Photos of the Tioga Pass Road in Yosemite National Park

January 17th, 2009

Tioga Lake in Yosemite National Park

These photos were taken in June of 2006 and show various sights you’ll see while traveling along the Tioga Pass Road in Yosemite National Park. I love the sights you see off the Tioga Pass Road, as you truly do get a wonderful mix of everything…rivers, meadows, snow covered peaks, beautiful lakes such as Tenaya Lake, and massive rocks.

For those not familiar with it, the Tioga Pass Road, also known as Highway 120, runs between the western side of Yosemite to Lee Vining, which is located on the eastern side of the Sierra Mountains, right next to Mono Lake. The road, as the name implies, crosses the Sierra Crest at a high elevation pass called Tioga Pass. This pass, which is absolutely buried in snow during the winter months (due to it’s elevation of 9945 feet), is generally only open for travel beginning in late spring or early summer, depending on the weather and snow depth.

A road trip down the Tioga Pass Road is a long one. It’s more than 60 miles between Lee Vining and where the road begins on the park’s western side. This road also marks the highest auto pass road in the State of California.

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