Dan's Outside

Tioga Road Opening Date – My Wild and Almost Completely Uninformed Guess

(An old article – posted here so as not to lose it during the site transition.)

Many of us begin watching for the opening of Tioga Pass Road this time of year. Guessing the actual opening date seems like a relatively harmless sport, so here goes.

The road has opened as early as April 29 (in 1988 during a severe drought) and as late as the beginning of July (after some heavy/late snow years). This year the conditions are much more like the former than the latter.

According to the April 25 update at the Tioga and Glacier Point Roads Plowing Update page, the initial clearing of the road all the way to Tioga Pass has been completed. What remains is described as road widening and clearing of pull-outs and side roads.

In the past I think that there has been a tendency to open the road on a weekday during during the middle or towards the end of the week, but perhaps not Friday.

So, I’m going out on a limb and predicting that it will be possible to drive across Tioga Pass road this year on Thursday, May 3. (If I’m wrong, my backup date is the following Thursday.)

For anyone contemplating an early season visit to the Tioga Road high country, do be aware that when the road first opens few, if any, services will be available – campgrounds generally open later and the store, grill, post office, etc. at Tuolumne probably won’t open for a few weeks.
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April 27, 2007 Posted by gdanmitchell | Yosemite | Comments Off on Tioga Road Opening Date – My Wild and Almost Completely Uninformed Guess

Four Oaks, Yosemite Valley

Four Oaks, Yosemite Valley. Yosemite National Park, California. April 21, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

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April 27, 2007 Posted by gdanmitchell | Yosemite | Comments Off on Four Oaks, Yosemite Valley