Yosemite: How Do I Get There?

The vast majority of visitors to

There are four main entrances into the park (with a fifth one leading to a remote corner of the park). They are:

• South Entrance: If you're coming from or through Fresno, chances are you're going to head through this way. You'll take Hwy 41 from Fresno all the way into Yosemite Valley through the Wawona Tunnel. This is the way I usually take since I'm coming from Los Angeles.
• Arch Rock Entrance: This is the western entrance into the park along Hwy 140, which passes through the gateway town of El Portal and then passes through the Merced Canyon and eventually ends up in Yosemite Valley
• Big Oak Flat Entrance: This is the northwestern entrance into the park along Hwy 120. Once you get through this station, you can drive to Crane Flat, where you have a choice of taking the Tioga Road or going straight towards Merced Canyon and ultimately Yosemite Valley.
• Tioga Pass Entrance: This is the seasonal eastern entrance that links the Mono Lake Basin with Yosemite's high country. It is the highest automobile pass in the state at 9945ft. The road is open only during the summer and early autumn months (subject to the state of the snowpack).
• Mather Ranger Station: This is the exclusive automobile entrance to the Hetch Hetchy area. It does not lead anywhere else in the park. Its gates open and close at 7am and 9pm, respectively, but are open all year. Note that the hours may change depending on the season.

As Los Angeles residents (near the Orange County border), it normally takes us around 5.5 hours to get to Yosemite Valley via the I-5,Hwy 99,and Hwy 41. Of course, we once lived in West LA, which allowed us to get there in only 5 hours. I reckon it takes longer if you have kids or are unable to reduce the number of stops along the way - especially if you're stuck in traffic. I can't speak for the driving times elsewhere, but I did recall it took around 4 hours or so to get from the Big Oak Flat Entrance to San Francisco via the Hwy 120.

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