Highway 120 - Tioga Pass
- Tim Mayhew
- Jun 1
- 2 min read
Highway 120 – Tioga Pass opens tomorrow, Friday May 15 to wrap up every motorcyclist's eagerness to mark the final high Sierra pass to open. 120, 4, 108 & Sherman Pass – now all open. Hwy 120 is the backbone of Yosemite National Park, and tomorrow’s opening of Tioga Pass marks the return of California’s most spectacular high-altitude transit peaking at 9945 ft.
Starting at Crane Flat, the road rolls past the Tuolumne Sequoia Grove – always stop if you’ve never seen them in person – and immediately leaves the lower forests behind as you begin a steady, rhythmic climb. This stretch is a sensory overload; the air grows thinner and sometimes a wee cooler, scented with the sharp fragrance of sub-alpine fir and ancient granite.
As you push eastbound, the landscape transforms into a world of polished domes and glacial erratics. The road is often wet with snowmelt this time of year and the pace is steady but never fast since you will almost always be stuck behind a lumbering RV. Quick stop at Olmsted Point to grab a shot of a view of Half Dome from the "back side" is enough to make any rider pull over, but the real draw is the pavement that follows.
In the distance from Olmstead Point is Tenaya Lake before opening up into the vast, emerald reaches of Tuolumne Meadows. At 8,600 feet, the meadows offer a brief, flowing respite before the final surge to the Tioga Pass summit. Topping out at 9,945 ft, you reach the highest pass in the Sierra Nevada. The ride culminates in a breathtaking descent through Lee Vining Canyon, dropping thousands of feet toward the salt-fringed shores of Mono Lake. It remains the ultimate high-country pilgrimage. Complete the loop with any of the three other nearby Sierra Passes - all now open.
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