From Lake Tahoe To Yosemite
 

I have been checking out MapBlast to get a map from Lake Tahoe (Stateline NV) to Yosemite. The route they give sends me down and across Tioga Pass. I will be going in three weeks, and from my understanding Tioga Pass will still be closed. So I have added in some towns west of Yosemite and have come up with two routes, one taking US-50 the other CA-88 over to CA-49, then down to CA-120 and into the park from there. The time and mileage are pretty much the same taking US-50 or CA-88(a couple of minutes and a couple of miles shorter) according to MapBlast,does anybody know why one highway might be preferrable over the other?

Don, Just my personal opinion (and I'm sure you'll get altering ones!) I would take 88. 49 between 50 and 88 is not my favorite and while 88 is mostly 2 lane it's very beautiful. You might want to check out some of the little gold rush towns along 49 (Columbia is great fun).

Grasshopper, thanks for the advice. We will try to make it to one of the gold rush towns. Is Columbia right off of CA-49?

MapBlast suggest getting into Lake Tahoe from San Francisco, where we will be coming from, that you take CA-50 so wouldn't it be best going to Yosemite on CA-88 just for the change of scenery?

Columbia is just off 49, right before you hit Sonora. Sonora is where you will pick up 120.

Don,<BR><BR>Depending on whether you think you have the time, just north of US 50 on CA 49 there is a wonderful state history park at Coloma. This is where John Sutter's crew discovered the gold that started the rush. There are often docents there, a good explanation of gold mining, and some left over buildings, also some Chinese bldgs with information about how the Chinese immigrants participated in the gold rush. I'd say the park is worth about 60-90 minutes of your time. It's about a 20 minute detour from US 50.<BR><BR>I bring this up now, because if you wanted to, you could stop there on your way to Tahoe, but if you were feeling rushed, it would be one reason for taking US 50 on your way down to 40 to get to Yosemite.<BR><BR>That said, Highway 88 is really, really lovely, also quite twisty in parts, hope you don't get carsick easily.