Yosemite road conditions and closures.

Every Yosemite road on one timeline.

Yosemite is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, but NPS says some roads close for snow from around November through May or June. Three roads have a season. Glacier Point Road opened May 9, 2026 and Tioga Road May 15, 2026, both at 8 am. NPS gives no closing date for either, only that each is typically open until sometime in November. Mariposa Grove Road is closed from about November to April. Yosemite isn't using a timed entrance reservation in 2026, so you don't need a booking to drive in. Our Yosemite reservations page explains the change.

What you can still reach in winter.

Four roads are open to cars all year. Wawona Road is Highway 41 from the South Entrance, El Portal Road is Highway 140 from the Arch Rock Entrance, and Big Oak Flat Road is Highway 120 from the west. Hetch Hetchy Road is the one Yosemite road that isn't open 24 hours a day. It's open from sunrise to sunset, and it closes when it's snowing or snow is forecast overnight. NPS says chains may be required on all four in winter, and that Yosemite Valley and Wawona stay reachable by car all year.

Two of the seasonal places are still within reach in winter, just not by car all the way. From mid-December through early April, Glacier Point Road is plowed only as far as Badger Pass Ski Area, where downhill and cross-country skiing are popular. When Mariposa Grove Road is closed, the Washburn Trail is a two-mile route to the grove with 500 feet of elevation gain. It may be snowy or icy, so skis or snowshoes may help. Overnight parking isn't allowed on Tioga Road, or on Glacier Point Road between Badger Pass and Glacier Point, from October 15 until each road opens in spring.

Once Tioga Road closes, no cars are allowed between Crane Flat and Tioga Pass, including Tuolumne Meadows, and our Tioga Road page covers that road in detail. Our Yosemite in winter page has the rest of a winter trip.

2026 roadwork and delays.

NPS lists one 2026 project that slows a year-round road. Crews are thinning vegetation along Big Oak Flat Road between Foresta and Crane Flat, removing dead and fallen wood and smaller trees near the road to reduce wildfire risk. Expect 15-minute delays on weekdays. If you're coming in on Highway 120 from the west on a weekday, build in the wait, and check the current conditions page the week you go.

Chain controls: R-1, R-2 and R-3.

Expect chain controls from November through March, even if you only plan to visit Yosemite Valley and ride the free shuttle. NPS says chains are needed less often in October and April, and rarely in September or May. The higher roads get more snow, so Wawona Road, Big Oak Flat Road and the road to Badger Pass need chains more often than El Portal Road (Highway 140), the Valley roads and Hetch Hetchy Road. Any time chain controls are in effect, every vehicle must carry chains, four-wheel drives and rental cars included. Rental companies generally don't provide them.

Chain control signs use three levels. R-1 means chains are required unless you drive a car, pickup or SUV under 6,000 pounds with snow tires on at least two drive wheels and no trailer. R-2 means chains are required unless you drive a vehicle under 6,500 pounds with snow tires on all four wheels, four-wheel or all-wheel drive engaged, and no trailer. R-3 means chains on every vehicle, no exceptions. Mud and snow tires count as snow tires if the tread is at least 6/32 of an inch deep. NPS warns that many battery-electric trucks and some large electric SUVs weigh more than 6,000 pounds, so they need chains at R-1 even with snow tires.

The speed limit in a chain control area is 25 mph, even if other signs say more. If you don't put chains on when they're required, you can be cited up to $5,000. Chains, cables and tire socks all meet the rule. Plastic devices, straps and other emergency "tire chains" don't.

How crowds follow the high roads.

Yosemite's crowd climbs as the high roads open. April, before Glacier Point and Tioga roads open, averages 48% of the visits of August, the busiest month. May, with Glacier Point Road open from May 9 and Tioga Road from May 15 in 2026, is 71%. June is 95%.

