Yosemite opens Tioga Road earliest in 16 years

Yosemite National Park said on May 13 that Tioga Road would open to vehicle traffic on Friday, May 15, at 8 a.m., giving drivers access across the park to Tuolumne Meadows and other high-country areas. The National Park Service said it was the earliest seasonal opening for the road in 16 years. The road, which carries Highway 120 through the park, is usually closed from November through late May or early June because of snow. By May 18, Yosemite’s current conditions page listed Tioga Road as open. ### Why is this opening getting unusual attention? The National Park Service said May 15 was the earliest Tioga Road opening since 2009. Yosemite’s historical seasonal openings page shows the road opened on May 19 in 2009 and had not opened that early in any year from 2010 through 2025. In 2025, the road opened on May 26, and in 2024 it opened on June 10, according to the park’s records. (nps.gov) April 1 snowpack in the Tuolumne River basin was 72% of average in 2025, 99% in 2024 and 244% in 2023, Yosemite’s historical table shows. Yosemite’s current conditions page said snowpack as of May 1, 2026, was 25% of average in the Tuolumne River basin and 20% in the Merced River basin. ### What does Tioga Road actually connect? Tioga Road is the continuation of Highway 120 through Yosemite, running from Crane Flat to Tioga Pass. (nps.gov) When the road is closed, Yosemite says drivers cannot reach Tuolumne Meadows by car or enter the park from the east via Tioga Pass. When it is open, the route serves as the park’s trans-Sierra crossing and a vehicle gateway to the high country. (nps.gov) Tuolumne Meadows and other high-elevation trailheads become easier to reach once the road opens. Yosemite said the route provides access to “short day hikes” as well as more remote wilderness trips, though overnight backcountry travel still requires a wilderness permit reserved in advance. (nps.gov) ### What will visitors find on the road right now? Yosemite said on its plowing update page that limited services would be available along Tioga Road at opening. The park told visitors to bring their own food and water, and said vault and portable toilets would be available but not drinking water. No other services would be available along the road at opening, the park said. (nps.gov) The park’s conditions page on May 18 listed Tioga Road, Glacier Point Road, Yosemite Valley roads and the park’s main west-side approaches as open. Yosemite also said visitors should call its road conditions line for the most up-to-date information because posted conditions reflect planned or long-term closures. ### How does this fit into Yosemite’s summer access plan? (nps.gov) Yosemite said in a May 13 release that Tioga Road’s opening was part of a broader summer access rollout that also included Glacier Point Road reopening on May 9, all front-country campgrounds being open this summer, most High Sierra Camps returning, and the Half Dome cables route opening May 15. Superintendent Ray McPadden said in the release that Yosemite was continuing to expand access while protecting park resources. (nps.gov) On February 18, Yosemite said it would not require vehicle reservations in 2026 after reviewing 2025 traffic and parking data. In that release, the park said it would instead use real-time traffic monitoring, active parking management in Yosemite Valley, added staffing at key intersections and guidance encouraging weekday visits and recreation outside Yosemite Valley, including Tuolumne Meadows, Wawona and Hetch Hetchy. (nps.gov) ### What should visitors watch next? Yosemite said parking in Yosemite Valley fills early on peak summer days and urged visitors to plan ahead, buy digital passes in advance, visit midweek when possible and check current conditions before traveling. The park also said the Ice Cut section of the John Muir Trail is expected to reopen in July after safety and trail improvements. (nps.gov) Current updates on Tioga Road status, seasonal services and other summer openings are posted on Yosemite National Park’s conditions page and its Tioga Road plowing and opening update page, the park said. (nps.gov 1) (nps.gov 2)