Tioga Pass, Yosemite National Park

Tioga Pass lies at the East Gate entrance of Yosemite on Highway 120. At 9,945 feet, Tioga Pass is the highest vehicle pass in California, and serves as a short cut over the Sierra in the warmer months. Tioga Pass was created in 1882 as a silver-hauling wagon trail and now carries a quarter of a million visitors to the park each year. Because of its high elevation, Tioga Pass is usually impassible from November until late May, depending on the snowfall. The Tioga Road winds through some of the most stunning scenery in Yosemite on its way to Tioga Pass, giving motorists new views of Half Dome and a sweeping vista across Tenaya Canyon and Clouds Rest. Tuolumne Meadows is located along the Tioga Road, just before the Tioga Pass. Beyond Tioga Pass are the less explored lands of the Ansel Adams Wilderness, Hoover Wilderness and Toiyabe and Inyo National Forests.