State Scenic Highway 120 120

State Scenic Highway 120 becomes Tioga Road inside Yosemite, climbing to 9,945 feet at Tioga Pass, the highest highway pass in California. Built in 1883 as a mining road to reach the Tioga and Sheepherder silver claims, the route fell into disuse before being reopened to the public in 1961. From the floor of Yosemite Valley at around 4,000 feet, the road gains more than 3,000 feet on its final approach to the pass, passing Siesta Lake, White Wolf, and Yosemite Creek before reaching Olmsted Point, an 8,300-foot overlook with views of Tenaya Lake and the granite domes of the high-country backcountry. The route is designated as both a National Scenic Byway and a National Forest Scenic Byway, crossing lodgepole pine and red fir forest, alpine meadows, and bare granite in quick succession. Like most high Sierra passes, it closes for the winter, typically from late October to late May, cutting off the most direct route between Yosemite Valley and the Eastern Sierra for more than half the year.

• Tioga Pass (9,945 ft, CA's highest)
• built 1883 as a mining road
• reopened to the public 1961
• Olmsted Point (8,300 ft)
• National Scenic Byway
• seasonal closure (Oct-May)