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.

The “lower gate” on Tioga Pass has reopened

The gate that closes Highway 120 just four miles west of Highway 395 has been reopened after closing briefly for last weekend’s snowstorms.

The "lower gate" on Tioga Pass/Highway 120. Photo by Arya Degenhardt.

Highway 120 is now open for 12 miles, all the way to the entrance to Yosemite National Park, where the park gate is still shut while snow removal operations clear the rest of the road. There is no estimated opening date yet for the rest of the road.

With the lower gate open, visitors can access Ellery Lake, Tioga Lake, and the high country nearby. However, the lakes are still frozen over, and the ground is still covered in snow—use caution and common sense when you visit the Tioga high country. Saddlebag Lake Road is not yet open.

A frozen and snowed-over Tioga Lake on April 17, 2014. Photo by Santiago Escruceria.
A frozen and snowed-over Ellery Lake on April 17, 2014. Photo by Santiago Escruceria.