Tioga Pass is a mountain pass in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. State Route 120 runs through it, and serves as the eastern entry point for

Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The p ...

, at the Tioga Pass Entrance Station. It is the highest elevation highway pass in California and in the Sierra Nevada at an elevation of . Mount Dana is to the east of the pass, and Gaylor Peak to the west.

Etymology

Tioga Pass is named after Tioga Mine, whose name came from the Tioga River in New York: ''Tioga'' is an Iroquois and Mohawk term meaning "where it forks".

Description

This pass, like many other passes in the Sierra Nevada, has a gradual approach from the west and drops off to the east dramatically, losing more than by the time the road reaches U.S. Route 395. The pass is subject to winter closure due to high snowfall, normally from around the end of October until the end of May the following year, though these dates are subject to considerable variation. In heavy snow years, the road has closed in early October, and has remained closed as late as late July. In light snow years, the road may remain open until December and open as early as April. Tioga Pass is the most direct route from

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or Mammoth Lakes, California to Fresno, Merced, and Stockton. There are four highway passes to the north, between Yosemite and

Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; Washo language, Washo: ''dáʔaw'') is a Fresh water, freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the Western United States, straddling the border between California and Nevada. Lying at above sea level, Lake Tahoe is the largest a ...

, but none to the south for about , until Sherman Pass in southern Tulare County. The pass is on the Great Basin Divide, which demarcates the Great Basin, which is the largest contiguous area of

endorheic basin An endorheic basin ( ; also endoreic basin and endorreic basin) is a drainage basin that normally retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water (e.g. rivers and oceans); instead, the water drainage flows into permanent ...

s in North America.

Recreation

There are several trailheads into the Yosemite backcountry which begin at Tioga Pass, including the trail to the Gaylor Lakes to the west/northwest, and the trail to the summit of Mount Dana. Dana Meadows is immediately south of the pass alongside the highway, as the pass itself is roughly angled north–south as opposed to east–west. Dana Meadows contains several small lakes. A popular recreation and camping area exists just north of the summit of the pass at Tioga Lake. It is in the Inyo National Forest. Less than 7 miles to the southwest of the pass, inside Yosemite National Park, is Tuolumne Meadows. The Pacific Crest Trail passes through, and it crosses the highway here.

Wildlife

Some of the wildlife in the area include birds of prey, marmots, bobcats, and occasionally bighorn sheep can be seen.

References

External links