This news story about the opening of Tioga Road is based on a July 19, 2023, Yosemite National Park Facebook post. You can read the original post here.
“Great news!” Yosemite National Park posted on its Facebook page on Wednesday, July 19, along with the announcement that Tioga Road opens to vehicles on Saturday, July 22.
After the historic snowfall in Yosemite last winter, this popular high-elevation road in Yosemite National Park had been closed for much longer than it usually is.
In fact, there was so much snow in Yosemite the park had to close for a few weeks in March.
When that snowpack began melting in spring, the meltwater caused severe flooding in Yosemite Valley, prompting yet another closure that lasted from late-April to early-May.
Snow lingered in the higher Sierra Nevada well into summer this year. Some trails and meadows remain flooded, while shady areas might hold snow for several more weeks.
After Historic Snowfall Tioga Road Is Finally Open to Vehicles
“Tioga Road (continuation of Highway 120 through the park) will open to vehicles on Saturday, July 22, at 8 am,” the park said on its Facebook page.
While vault and portable toilets will be available, there will be no water, no store or food service, and no fuel. Be sure to bring all the food and water you need.
The Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center will be open (8 am to 5 pm) and a general information desk near the visitor center will be open from 9 am to 5 pm.
Tioga Road has some damage, so watch for one-lane sections, with delays up to 15 minutes just east of Olmsted Point.
There is no estimate when Tamarack Flat or Porcupine Flat Campgrounds will open. Other campgrounds on Tioga Road will not open this year.
“It’s still snowy up there!” the park said. “Meadows and some trails are flooded. Snow is persisting in some shady areas as low as 8,000 feet, with extensive, deep snow coverage by 9,000 feet.”
Visitors are reminded to stay on trails to protect growing plants and to plan for wet feet. Marked trails may be hard or impossible to follow, so hikers should have GPS, as well as a map and compass (and know how to use them).
When Does Tioga Road Usually Open?
This year’s opening of Tioga Road is extraordinarily late in the season.
“Clearing of the Tioga Road begins on or about April 15 each year and usually takes between one and two months,” the park explains on its website. However, spring weather may delay plowing progress, making accurate predictions impossible.
Historically, Tioga Road typically opens sometime between mid-May and mid-June. The earliest it’s ever opened was May 2, which happened in both 1987 and 2014.
Tioga Road’s average opening date is May 28, while the median opening date is May 21.
Before this year, Tioga Road had never opened later than July 1, which occurred in 1998 and 2019.
You can see the historical opening dates of Tioga Road here on the park’s website.