Tioga Pass
Tioga Pass | |||
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View of the Tioga Pass road |
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Compass direction | west | east | |
Pass height | 3031 m | ||
county | Tuolumne County , California ( USA ) | Mono County , California ( USA ) | |
Watershed | Tuolumne River | ||
Valley locations | Yosemite National Park | Lee Vining , Mono Lake | |
expansion | California State Route 120 | ||
Winter closure | Oct./Nov. - May / Jun. | ||
Mountains | Sierra Nevada | ||
particularities | highest pass in California | ||
map | |||
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Coordinates | 37 ° 54 '40 " N , 119 ° 15' 29" W |
The Tioga Pass is a 3031 m high mountain pass in the Sierra Nevada in California . The California State Route 120 runs over him. At the same time, the Tioga Pass is the eastern access point to the Yosemite National Park . It is the highest highway pass in California and the Sierra Nevada. Mount Dana is east of the Tioga Pass . There are a number of hiking routes into the Yosemite National Park hinterland that start from here. A trail leads west northwest to the Gaylor Lakes . The summit of Mount Dana can also be reached from here. The Dana Meadows are just south of the pass along the highway. The name Tioga Pass was given by the New York mining company of the same name, Tioga Mines. The term Tioga came from the Iroquois and Mohawk Indians and roughly means: where there is a fork.
The pass road has a gentle rise from the west, while east of the pass it descends steeply to Lee Vining on Mono Lake . The descent to US Highway 395 is over 900 meters in altitude. The Tioga Road west of the pass within the park and the Big Oak Flat Road that continues down into the Yosemite Valley are designated as a National Scenic Byway because of the attractiveness of the landscape through which they drive .
The pass is closed in winter due to heavy snow masses. Depending on the weather, it will be open from May / June and closed from October / November.
The Tioga Pass is the shortest route from Bishop or Mammoth Lakes to Fresno , Merced and Stockton . There are four other mountain passes north of the Tioga between Yosemite and Lake Tahoe . The next pass over the Sierra Nevada to the south is the Sherman Pass , about 300 km away in southern Tulare County .
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ Tioga Road / Big Oak Flat Road
- ^ California Place Names: A Geographical Dictionary , University of California Press 1949, p. 339
- ^ Federal Highway Administration: Tioga Road / Big Oak Flat Road
- ^ Tioga Road Opening & Closing Dates
Web links
- National Park Service (NPS): Tioga Road (English)
- West coast USA: Tioga Pass Virtual trip over the Tioga Pass with 45 photos and detailed descriptions of the sights (German)
- Photo taken from Gaylor Saddle
- Tioga Pass Road Hiking Trails
- Tioga Pass Status from CalTrans