Yosemite Scenic Drives: From Crane Flat to Tioga Pass

From your Scenic Wonders base camp, roadways of spectacular scenery are ridiculously near at hand. A shining example is the Tioga Road between Crane Flat and Tioga Pass, originally laid out in the early 1880s—one of the great mountain routes in the West.

Yosemite Scenic Drives: Crane Flat to Tioga Pass

The Drive The 39-mile journey rises from Crane Flat and winds into the high country, passing such landmarks as Tenaya Lake and Tuolumne Meadows. It usually opens by the end of May or beginning of June and closes in November. The Tioga Road brings you up close and personal to some of the marvels of the High Sierra, from shaggy stands of mountain hemlock and massive exposures of glacier-buffed granite to the vast subalpine pasture of Tuolumne Meadows. Huge rolling mountain summits—Fairview Dome, Mount Conness, Mount Hoffmann—grab your eye as you break out of the high timber. As you reach the Tioga Pass area, you’re in a sublime landscape of tremendous scale—cast in the shadow of soaring peaks. At 9,945 feet, the pass itself is the highest in all of California. Driving Tips The key to a safe and fulfilling traverse of the Tioga Road—or any other of the Yosemite scenic drives—is to take your time. With such remarkable countryside and so many fascinating stops along the way, it doesn’t make sense to rush. The road’s meanders and occasional steep, edging drop-offs call for cautious, measured driving. There are plentiful pullouts on the route—use them! On these kinds of winding mountain drives, the most demanding work comes with accommodating other drivers. If you’ve got someone hot on your trail, just keep to the speed with which you’re comfortable and use the next pull-off to let the other car pass. Don’t miss the Tioga Road and its high-country vistas. Take a day trip out of our Scenic Wonders neighborhood and go mint some Sierra Nevada memories!

Make Your Yosemite Reservations Today

If you’re planning to visit Yosemite, consider making your reservations with Yosemite’s Scenic Wonders. We offer Yosemite reservations within the gates of the park. With one of our cozy cabins, condominiums, or homes, your Yosemite accommodations will be just minutes from the Yosemite scenic drives we described. Give us a call at 1-888-YOSEMITE (1-888-967-3648) to learn about our rentals and to make your Yosemite reservations today.

Yosemite National Park Blog

Scenic Wonders’ Yosemite blog provides the latest news related to Yosemite National Park. By reading our blog, you’ll stay up to date on activities, accommodations, and more.   Photo credit: wilbanks