Entrance station · Yosemite National Park
The eastern gateway sits 9,945 feet up on the Sierra crest.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
“You're approaching Tioga Pass, Yosemite's eastern gateway at nearly ten thousand feet. This is the Sierra crest, and snow closes the road for much of the year, usually from around November until May or June.”
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
Tioga Pass and Gaylor Lakes“You're approaching Tioga Pass, Yosemite's eastern gateway at nearly ten thousand feet. This is the Sierra crest, and snow closes the road for much of the year, usually from around November until May or June.”
Plays as you drive up to Tioga Pass 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
Tioga Pass Entrance is Yosemite's eastern fee station on Tioga Road, the continuation of Highway 120 from the east. It sits at 9,945 feet on the Sierra Nevada crest, so think of it as the start of a high-country drive rather than a sightseeing stop of its own. Staff can sell entrance passes and provide maps and the park newspaper. The station is cashless, so bring a card or have an eligible pass ready.
Tioga Road is Yosemite's seasonal eastern crossing. It usually closes around November and stays closed until May or June, with dates that shift from year to year. When the road is closed, you can't drive into the park from the east or reach Tuolumne Meadows by this route. Entrance traffic can also build in spring through fall, especially on weekends; arriving early or later in the day can help avoid the worst delays.
The first road across this high country was the Great Sierra Wagon Road, built in 1883 in just 130 days, mostly by Chinese laborers. Much of it followed the Mono Trail, an Indigenous summer trade route. When the modern road's last section was planned, a higher route through Ten Lakes competed with a lower alignment that mostly followed the old wagon road. Work on the final section began in 1957, and Tioga Road opened to the public on June 24, 1961.
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
ChallengingMount Dana Trail5.4 mi · 6 hr · At the trailheadA steep summit push with Mono Lake, Dana Lake, and Sierra views.
ModerateGaylor Lakes Trail3.6 mi · 3 hr · At the trailheadA steep pass opens onto the Gaylor Lakes basin.
ModerateMono Pass Trail8 mi · 6 hr · 1.4 mi awayWet meadows give way to a pass with Mono Lake views.
ModerateSpillway Lake Trail8 mi · 5 hr · 1.4 mi awayFour miles each way to a high-country lake past wet meadows.
ChallengingParker Pass Trail10.5 mi · 8 hr · 1.4 mi awayA long climb to a high Sierra pass above Dana Meadows.
ModerateLower Gaylor Lake Trail4.7 mi · 3 hr · 3.3 mi awayA high-country lake with a faint final approach.
ChallengingVogelsang to Cathedral Loop34.4 mi · 18 hr · 4.7 mi awayA high-country loop linking three of Yosemite’s High Sierra Camps.
ModerateLyell Canyon Trail11.4 mi · 6 hr · 4.8 mi awayA long walk among meadows, river crossings, and open high country.Parkwolf’s Yosemite ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
