Expert: Steve Summers - 7/31/2003

Question
Can we drive through Yosemite?  Do we need reservations to get in?  We are not camping but just want to see this site.

Any advise will be greatly appreciated.  We probably will spend one day enroute to Nevada visiting.

Thank you so much for your time.

Answer
Hi Sally!

Yes, you can drive through Yosemite. It will take the whole day, but you can "drive through". I did it once with my sister's former boyfriend. We started in Mammoth Lakes, then took highway 120 through Tioga Pass. We passed Tuolumne Meadows, Lake Tenaya, Olmstead Point (stop for photos), and then went into the Valley. After seeing the waterfalls and the Valley Visitor Center and staring at Half Dome for awhile, we left Yosemite via highway 41 and went home to Los Angeles.

If you are going to drive through Yosemite, I highly recommend seeing the high country via Tioga Pass on highway 120, as well as the more-familiar Yosemite Valley. While in the Valley, be sure to visit Yosemite Falls, the Valley Visitors Center, El Capitan. It might be a good idea to park and take the Valley Floor tour, which takes a couple hours.

Note that Yosemite is about 6 hours from Los Angeles and about 4 hours from San Francisco.

You do not need reservations, but will have to pay $20 entrance fee to get in. (ouch)

Have fun,

Steve