Tioga Pass · Hwy 120
The east side of the highest highway pass in the Sierra Nevada, switchbacking down from the Yosemite boundary toward Lee Vining and Mono Lake.
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The last Sierra pass to open most years and the first to close — typically shut from November to late May or early June. An entrance fee applies inside Yosemite. Check current access · Reviewed 2026-09-12
Road shape
- Length
- 12.1 mi
- Bends
- 18
- Switchbacks
- 3
- Bends per mile
- 1.5
- Turning per mile
- 183°
- Curviest rank
- 136of 168
Measured from the OpenStreetMap centreline at a 20 m sampling step — road shape only, not a safety or speed judgement. How bends are counted.
Elevation
- Total climb
- 3,151ft
- Climb per mile
- 260ft
- Highest point
- 9,941ft
- Steepest grade
- 9.1%
Sampled every 100 m from USGS 10 m elevation data, a public-domain federal dataset. Total climb counts vertical change in both directions, so it does not depend on which way you drive. How elevation is measured.
Speed limits
40–50 mph
Mapped limits
Approximate guide; limits vary by section. Follow posted signs.
OpenStreetMap tags cover approximately 99% of this trace. These values have not been checked against current signs.
Posted signs always govern. How speed evidence is handled.
Sources
Difficulty 2/3 (Winding) is our editorial rating of width, bends and sightlines; “Technical” describes character, not a target speed. Full method. Identified from:
- National Park Service · Yosemite, Tioga Road opening & closing
- Mono Basin Clearinghouse · Tioga Pass opening and closing dates since 1933
- OpenStreetMap road data (16 ways in this trace)
Reviewed 2026-09-12. The trace shows selected road sections, not a navigation route.
Roads nearby
Distances are approximate straight lines between road centers, not driving distances or direct connections.