass, the main entrance into Yosemite National Park from the east, is at a high altitude (over 9000 feet). As a result, it is often closed until late May or even June due to heavy snows that take a while to melt or get cleared.

You may want to check the National Park Service website for road construction and/or closures. When visiting in late May, early June the asphalt roads in Yosemite Valley were being slurry sealed and it was common for one lane to be closed off. Delays were from 5 to 30 minutes and a few times I turned off my engine if it appeared to be a long wait. Not sure if they were trying to complete the roads before the height of the summer season or if construction is on-going.

You can't help but feel tiny when visiting Yosemite. The surrounding rock faces and sheer size of the park account for that meager feeling. The vastness will certainly be an amazing feeling but a few problems arise from it.
1. With everything so far away (30-40 miles from park entrance) it will take you a long time to travel from place to place. The trip to Glacier Point from the valley floor for an example is an hour each way. The idea here is to give yourself a lot of time.
2. Unless you have a very fuel efficient car you will use more than half a tank of gas in the park. The main problem here is that their were only two gas stations in the park. Both near entrances and the gas at them was priced about a dollar higher than the current gas prices elsewhere, so try to fill up before you enter.