Yosemite road conditions follow the snow. Wawona, El Portal, Big Oak Flat and Hetch Hetchy roads normally provide year-round access, with chain controls and weather closures possible. Tioga and Glacier Point roads have summer driving seasons; Mariposa Grove uses a shuttle except for vehicles displaying disability placards. Check the NPS road recording for today's road and chain requirements.
NPS alerts last checked
Alert list last changed
Straight from NPSNPS recorded road status209/372-0200, press 1 then 1
A road with no listed alert is not confirmed open.
Wawona Road (Highway 41)
El Portal Road (Highway 140)
Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120 west)
Hetch Hetchy Road
Glacier Point Road
Tioga Road
Tioga Road is temporarily closed due to snowy and icy conditions
Glacier Point Road to Badger Pass (winter)
Mariposa Grove Road
That read is behind our 15-minute schedule, so roads without an alert show Not checked.
We check NPS alerts every 15 minutes.
Call 209/372-0200, then press 1 and 1. The NPS web table covers planned or long-term closures.
Read the park's Tioga and Glacier Point road update before planning a crossing or viewpoint drive.
Check road length and height limits, then read the chain rules for your vehicle.
The western and southern approaches lead toward Yosemite Valley; Tioga Road crosses the high country. Badger Pass is partway along Glacier Point Road, while Hetch Hetchy and Mariposa Grove are separate branches.
These are normal seasons. The two May 2026 opening dates are historical observations, not the expected opening dates in another year; neither road has a fixed autumn closing date.
| Road | Vehicle season or access rule | Destinations & limits |
|---|---|---|
Wawona Road (Highway 41) | Normally year-round | Highway 41 from the South Entrance; chains may be required. |
El Portal Road (Highway 140) | Normally year-round | Highway 140 from Arch Rock; chains needed less often than on the higher approaches. |
Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120 west) | Normally year-round | Highway 120 from the west through Crane Flat; winter chain controls possible. |
Hetch Hetchy Road | Normally year-round, sunrise to sunset | To O'Shaughnessy Dam; snow or an overnight snow forecast can close access. |
Glacier Point Road | Historical 2026 opening: May 9; normally May to November | Glacier Point viewpoint. Beyond Sentinel Dome/Taft Point, 30-foot single-vehicle limit and no trailers. |
Tioga Road | Historical 2026 opening: May 15; normally late May or June to November | Crane Flat to Tioga Pass, including Tuolumne Meadows. No vehicle crossing in winter. |
Glacier Point Road to Badger Pass (winter) | Normal winter plowing: mid-December to early April | Only to Badger Pass Ski Area, not through to Glacier Point; weather and chain controls apply. |
Mariposa Grove Road | Normally April to approximately November | Use the free shuttle when running. Only disability-placard vehicles may drive when the road is open. |
Plan around the normal winter road pattern, then check official conditions before driving.
Yosemite Valley and Wawona normally remain reachable by car all year. Hetch Hetchy has daylight-only access. Carry chains when controls are in effect, including in rental cars and four-wheel drives. Winter holidays, especially late December and early January, can bring congestion and limited parking. NPS winter access.
Winter plowing on Glacier Point Road normally reaches Badger Pass from mid-December through early April. The restrictions page gives the shorter approximate window of mid-December through March. Tioga Road closes to vehicles from Crane Flat to Tioga Pass for winter. See our Tioga Road guide for crossing details. See Yosemite in winter for the rest of a winter trip.
When the road closes, the Washburn Trail is a two-mile route to the grove with 500 feet of elevation gain. Snow or ice may make skis or snowshoes appropriate. In the driving season, use the shuttle unless your vehicle displays a disability placard. NPS grove access.
No overnight parking on Tioga Road, or on Glacier Point Road between Badger Pass and Glacier Point, from October 15 until the road opens in spring. Check NPS vehicle restrictions before leaving a vehicle for an overnight trip.
Match your vehicle and route to the road-specific rules before setting out.
The South Entrance approach uses Highway 41.
The tunnel is taller at the white fogline; NPS says California-legal vehicles can pass while remaining in their lane.
The Highway 140 approach enters at Arch Rock.
Highway 120 from the west reaches Crane Flat and the Valley.
The tunnels are taller at the white fogline; NPS says California-legal vehicles can pass while remaining in their lane.
This branch reaches O'Shaughnessy Dam during daylight hours.
Check your vehicle before driving past the Sentinel Dome/Taft Point trailhead.
