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WouterJ

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Oct 13, 2016
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Hello :)
I'm from Holland and I'm going to California this summer. High on the list is (of course) Yosemite N.P.
From Yosemite I want to take the Tioga Pass Rd. With an RV. Is this even possible?

And I saw there is a tunnel on the Big Oak Flat Road. To get to the Tioga Pass. But this tunnel is only 10 feet and 3 inches high (3.1 meters)  :p.
And the RV is 3.40 meters high. How do I still get to the Tioga Pass (if possible)?

Kind Regards,
Wouter
 
Welcome to The RF Forum!

You can go from Yosemite Valley and visit Tuolumne Meadows at the top of Tioga Pass, but like Tom S. I would not advise continuing east over the summit.

There's a very long, steep and winding downgrade from the summit to Hwy 395 - the road drops more than 2500 ft. (723 m) down an 8 mile (13 km) continuous, steep, winding downgrade. I do not recommend it for RV novices.  It's far too easy to overheat the brakes going down, even with the transmission locked in low gear.

Going the other way, it's a long, hard uphill slog and will likely overheat the RV's engine.

The tunnels in Yosemite are not a problem.  The tops are arched and the walls slope downward to minimum height at the curb.  But clearance at the white fog line at the outer edge of each lane (a few feet in from the curb) is 13' 6" (4.1 m) or better, so all road legal vehicles can go through safely as long as they stay in the lane.

Vehicle restrictions and a recommendations for towing a trailer over Tioga Pass Rd. can be found here:

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/restrictions.htm

The same advice holds for driving a motorhome over it.  Notice they only address going UP the grade ... there's no mention of going DOWN it, which is potentially more dangerous.
 
Depending on the time of year, you also need to be aware of Tioga Pass closure due to snow. See here
 
We did California two years ago and in two weeks we are going back. We will start from Pennsylvania and camp to California and back for one month. We traded our pop up for a hyhird so it will be easier to set up and take down.
Ooh the RV life!
 
Thanks for all your replys!

It's quite a pity because it seems to me a fenomemal panaroma road. But if it's not safe, we shouldn't do it  ;)

How do I get to Lake Tahoe from Yosemite? Or do you have to ride a long way around?

Wouter
 
WouterJ said:
Thanks for all your replys!

It's quite a pity because it seems to me a fenomemal panaroma road. But if it's not safe, we shouldn't do it  ;)

How do I get to Lake Tahoe from Yosemite? Or do you have to ride a long way around?

Wouter
Click to expand...

If you can access Google maps......enter a starting point and a destination point......up pops a couple of routes.

You cannot ride along the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.....you HAVE to get to the foothills on the west side and make your way north to either Hwy 50 or interstate hwy 80. Hwy 50 will put you on the south side of Tahoe and Interstate 80 passes the north side.

 
CA 49 runs through the Sierra foothills, but it is a slow, twisty road and there's one stretch between highways 120 and 140 that's very steep with switchback turns as you descend from the ridge top down into the Merced River canyon and up the other side.  The Sierra Nevada foothills are a series of east to west ridge lines and you will be going north, crossing them all.  You'll crawl through several gold rush era towns with heavy traffic on narrow streets, on the plus side it is the California gold rush country and you can visit Sutter's Mill, where gold was first discovered.

If your time is limited, your best bet is to go west on either CA 140 or CA 120 until you get into the Central Valley and take the CA 99 freeway north to Sacramento, then US 50 or Interstate 80 to the south or north shore of Lake Tahoe.  CA 120 has one seriously twisty stretch near Hwy 49 but it's OK if you take your time.  Of the routes into Lake Tahoe, Highway 50 to the South Shore is more scenic with a spectacular final descent into the Tahoe Basin.  It's not nearly as steep as Tioga Pass.

This will also take you through Sacramento, California's capital city.  Besides the capital building itself there's Old Town Sacramento and the California State Railroad Museum, a world class transportation museum.
 
I second Lou's suggestion of visiting Old Town Sacramento and the railroad museum. While there, be sure to also visit Sutter's Fort for a self-guided tour, and the Indian museum.
 
We live in the bay area and went to Sacramento for a few days and I was surprised at how much there is to see there. You could spend a couple 3 days there. Lake Tahoe is a nice place to go. Never RVed there just took in the sights of the inside of the casinos LOL
 
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