Entrance station · Yosemite National Park
Drive beneath the boulder arch at the Highway 140 entrance.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
“You're nearing Arch Rock Entrance on El Portal Road. The namesake boulders form a natural arch over the inbound lane beside the fee booth, so the landmark is part of the drive rather than a separate outing.”
Yosemite Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Yosemite National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Yosemite audio tourRecorded for this place
Arch Rock Entrance“You're nearing Arch Rock Entrance on El Portal Road. The namesake boulders form a natural arch over the inbound lane beside the fee booth, so the landmark is part of the drive rather than a separate outing.”
Plays as you drive up to Arch Rock Entrance in the Parkwolf Yosemite Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“We just drove through Yosemite and it made our trip listening to this app as we drove through. Like having a tour guide in the car with you.”
Guide
Arch Rock Entrance is Yosemite’s fee station on El Portal Road, the continuation of Highway 140 into the park. Two enormous boulders flank the inbound lane and form a natural arch beside the booth, so you pass beneath the namesake rock on the way in. It’s a quick landmark built into the drive, not a separate hike.
Entrance queues are common from spring through fall, especially on afternoons and weekends, and delays can happen any day. If your route and schedule allow, arriving early or later in the day can make the approach easier.
The two rocks stand on either side of the inbound road just by the fee booth. For a photo, keep the lane running between them in the frame; that shows the arch as a gateway rather than just a close-up of granite.
You can pay the entrance fee, show an existing parks pass, or buy a pass here; park brochures may be available. There’s an accessible restroom and two accessible picnic tables, useful if you want a short break before continuing into Yosemite.
Wildlife
732 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,747 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
332 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
11 sightingsPeregrine FalconMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
276 sightingsPikaMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
677 sightingsYellow-bellied MarmotMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Yosemite. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyLittle Nellie Falls Trail5.6 mi · 3 hr · 1.6 mi awayA quiet old road leads from Big Meadow toward a small waterfall.
EasyForesta Falls Trail1.8 mi · 1.3 hr · 1.7 mi awayA short road walk to a tucked-away Crane Creek waterfall.
ChallengingFull North Rim Traverse29.1 mi · 17 hr · 2 mi awayCross four granite summits on a true North Rim traverse.
EasyTurtleback Dome Trail1.2 mi · 1 hr · 2.1 mi awayA short climb ends on granite above Yosemite Valley.
ModerateDeer Camp Road8.4 mi · 4.5 hr · 3.1 mi awayAn old fire road reaches a former CCC camp in southern Yosemite.
ChallengingStanford Point Trail7.6 mi · 6 hr · 3.6 mi awayA steep south-rim climb ends at a granite valley overlook.
ModerateInspiration Point Trail2.6 mi · 2 hr · 3.6 mi awayA steep climb to a quieter Yosemite Valley viewpoint
ModerateArtist Point Trail2.2 mi · 1.5 hr · 3.6 mi awayA quieter perch beyond Tunnel View, reached along the old stagecoach road.
Picnic area · 2.7 mi awayThe Cascades Picnic AreaA shady lunch stop with a waterfall just across the road.
Gas station · 2.9 mi awayEl Portal Gas Station and MarketFuel, groceries and EV charging on Yosemite's western approach.
Sight · 3.6 mi awayTunnel ViewThe valley opens in one huge panorama beyond the tunnel.
Sight · 4 mi awayBadger Pass Ski AreaA historic Yosemite ski base for downhill, Nordic, and snowshoe days.
Sight · 4.3 mi awayValley ViewGranite cliffs and Bridalveil Fall framed across the Merced River.
Campground · 4.5 mi awayTamarack Flat CampgroundForest camping with a trail toward Yosemite's North Rim.
Sight · 4.6 mi awayDewey PointEl Capitan anchors a far-reaching view from the granite rim.Parkwolf’s Yosemite ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
