Yes, you can drive your car into Yosemite Valley! For guest convenience, a free shuttle service has multiple stops throughout Yosemite Valley, as well as transportation between Yosemite Valley and Yosemite's Badger Pass Ski Area in the winter and between Wawona's Pioneer Gift & Grocery and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in the warmer months. A free shuttle also serves the Tuolumne Meadows area in the summer. Bring the family, bring your car and once here, let us do the driving so you can spend more time viewing the sights by riding our shuttle!
From San Francisco
- Take the Oakland-Bay Bridge (Highway 80 East)
- Take Highway 580 east, following signs for Tracy/Stockton to Highway 205
- Follow Highway 205 to Highway 120Take Highway 120 into Yosemite National Park
Drive Time: 4 hours.
Services: The only service station between the 120 entrance and Yosemite Valley is the Crane Flat Gas & Convenience Store, located 17 miles outside of Yosemite Valley. There is no gas available in Yosemite Valley.
From Sacramento - Via Highway 120 East
- Take Highway 99 South to Manteca
- Exit onto Highway 120 East in Manteca and follow directly into Yosemite
From Sacramento - Via Highway 140 East
- Take Highway 99 South to Merced.
- Exit onto Highway 140 East in Merced and follow directly into Yosemite.
Note: Highway 140 is known as the All-weather Highway because it is the lowest elevation route into the Park. During heavy snowstorms, this route may be a better alternative to Highway 120.
From Los Angeles - South Entrance Route
- Follow Interstate 5 North toward Bakersfield.
- Just beyond the Grapevine towards Bakersfield, follow Highway 99 North to Fresno.
- From Fresno, follow Highway 41 to Yosemite Valley.
Drive Time: +/- 6 hours
From Los Angeles - Alternate Winter Directions
- Follow Interstate 5 North toward Bakersfield.
- Just beyond the Bakersfield grapevine, follow Highway 99 North to Merced.
- From Merced follow Highway 140 East to Yosemite Valley.
Drive Time: +/- 6 hours.
From Northern Central Valley
- Take Highway 99 to Merced.
- From Merced, follow Highway 140 East to Yosemite Valley.
Drive Time from Merced to Yosemite Valley: 1 3/4 hours
From Southern Central Valley
- Take Highway 99 to Fresno.
- From Fresno, follow Highway 41 to Yosemite Valley
Drive Time from Fresno to Yosemite Valley: 2 hours
From the Monterey Peninsula
- Take Route 1 to Highway 156 E / Route 101 N to Highway 152 N (also known as Pacheco Pass Highway).
- Follow signs for Highway 99 N towards Merced.
- Exit Highway 99 onto Highway 140 E at Merced and follow Highway 140 to Yosemite.
From South Lake Tahoe/Reno - Summer
- From South Lake Tahoe, take Highway 89 South to Highway 395 South.
- At Tioga Road (Highway 120), make a right, and head up Tioga Pass.
- Stay on Highway 120 West towards Yosemite Valley and follow the signs to Yosemite Village.
Reno – Follow above directions as of Highway 395 South.
Drive time: Tahoe 4 1/2 hours; Reno 5 +/- hours
From South Lake Tahoe/Reno - Winter
- From South Lake Tahoe, take Highway 89 South to Highway 50 West.
- Head West on Highway 50 till you reach Highway 49, and head South.
- At Highway 120 (Yosemite Park) head East.
- Follow Highway 120 into Yosemite Valley and follow signs to Yosemite Village.
Reno -
- Follow directions of your choice to Highway 80 to Sacramento and Route 99.
- Head South to Route 99 South to Route120 East.
- Follow Route 120 East into the Park.
Drive time: Tahoe 6 hours; Reno 6+/- hours
Click here for a list of 20+ year's worth of open/close dates for Tioga Pass.
From Las Vegas - Via Tuolumne Entrance (Lee Vining)
- Take US-95 N for 170 +/- miles.
- Near Forks Station, turn LEFT onto NV-266 and follow for 50+ miles at which point it becomes NV-264 (shortly after entering California).
- Stay on NV-264 until reaching US 6.
- Turn LEFT onto US-6 (West toward Benton and Bishop) and follow for 23+ miles.
- Take exit onto CA-120 in Benton.
- Follow CA-120 to Highway 395 N.
Follow Highway 395N/CA-120 to Lee Vining where you will exit Highway 395 and continue on Highway 120 into Yosemite National Park. (Portions of Highway 120 may be closed seasonally).
NPS maintains a list of opening and closing dates for the Tioga Road to give you some sense of when this route into Yosemite will be available.
From Las Vegas - Via Southern Entrance (Bakersfield/Fresno)
- Take I-15 S toward Bakerfield/Los Angeles for 160 +/- miles.
- Merge onto CA-58 W toward Bakerfield and stay on for 125 miles.
- Merge onto Highway 99 N toward Fresno/Sacramento and follow for 110 +/- miles.
- Merge onto Highway 41 N toward Yosemite.
- Take CA-41 for 60 miles, traveling through Oakhurst and Fish Camp, to Yosemite's south entrance near Wawona.
Drive Time: +/- 9 hours