Fall comes down more slowly, because the Valley roads never close. October still averages 77% of August. November, when Tioga and Glacier Point roads usually close, drops to 40%, and December is 28%. NPS warns that winter holidays can still be very busy, especially late December and early January, with traffic and limited parking. The best time to visit Yosemite page weighs the months, and the October guide covers the last full month the high roads are typically open.

Vehicle limits by road.

Commercial trucking through Yosemite is prohibited, and each road sets its own length limit. Wawona Road and Big Oak Flat Road allow single vehicles up to 45 feet. El Portal Road allows 45 feet for a single vehicle, 60 feet for a combination and 35 feet for the towed vehicle, with a 13-foot height limit. Glacier Point Road allows 30 feet and no trailers past the Sentinel Dome and Taft Point trailhead. Mariposa Grove Road allows 21 feet and no trailers. Hetch Hetchy Road allows 25 feet long and 8 feet wide, mirror to mirror, and NPS notes that most RVs shorter than 25 feet are wider than that.

Tunnels matter for tall vehicles. The Wawona Tunnel is 10 feet 2 inches high at the curb going into Yosemite Valley and 13 feet 6 inches coming out. It's taller at the white fog line, and NPS says California-legal vehicles fit while staying in their lane. Our Yosemite camping page lists each campground's RV limit.

Common questions.

Are chains required in Yosemite right now?

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.

Is it okay to go to Yosemite now?

Yes. Yosemite is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and there is no timed entrance reservation in 2026. What changes is which roads you can drive. From the May openings to sometime in November, every road is in season. In winter, Wawona, El Portal, Big Oak Flat and Hetch Hetchy roads stay open, and Glacier Point Road is plowed as far as Badger Pass. Check the NPS current conditions page before you drive.

Can I drive any car into Yosemite?

A regular car, yes, but check two things. Each road has a length limit, from 45 feet for single vehicles on Wawona and Big Oak Flat roads down to 25 feet on Hetch Hetchy Road and 21 feet on Mariposa Grove Road, and commercial trucking through the park is prohibited. In winter, every vehicle has to carry chains when controls are in effect. Rental cars aren't exempt, even with all-season tires, and rental companies generally don't provide chains.

What is the Yosemite road conditions phone number?

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.

Does a government shutdown close Yosemite's roads?

Generally, no. The current National Park Service contingency plan says park roads, lookouts, trails, and open-air memorials will generally remain accessible to visitors during a lapse in appropriations. It also says parks will not provide regular road or trail condition updates, and that an area must be closed if access becomes a safety issue, such as weather or road conditions. The season dates on this page don't change, but in a winter storm the park's road updates may not keep up.

Where these facts come from

Road seasons, length and height limits, the tunnel heights, and the overnight parking rules come from the NPS vehicle restrictions page (updated August 3, 2026); the 2026 opening dates and typical windows for Glacier Point and Tioga roads from the NPS plowing and road opening update; the road table, the Hetch Hetchy snow rule, the Mariposa Grove shuttle, the road recording, the outside-the-park map, and the Big Oak Flat Road work from the NPS current conditions page (updated September 9, 2026). Chain levels, when chains are likely, the speed limit, the citation, legal devices, rental cars, and the statewide road line come from the NPS tire chain requirements page (updated December 3, 2025); winter plowing to Badger Pass, the Washburn Trail, holiday crowds, and the Tioga Road winter closure from the NPS winter page; park hours and the November-to-June road pattern from the NPS operating hours page; the 2026 reservation decision from the NPS entrance reservations page. The shutdown answer comes from the September 2025 National Park Service contingency plan posted on the Department of the Interior shutdown page. The road lines on the map are OpenStreetMap geometry between OSM nodes, routed by OSRM (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL); they show where each road runs, not its closure gates. The Hetch Hetchy line ends at O'Shaughnessy Dam in OpenStreetMap. Crowd numbers are five-year monthly means (2021 to 2025) of recreation visits from the NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package on NPS IRMA Stats. Independent site, not affiliated with the National Park Service.