Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

Tioga Pass to open fully on Monday, July 1

News from Yosemite National Park: Tioga Pass will open fully on Monday, July 1 at 8:00am. Until the full opening on Monday morning vehicular access will continue to be available at 10:00–11:00am and 3:00–4:00pm.

A view of the Tioga Pass area from the slopes of Mt. Dana on June 23, 2019. Photo by Joslyn Rogers.

July 1 is one of the latest dates for Tioga Pass to fully open, and later than in 2017 when the road opened on June 29 with more snow in the high country that year than this year. This is only the fifth time it has opened fully in July since record keeping began in 1933—other July opening dates happened in 1998, 1938, 1936, and 1933. The latest opening date was July 8 in 1933.

Find the full text of the National Park Service press release below:

Yosemite National Park Announces Tioga Road To Open to Unrestricted Vehicular Traffic on Monday, July 1
Tioga Road to remain open with limited hours through the weekend

Yosemite National Park announces the Tioga Road will open to unrestricted vehicular traffic on Monday, July 1st, at 8:00am.

From now until the full opening Monday morning, vehicular access will continue to be available from 10:00am to 11:00am and 3:00pm to 4:00pm. There will continue to be no stopping along the road and no overnight parking. Park Rangers will sweep the road after each open and closed period to make sure visitors are utilizing the corridor only to cross the Sierra. Bicycles will be allowed during daylight hours throughout the weekend.

The park implemented the limited opening the past couple of weeks to allow crews to remove snow, set up utility systems to open restrooms and facilities, and prepare for summer operations. This resulted in better protection of park resources with no day use of the area as operations were coming on line. Areas along the Tioga Road, and specifically Tuolumne Meadows, are ecologically sensitive areas and the full opening with restrooms available for visitors will mitigate many resource issues that were seen in past openings where the road was opened with no facilities available for the public.

Visitor services such as general park information and restrooms will be available beginning Monday. Other visitor services, such as campgrounds, lodging, and the store and grill, will be opened incrementally throughout the month of July.

Yosemite National Park extends its gratitude to the visiting public for complying with the limited opening, and helping to protect the park’s precious resources.

Yosemite National Park is open year-round. All motorists should drive with caution and be aware of possible hazards in the roadway, including rocks, debris, and water. Tioga Road may be impacted by incoming storm activity, including snow and icy driving conditions, over the next several weeks. Tioga Road may temporarily close due to weather and unsafe driving conditions at any time. Tioga Road is a seasonal road through Yosemite National Park, typically open from late spring to early fall.

For updated 24-hour road and weather conditions for Yosemite National Park, please call 209-372-0200.

Skiing at Tioga Pass on June 20, 2017. Photo by Andrew Youssef.