I'll be returning to SF from Bryce Canyon in mid-June. I clearly will have two days, maybe three to get home. I've never been over Tioga Pass or on highway 120 through Yosemite and, since this is the most direct (although not quickest) route, am thinking of this scenic route.

We don't care to go to Yosemite valley this trip (that's a whole other trip), and probably can't get any lodging along 120 (all full at the moment).

So . . . , my question is whether 1) driving 120 is worth it if we don't have tons of time to stop and smell the roses (i.e., if we only have 2 days and will be driving from Benton to SF in one day); and, if we can take 3 days, whether we should just take our chances for finding a place to stay maybe an hour west of Yosemite (i.e., past Mariposa and other gateway cities).

The route over Tioga Pass is spectacular, although the new road tamed the drive considerably relative to what it was the first time I rode over it when it was little more than a shelf on a talus slopoe.

There are some nice lakes with views of the high Sierra along the route that you can see without deviating too far from the main route. Although the new road is a god send compared to the old one, it is still slow at times. So if you take that route, be prepared for extensive "tourist driving".



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Thanks Bob. So how much time (minimum) should we allow for the Yosemite portion of 120? Again, a couple of stops, maybe a short walk/picnic, but not the full-on experience.

My favorite back roads way from Bryce to the Bay Area is taking Hwy 56 west out of Cedar City to Panaca, NV. Then Hwy 93 to Crystal Springs, then Hwy 375 The Extraterrestrial Highway <insert X-Files Music>

http://rachel.dreamlandresort.com/rachel/ethighway.html

to Warm Springs, NV, then Hwy 6 to Benton and Hwy 120 over Tioga Pass.

I just love driving the open spaces. From Benton through the park is worth just the drive. This route is about 735 miles from Bryce to SF. It sure beats driving Hwy I-15 and I-5 which would be 830 miles.

If you don't mind camping, we have found there are national forest campgrounds just outside of Lee Vining on Hwy 120 that don't fill up even in the summer time.

Utahtea

Thanks! That's exactly the route we're thinking of taking. Not sure about the camping, though, but will probably try to stay near Benton.

sorry for the second bump, but I just saw an old post saying the route from Tonopah to Benton was very slow (large sudden dips) when the writer took it 10 years ago.

Is that still the case? We may just assume stay in Tonopah, then (may not get any further anyway, if we stop for an hour or so at Cedar Breaks).

Allow at least 2 hours for the Yosemite portion of 120...I think you'll have hard time finding anywhere to stay in or near Benton unless you are camping. If you have time, swing by thge State Park at Mono Lake for a look at the tufa towers along the shoreline.

We've done this route a couple of times in the last couple of years. If there are bumps they are big easy ones. (I forget where we run into bumps.) We do this route in our 24 ft. motorhome.

I think Tonopah might be a better place to find lodging. You can also find gambling in Tonopah.

There really isn't much between Tonopah and Lee Vining. WARNING: EVERYTHING IN LEE VINING IS EXPENSIVE!!!!

I would make sure you know of a place to stay in Benson before you leave Tonopah.

Utahtea

First let me reinforce what utahtea says.
When I read carefully what someone else says about the area of the West, you know that person has a lot to say.

I am not sure what to say on the minimum time for traversing Yosemite on the Tioga Road. From the time you begin the ascent of Tioga from Lee Vining until you exit Yosemite, my guess (and I emphasize guess) is that you need 3 hours. If you are driving it on a weekend, ouch. I don't know.

Now comes the kicker. The top of the pass is at almost 10,000 feet above mean sea level, and the high Sierra gets a lot of snow. I presume the road will be open in mid June!!!!

The opening date can vary from May 12 to July 1. I strongly suggest you call the park and find out. The DOT of California right now is estimating an opening date of May 23. I would call anyhow, just to make sure the estimate is within normal error limits.

I really hope we get another time estimate. My experience is 4 and a half years old, so the traffic patterns could have changed. I know the floor of the valley these days gets jammed. The last time I drove the Tioga Road we stopped so much that my time was about 5 hours. Also we were going west to east toward Nevada and the traffic going my way was lighter.

My dad used to drive over that pass before the road was paved, and I remember it!!. It was a crushed rock shelf road that wiggled around with sheer drops over the edge and no guard rails.
I drove over it myself in 1953 and thought it was great fun. The road had a black top surface on it by then, but it was still a shelf road on a talus slope. By 1970 the road had been redone and the romance and adventure were reduced although the route was much safer. (Seems like those flatlanders kept running off the road on the low side, and it was a long ways to the bottom.)
If you want to get a taste of what the old road was like, some parts of it are still open. I know the road that leads to the Yosemite Creek campground at one time used the old road. It was a narrow strip of black winding among the trees, taking right angle bends, dodging trees, and plunging down little embankments at about 18 degree pitches.
Great fun to drive if you had a sense of humor and time to do it.

Thanks again.

My guess is we'll take one day to get from Bryce to Tonopah and allow for two days from Tonopah to SF.

Seems like 4-5 hours through Yosemite seems right, which would make for a long day if we tried to get all the way home after coming out the other side.

But, as you say, there could be some late snow so we could find ourselves driving some other route.

Thanks again.