Close Menu
    Travel

    Driving Over Tioga Pass: Best Stops on Tioga Road in Yosemite National Park



    Driving Over Tioga Pass: Best Stops on Tioga Road in Yosemite National Park

    [Music] tayoka road over tioga pass is located in the eastern portion of yosemite national park and it provides a way to drive through the park’s high country connecting yosemite valley with highway 395. it was built in the late 1930s and is the highest highway pass in california while many people visit yosemite valley far fewer take the time to make this drive which is one of the best in california i wanted to create this video to show how beautiful the route is and share some of my favorite stops also note that this road is only open in the summer and closed from the snow the rest of the year let’s jump into it and let me know what i left off in the comments to begin the drive along tioga road my mom and i spent the night in lee vining and started early the next day our first stop was at wow nelly deli which has become a famous place for good food in the middle of nowhere i usually get fish tacos and i’ve been here a dozen times but this time we just got breakfast and it’s as good as i hoped it would be we also grab snacks for lunch since we would not be anywhere with food the rest of the day [Music] leaving woe nelly deli the road starts a giant climb up towards tioga pass this is a stressful drive on the way down if you haven’t checked your brakes in a while but on the way up there are some great pullouts for views of the canyon and the route [Music] there’s some information plaques and a seasonal waterfall near the top as well [Music] as you round the final bend you’ll reach the first of many high altitude lakes along this drive elderly lake [Music] there’s a great lookout right where you make the turn if you want to stop for a few minutes and admire the view [Music] as you continue you’ll reach your second lake tioga lake which is my personal favorite this lake has an amazing reflection of the surrounding mountains and it’s stunning to see and to photograph there are a few pullouts and a campground of this lake when you leave tayoga lake you’ll reach tioga pass which sits at a little over 9900 feet [Music] this is where you’ll have to pay to enter yosemite national park but the pass you buy is good for six more days so you can use it to explore the valley as well [Music] from here the road enters into some tree cover which makes it not as picturesque as the drive up but keep your eyes peeled for deer as i often see them when i’m driving through here [Music] you will then arrive at the tuolumne meadows area which is one of the most popular areas in this part of the park in tuolumne meadows you can hike dozens of trails with lembert dome an imposing piece of granite being one of the most popular other hikes here lead to glen allen unicorn peak and many other back country adventures you can also just explore tuolumne meadows and walk along the creek as well which is never a bad idea plus the short hike to soda springs which is a cabin that was built around carbonated water coming out of the ground is also a fun hike in the tuolumne meadows area from there the road continues through sprawling granite rocks and small forests before reaching tanaya lake tanaya lake is probably the most well-known lake on tayoga road and it’s often a popular location for people to hang out and enjoy during the summer there are a few places to pull out with the main one being a beach area with picnic benches and a pit toilet the views from this lake are stunning as well [Music] the lake is next to the sunrise lakes trailhead which is where hikes to the popular clouds rest usually begin you can watch a full video on my height to cloud’s rest in the description tioga road climbs from here until it reaches olmsted point with its fantastic viewpoint of the backside of half dome this is another well visited spot but people usually don’t stay here for long so if you wait you’ll probably get a parking spot eventually olmsted point is also an amazing spot for sunset as well and be sure to look back at tanaya lake as you’re driving up [Music] as you continue onward you get great views of clouds rest as you start the downhill to may lake may lake is a perfect short hike that leads to a stunning lake and backcountry campground i’ve only done it when the lake was frozen over with ice and snow and i can’t wait to come back and do it in the summer do note that it’s mostly uphill when you do this hike though [Music] as you head on the views start to diminish as you enter a more forested area where there are less breaks in the trees to see the backcountry of yosemite this area has lots of trailheads that access many popular backcountry hikes as well porcupine creek is one of those trailheads and it leads to north dome which is amazing spot to get views of half dome from this trail also has indian arch which is one of the few rock arches in yosemite national park many more trailheads pop up as you continue with lukan’s lake being the next quick one that many people often do this short hike goes uphill the entire way and takes you to another stunning lake along the drive [Music] from here the last spot i’ve personally visited is tuolumne grove at the end of tioga road tuolumne grove is a grove of giant sequoias that’s not as stunning as mariposa grove but is a much less popular and great family-friendly hike i have another video on just this grove in the description if you want to check it out and it can also be a fun spot for snowshoeing in the winter as well as you can see the road trip along tioga road is amazing and this is just a very small percentage of the places you can visit along the drive especially if you’re into hiking there are hundreds of great options along tioga road for great hikes in the yosemite back country i hope you enjoyed this road trip video and let me know what your favorite spot along tioga road is in the comments we’ll see you on the next video

