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Yosemite Road Conditions
To get the latest information on particular roads in the Yosemite area, call the CalTrans hotline at 800-427-7623 or 916-445-7623. State the highway number you're interested in and you'll hear a recording of the latest conditions for that road.For a report on all the roads in Yosemite, call the park at 209-372-0200 and select '1' from each of the first two phone menus.
You can also get current road-condition information from the CalTrans Road Conditions website. Type in a highway number to see any current restrictions for that road.
Highway Numbers in the Yosemite area:
Yosemite Road Map41: This highway leads from Fresno through Coarsegold, Oakhurst, and Fish Camp to Yosemite's south entrance, then on into Yosemite Valley. It peaks at about 6,000 feet (1,800 meters) elevation at the Glacier Point Road turnoff, and tire chains are frequently required in the winter.
120: This highway enters Yosemite from the north, near Hetch Hetchy, where it's known as the Big Oak Flat Road, then turns east at Crane Flat and becomes the Tioga Pass Road, eventually exiting Yosemite in the east at Tioga Pass. If you continue south instead of turning east at Crane Flat, you'll descend to Yosemite Valley, though you'll technically be on highway 41 rather than 120 here.
The stretch of 120 from Crane Flat to Yosemite's eastern entrance, also known as Tioga Road, reaches nearly 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) elevation and is usually closed altogether from early November until June. See the table below for past opening and closing dates.
If you take 120 from the north (Big Oak Flat) entrance to Yosemite Valley, you'll peak at just over 6,000 feet (1,800 meters) elevation, and you'll need to carry tire chains in the winter.
140: This road runs east from Merced through Mariposa and El Portal into Yosemite Valley. Because it proceeds upstream through the Merced River canyon, its peak elevation is at Yosemite Valley (4,000 feet/1,200 meters). If you're worried about winter road conditions, this is the route to take to Yosemite. It's required to carry tire chains on this road in the winter, but you're much less likely to need them than if you're driving on 41 or 120.
After a rockslide on Highway 140 near Savage's Trading Post (about 8 miles/13km west of the Yosemite entrance) in the spring of 2006, the road was closed for several weeks. Though it's since been reopened, there's a one-lane detour around the slide area with a 15-minute stoplight. Vehicles over 28 feet (8.5 meters) in length are prohibited.
49: The gold-rush highway heads north, parallel to Yosemite, from Oakhurst to I80 at Auburn. If you've decided to get around winter road issues by entering Yosemite via 140, you may end up taking 49 to Mariposa to reach 140. Snow and ice on 49 are rare but not unheard of.
395: This is the major north-south artery east of Yosemite. It goes north to Reno and south nearly to San Bernardino. It intersects Road 120, the Tioga Road to Yosemite, at Lee Vining, 10 miles (16km) east of Yosemite.
What Sorts of Things Can Go Wrong with the Roads in Yosemite?
The biggest road hazard in Yosemite is snow and ice, which is common in the winter. Plan on carrying tire chains if you're making a winter visit.Road closures are rare in other seasons, but not impossible. Highway 140 was closed for much of the summer of 2006 because of a rockslide, for instance, and roads can be closed due to forest fires, particularly in the late summer. Beware of construction delays, as well. Yosemite Valley in the winter is often a labyrinth of detours as the park service scrambles to fit in all its construction, maintenance, and controlled burns before the summer crowds return.
| Year | Opening Date | Closing Date |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | May 20 | November 12 |
| 2008 | May 21 | October 30 |
| 2007 | May 11 | December 7 |
| 2006 | June 17 | November 29 |
| 2005 | June 24 | November 25 |
| 2004 | May 14 | October 17 |
| 2003 | May 31 | October 31 |
| 2002 | May 22 | November 5 |
| 2001 | May 12 | November 11 |
| 2000 | May 18 | November 9 |
| 1999 | May 28 | November 23 |
| 1998 | July 1 | November 12 |
| 1997 | June 13 | November 12 |
| 1996 | May 31 | November 5 |
| 1995 | June 30 | December 11 |
| 1994 | May 25 | November 10 |
| 1993 | June 3 | November 24 |
| 1992 | May 15 | November 10 |
| 1991 | May 26 | November 14 |
| 1990 | May 17 | November 19 |
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