Linda

Can anyone tell me what rt 120 out of Tioga pass is like. AAA has routed me all the way south to Bishop and then north again instead of traveling all the way on 120. We are traveling to Tonopah NV and south to Las Vegas.

Cindy

Haven't been on that road in years but I remember it being breathtakingly beautiful. It can be slow, especially if you get behind an RV and it is very steep on the east side as you go down towards Bishop. If you have the time to drive it, and there are no closures due to fires, it is worth it.
Good luck, Cindy

Tioga Pass

Like Cindy, it's beautiful but slow.

Another thing, you don't mention WHEN you are visiting but if your trip is in the fall, it's likely you were'nt given directions because Tioga Pass is closed at the first snow fall and isn't opened till the snow melts again in the summer.

Linda

I will be traveling in late July so that isn't a problem but I am more concerned with the type of road it is and whether it is better to go down to Bishop instead of straight out 120.

Kay

After looking at the map , I can see why you are questioning the AAA route. Of course over Tioga Pass is beautiful. The next part of 120 to Tonopah is a narow 2 lane paved road and very isolated. It has been YEARS since I traveled that way . You really need to hear from someone who has traveled it recently!!! May be AAA has policy of not routing people over "unimproved" roads??? OR perhaps the road has deteriorated in past years??
Good Luck

Don

I'm betting that the "problem" is not the Tioga Pass section (that they are talking about above), but the road section between 395 and 6. We took that drive (Lee Vining to Tonopah) about 10 years ago, and it still sticks in my mind. It's not bad, per se, but I have never been on a road that had as many nasty (i.e. QUICK) dips and rises. If we would have been going more than 50 MPH, we would have been airborne several times. It was as if they tossed some asphalt over the natural contours of the ground, and didn't grade the roadbed AT ALL to smooth it out.

I don't think it was intended to be a large traffic volume road, just an old farm road that's been re paved over the years. Unless you're driving a huge RV, or a Porsche (at 95 MPH) you should be fine. Just be aware of the quick dips, and the fact that there are no services along the way.

Caveat: This info is about 10 years old. It could be better or worse today.

Jim

I agree with the previous poster.120 from 395 to Tonopah is a "slow" road but is not dangerous . I would not travel on it alone or in the winter.Since this is not your situation===Go for it.....

linda

Thanks to all who took the time to reply. It means so much to be able to get this info ahead of time. I think you are on target too as someone referred to a roller coster road in the vicinity but they were not sure which route it was. I think I know now and since it is rather isolated, I will probably go the long way and stay the night in Bishop. Thanks very much for the help.

Nicol

Oh, I'm so glad someone asked this question! My brother & I drove from SF to Houston at the end of May and boy do I remember that drive!!
We drove through the park then down to Vegas. The pass was just open the week before and wasn't that bad, few tourists. Slowpokes usually let you pass. Definetly a scary drive, total 4ish hours. Hilly after park, but not bad.
I don't remember there being any place to stay in Bishop, really small. Amazing drive to Tonopah, we made it before dark. I took over at Tonopah, this is were the road sucks. Turns into 2 lane. They had the road shut down both ways for about 30 mins to 'explode rocks' about hour past Tonopah. Caused lots of traffic and buildup. Lots of construction after that, looked like they were building a bridge.
Left SF at 9:30am made it to Vegas by 12:30 am on a Thursday.
I suggest don't skip Tioga Pass or stay in Bishop rather Tonopah if you can't make it straight.
Sorry if that sounds choppy, I'm at work. Hope it helped.

Linda

I am a little confused regarding your reply. Did you go all the way on rt. 120 or did you detour down to Bishop? My concern is whether to travel all the way to rt. 6 and Tonopah via 120 or go down to Bishop and back north again. It seems out of the way but then again, that segment of 120 after Tioga Pass has been described as having lot of dips and being kind of isolated. Thanks for your reply but could you clarify how you went for me.

kam

Just to add one point, Bishop is a pretty good sized town and one frequented by backpackers and hikers and campers in the Sierra. It certainly has hotels and a couple fairly nice country restaurants, nothing fancy. I would check www.thesierraweb.com. I think it would be a good stop on the way from Yosemite to Las Vegas. You don't mean to do the drive all in one day, do you? It's really quite a hike.

Linda

Hi Kam, thanks for the info. No, I was planning to stop either at Bishop or Tonopha. That is why I am so intent on deciding the route now so I can make a reservation. I actually have one at Bishop but thought maybe we should get down the road a little farther and stay at Tonopha. I know the sceanry will be nicer at Bishop but I just don't know about driving 50 miles out of the way as opposed to straight over on 120 to route 6.