The pass road is a seasonal crossing, not a winter route.
This is the plowed part of Glacier Point Road, not separate access to Glacier Point.
The driving exception is for vehicles displaying disability placards.
Expect chain controls from November through March, less often in October and April, and rarely in September or May. Every vehicle must carry chains in a control area.
Install chains unless your car, pickup or SUV weighs less than 6,000 pounds, has snow tires on at least two drive wheels, and is not towing a trailer. Many electric trucks and some large electric SUVs exceed the weight exemption. A trailer with brakes needs chains on its braking wheels.
R-2 exempts only cars, pickups or SUVs under 6,500 pounds with snow tires on all four wheels, four-wheel or all-wheel drive engaged, and no trailer. Trailers with brakes need chains on their braking wheels. R-3 requires chains on every vehicle, without exceptions.
Mud-and-snow tires qualify with at least 6/32-inch tread. Chains, cables and tire socks are accepted; plastic devices, straps and emergency alternatives do not meet the rule. The speed limit in control areas is 25 mph. Failing to fit required chains can bring a citation up to $5,000.
Rental cars are not exempt and companies generally do not provide chains. Caltrans QuickMap and 800/427-7623 cover California roads outside Yosemite, not park roads. Caltrans QuickMap.
Road access and entrance reservations are separate checks. See the Yosemite reservations guide and NPS entrance reservations page for your travel year.
Normal road seasons and monthly park visitation answer different questions. Neither predicts access on a particular day.
In historical NPS monthly park visits, April averages 48%, May averages 71%, June averages 95%, October averages 77%, November averages 40%, December averages 28% of August, the busiest month. These are park visits, not vehicle or road counts. Winter holidays can still bring congestion and limited parking. See the month-by-month guide for the full comparison. The October guide covers that month in detail.
Quick answers to the practical questions below.
It depends on the day, so call 209/372-0200, then press 1 and 1. The recording lists current chain requirements and is updated whenever road conditions change. As a rule, expect chain controls from November through March, less often in October and April, and rarely in September or May. When controls are in effect, every vehicle must carry chains, including four-wheel drives and rental cars.
Road access needs a same-day check. Yosemite normally operates 24 hours a day all year, but Hetch Hetchy Road has daylight-only hours and weather can close roads. Wawona, El Portal and Big Oak Flat normally provide winter approaches, while the high roads close seasonally. Call 209/372-0200, press 1 then 1, and read the NPS conditions page. Check the Yosemite reservations guide for entry rules for your travel year.
An ordinary passenger car can use Yosemite's roads when access and chain rules allow. Single-vehicle length limits range from 45 feet on Wawona and Big Oak Flat roads to 25 feet on Hetch Hetchy and 21 feet on Mariposa Grove Road. Mariposa Grove also requires a disability placard for driving access; other visitors use the shuttle. Commercial trucking is prohibited. Rental cars are not exempt from chain controls, even with all-season tires, and companies generally do not supply chains.
Call 209/372-0200, then press 1 and 1. It's a recording NPS updates whenever road conditions change, and park staff get their road information the same way. It covers roads inside the park, including chain requirements. For state highways outside Yosemite, 800/427-7623 has road conditions throughout California, but not for roads inside the park.
The September 2025 NPS contingency plan said roads, lookouts, trails and open-air memorials would generally remain accessible during a funding lapse, but regular road and trail condition updates would stop. It also required closing an area when access created a safety, health or resource-protection issue, including weather and road hazards. That plan does not guarantee access during a future shutdown; check official instructions before travelling.
An independent guide using official data. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service.
Normal road access, vehicle dimensions, tunnel heights and overnight-parking rules come from NPS vehicle restrictions. Historical May 2026 openings and normal high-road windows come from the NPS road opening update.
Chain levels, exemptions, accepted devices, rental-car rules and speed limits come from NPS tire chain requirements. Badger Pass and Mariposa Grove winter access come from NPS winter guidance. Use NPS current conditions and the recorded road line for a travel-day decision.
The shutdown FAQ describes the September 2025 NPS contingency plan as historical policy, not a guarantee of future access.
Map lines use existing OpenStreetMap geometry routed by OSRM under ODbL. They show road locations, not live closure gates. Monthly park-visit comparisons retain the existing NPS visitation dataset and describe park attendance, not road traffic.
Operational source check: September 11, 2026. Design and emphasized source review: 2026-10-27. A design review does not refresh every underlying record.