Tioga and Glacier Point Roads Plowing Update

 

Tioga Road

June 22, 2019

Tioga Road is open to through traffic only 10 am–11 am and 3 pm–4 pm daily until further notice. Stopping and day-use recreation are not allowed. No visitor services are available.

Motorists can start driving from five miles east of Crane Flat (eastbound) and from Tioga Pass (westbound) from 10 to 11 am and 3 to 4 pm. Motorists do not need complete the drive at closing times (but parking is not allowed).

Bicycles are allowed during daylight hours; cyclists must be off the road by dark. No camping is available along the road. Parking for cyclists is available in any turnouts downhill from (outside of) the closure areas.

Snow clearing operations this year have made the road passable through the park but the water delivery and wastewater infrastructure in the Tuolumne Meadows area is still not ready to be used. In order to protect this fragile alpine environment from the impacts which come from human waste associated with the large numbers of visitors that utilize this area of the park when it is opened to the public, but still allowing for the motoring public to transit this important road corridor, the superintendent is allowing this limited access.

Read more details in the news release.

Snowpack in the Tuolumne River basin was at 149% of average this year as of May 1. View a list of previous opening dates. Highways 108 and 4, north of Yosemite, have opened for the season.

Glacier Point Road

Glacier Point Road opened for the season to vehicles on May 10, 2019.

 

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions:

• How can I drive to Yosemite from Las Vegas or Death Valley when the Tioga Road is closed?
• What are the historical opening dates for the Tioga and Glacier Point Roads?
• What are the historical opening dates for Sonora Pass (Highway 108) and Ebbetts Pass (Highway 4)?
• Why does it take so long to open the roads?

  Even after plowing has been completed, trash collection, functioning restrooms, and adequate staffing must be in place to prevent harm to park resources.

  Additionally, these are common causes for slow progress on the Tioga Road:

• Road repairs, ditching, and brushing operations must occur once snow has melted back enough. The roads may also remain very icy even after they're plowed.
• Avalanche zones (26 potential areas). The Olmsted Point avalanche zone requires careful work, including application of charcoal over the snow to help with melting and blasting the snow slab to make it safer for personnel.
• Heavy snow pack slows the whole operation.
• Trees that have fallen across the road and been buried in the snow can cause substantial damage to equipment and result in a stop to all operations until they're cleared.
• Rockfalls buried by the snow can cause substantial damage to the equipment and result in a stop to all operations.
• Snow storms during the opening require a stop to Tioga Road operations in order to plow and sand park roads that are open.

• Will I be able to ride a bicycle on the Tioga or Glacier Point Roads before they open to cars?
  In some years, these roads may be open during limited periods to bicycles prior to opening to cars. Any updates regarding pre-opening access on these roads will appear on this webpage. Unless otherwise posted here, both roads are closed to cyclists if they are closed to vehicles.

 

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  Olmsted Point Plowing

  Every spring, both visitors and locals look forward to the opening of the Tioga Road, a high-elevation pass that crosses Yosemite National Park. Get a glimpse of what it takes to clear snow and ice from a section of the highway known for dangerous avalanches.

  Duration:

  3 minutes, 35 seconds