    Tioga Road, or Highway 120, is one of the best drives in California. This road takes you from Highway 395, up over a 9945 foot pass, and eventually down near the Yosemite Valley. It is a great road trip and there are hundreds of opportunities to hike and explore Yosemite’s backcountry. Here are some of my favorite spots, let me know what yours are in the comments.

    Read more about Tioga Pass here – https://californiathroughmylens.com/tioga-pass-road

    Follow me:
    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/californiathroughmylens
    Instagram: http://instagram.com/californiathroughmylens
    Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/cathroughmylens
    Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cathroughmylens
    Monthly newsletter and four day welcome series on California’s best spots: https://bit.ly/2AWSVMK

    Gear:
    See all the gear I use here https://www.amazon.com/shop/californiathroughmylens

    Music:
    Epidemic Sound
    https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/usqgdp/

    Want to mail something?
    California Through My Lens
    5198 Arlington Ave # 937
    Riverside, CA 92504

    View 42 Comments

    42 Comments

    1. @donreed on

      Splendid narration. Nothing forced, just an ordinary conversational voice that stands in relief to most VT video narrations that are forced and difficult if not impossible to listen to (if the idgits aren't busy drowning out their narration with "music," which, I guess, solves the problem. Thank God for the mute button). Congrats. Now, go put out a forest fire.

    3. @billymasters11 on

      Just went through here the construction and delays are highly obnoxious. They just tore up about 10 miles of pavement for what reason I don’t know. One lane travel with a pilot car.

    4. @donniereiter3646 on

      That video is rad, Yosemite National Park is so big that every time I come back to visit I always see something new that I have never seen before. Unbelievable

    5. @aznsrey1324 on

      I went to Teneya Lake by shuttle once and it was pretty late… thought we were stranded there so We were hitchhiking but luckily the last shuttle of the day came in time 😭 I even have a pic of me literally hitchhiking lol good memory tho😅 Thank God we were safe🙏✝️🥺😁

    7. @dgronzega8073 on

      Nice vid. Great information, showed me a few places I'd like to try.
      I've done something on Tioga pass that will never happen again in my lifetime. Most likely.
      Drive over on NewYears Day.
      Because of the CA drought there wasn't enough snow to close. There were people walking, ice skating and even a mini hockey game on Tenaya lake.

    9. @nicolassapokas2139 on

      Hi!! Really good video, thanks!! Can i make you a question? I'm going to visit yosemite the 29 and 30 of september and i will get there from Las vegas so my idea is go throw Tioga pass, do you know if it is going to be open for those dates? Thanks!

    11. @dorom7232 on

      Thanks for the great video. I am planning to drive up there next June, I hope its open then . I am afraid of heights but I guess the first first part from Lee Vining is ok, going up? Thanks,

    16. @michaelwilkinson2110 on

      We're gong to Yosemite in June, first time, and coming from Tahoe; we wonder if by June 20th this road will even be open due to all the snowfall this year. We'll have to go the long way around to Yosemite (Valley, etc) and miss this road altogether, if so.

