Tioga Pass opens for 2026 at 8 a.m. Friday, May 15, marking the earliest start to the season in 11 years at Yosemite National Park’s eastern gateway. Highway 120 crosses the pass at 9,945 feet, making it the highest paved route across the Sierra Nevada range. The pass connects Mono County to Yosemite’s only east entrance and is typically closed from about November through May. Reopening provides access to Tuolumne Meadows, Tenaya Lake, and Olmsted Point. Tioga Road opens to cyclists one day earlier on May 14. The pass is the last major alpine crossing to open this spring, after Ebbetts Pass and Sonora Pass. No advance reservation is required for entry, and visitors can pre-pay entrance fees at Recreation.gov.
"Tioga Pass opens for 2026 at 8 a.m. Friday, May 15, marking the earliest start to the season at Yosemite National Park's eastern gateway in 11 years and completing the full slate of High Sierra passes for the summer season. The pass, which carries Highway 120 through the park at 9,945 feet above sea level, is the highest paved route across the 400-mile Sierra Nevada range. Tioga Pass connects Mono County to Yosemite National Park's only east entrance."
"Typically closed during the winter months, from roughly November through May each year, Mono County locals and visitors alike celebrate the reopening, which provides access to the stunning and lesser-known attractions of Yosemite's east side, including Tuolumne Meadows, Tenaya Lake, and Olmsted Point. Tioga Pass opens for 2026 at 8 a.m. Friday, May 15."
"The last time the National Park Service opened Tioga Pass before mid-May was May 4, 2015. The next earliest opening after that came on May 18, 2016, and the latest opening in recorded history was July 22, 2023. Last year, the road did not open until May 26. Tioga Road gave cyclists a head start, opening to bikes on Thursday, May 14."
"No advance reservation is required to enter Yosemite this year, though visitors can pre-pay their entrance fee at Recreation.gov to speed up entry at the gate. Glacier Point Road opened to vehicles on May 9, and all front-country campgrounds in the park will be available this summer. Most High Sierra Camps are also returning to operation after remaining closed last summer. A section of the Valley Loop Trail near Royal Arches and several climbing routes previously shut for safety monitoring have also reopened."
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