    20. @Cpchurch87 on

      Currently waiting anxiously to see if it’ll open soon. I’m meant to be driving this in about 2 weeks. 108 is the backup, but I’d be upset to miss out on this one

    24. @vikass-x8l on

      Wow this the video I was looking for and go over so many video. I am
      Planning to drive from Vegas to Yosemite with your suggested route. If any of the reader is interested to join me, write me up as I will be going alone. 😊

    30. @Mia-ht8oi on

      Thank you for sharing! I watched some other YT vdeos on Tioga pass and the road looked v. scary, multiple areas w/no guard rails and steep drop offs. Per your video, it when you are taking this rout towards Yosemite, we'll be driving on the Rt side (not towards the cliff side?) 😅 Is there another route to take to Yosemite that isn't scary driving? We just did Zion/Bryce and the mountain drive plus the drive up the cliff to get to Mt Carmel tunnel had me frozen lol

    34. @cyninbend on

      After Yosemite Valley became so packed with tourists, anytime we had more time to stay than a single 2-day weekend off work, we went up to Tuolumne and the campgrounds up in the high country. It is paradise! Everyone has their favorite–mine is Porcupine Flats–a primitive campground, meaning an outhouse and a spigot for fresh water. It's the deep dark woods you think of–but there is a sunnier side… We stayed at White Wolf Campground–which I suggest if you are in a camper (truck with attached camper)–when there were 5 of us…we appreciated the actual restrooms and bigger campsites.  

      Tents are great at Porcupine Flats tho you better exercise bear precautions–no food in tent, ice chest left in trunk of car, put away EVERYTHING. We were in a camper that night when I found we'd had a bear visitor during the night–his or her paw prints were everywhere, he'd torn up our fire, which was out at the time, bent my grill that my husband cooked steaks on, maybe he tried to eat it? 1st bear of my life! 0ur camper also had an issue with low branches at Porcupine Flats–but tents don't have those issues. White Wolf is open wide for vehicles.  Paved or gravel roads, not mud. So it's a no-brainer. Porcupine Flats for tents and campers who are willing to be careful not to attract bears, and who love camping deep in the forest. White Wolf when you have the camper or trailer and neophyte campers. And want an actual restroom, if not warm water and showers (available at Tuolumne Meadows somewhere and at the Housekeeping units when you get to Yosemite Valley.

      The walk to May Lake that leaves from White Wolf is so beautiful–if it's uphill, it sure must be a very small incline–no one even noticed. There is just a walk down a fire road, very easy, then a walk thru a forest down a perfect little path on the side of a hill, like a fairy tale! A flower meadow, and you are just about there. A pristine lake with no boats–no engines! And around the side, the backpacking path to Hetch Hetchy and then Yosemite Falls begins with a small switchback trail (unless it's been replaced?). We got just about down it when the rain (we never heard anything about rain–a warm summer day, Memorial or the 4th, turned it to mud! Neither my brother nor I could get up that thing. No way–we slid right back down. I ran 3 miles a day, was not out of shape, (but lacked the strong butt muscles that none of our German ancestors had). One of our friends rode his bicycle long distances and managed to pull 3 of us up each level at a time! We weren't planning to hike all the way to the Valley–no permit or registration–so we'd have frozen out there all night. We were very typical foolish campers…Many camp trips all over the western US but not a lot of rural sense like what to do with mud on a steep section of hillside. Still an experience I'd never trade for anything.

      I agree with you 100% on Tuolumne Meadows. I read that they have stopped people from walking out on the Meadows. There are trails that you must stay on. Which is fine–you have the same view from every side, a piece of Heaven! It's high altitude but none of us felt any altitude issues ever. Just where we could see the jets flyover, not so we could see the pilots. It's the place where I feel closest to paradise. Maybe because they shut it down for more months than they have it open? Cleanest place on this planet. You can smell and taste the freshness. Your soul knows how far you are from everyone and everything. Except beauty, rejuvenation, innocence, Mother Nature and God.

    Leave A Reply