ROAD CONSTRUCTION, PARKING CHANGES AND CAMPING CLOSURES MAKE FOR HARDER THAN NORMAL EXPERIENCE IN YOSEMITE’S EAST ACCESS
Yosemite National Park – Summer 2022 – If you have followed us for any amount of time, you know that we have a special affinity for Yosemite National Parks East high country region of Tioga Pass. Over the 4th of July weekend we made our first of many planned (reserved) visits this summer only to find that road construction, new parking rules and closed access points a bit stressful and concerning on our visit.
Yosemite National Park has done a decent job at keeping the public informed of closures and construction updates in 2022. They had closed the the Tuolumne campground early in the year for much needed updates and renovations, and even have on their website discussed road construction projects that closed Glacier point on the West side and would cause up to 30 minute delays in traveling in from the parks east side over Tioga pass. This is on top of the reservation system that is in place from 7 am til 4pm daily.
However I think the planned parking changes that are going into effect are going to really make a huge impact on current and future trip planning. From the beginning of the Tuolumne meadow till Tenaya lake which (roughly 7 miles) they have added a rather large block curb along the roadside preventing any roadside parking along highway 120. Areas such as Cathedral lakes trail area which usually has 20-50 cars parked along the road at any one time has zero parking capability. Areas west of Tuolumne before Tenaya lake have had several popular roadside pull outs blocked and cut off so that future parking in this 5 mile section will be extremely limited. And around Tenaya lake (although not complete at this time) it looks like they will be eliminating dozens of popular roadside parking areas with the same curb system.
Visiting Tuolumne Meadows
If you plan to take a day trip to Tuolumne Meadows (typically open late May or June to November), arrive by 10 am. Parking in Tuolumne Meadows is limited and roadside parking is prohibited. In 2022, many parking lots in this area will be under construction, so be prepared to park in a different location than you might have planned. Do not park on vegetation. Other than 30-minute parking at the visitor center, the most parking is available near Lembert Dome.
YARTS and the Tuolumne Meadows Tour and Hikers’ Bus provide bus service between Tuolumne Meadows and Yosemite Valley.
What you should plan for on your next Tuolumne Meadows visit
If you are making the trip up to Tuolumne region this summer hear is what you should plan for:
- Slower traffic – road construction will continue through the summer. Currently traffic pilot cars are taking travelers through much of the area and waits can be up to 30 minutes.
- Reservation System still in place. I am actually a little shocked still at the number of people who drive up Tioga Pass not knowing that they need a reservation to drive through or visit Yosemite in the Summer season. Get used to it people this is not going away in our opinion. This is the new summer norm in Yosemite.
- Walking further – Many popular areas that used to be parked near are now closed off. Parking along the road was always discouraged if not completely against policy in Yosemite, but it didn’t stop most. Which is why the curb is now in place. This means that you will need to walk further. For Cathedral Lakes hike plan on an additional mile walk to the trailhead at least. For Tenaya lake, get there early because parking is extremely limited at lake region.
- New Parking lot near Visitors Center – there is a new paved parking lot just east of the visitors center. This looks like one of the new staging areas for backpackers and day hikers in the area headed to Tuolumne meadows or even the Cathedral lakes or Elizabeth lakes area.
- Backpackers, there is limited parking at the permit house, and with reduced roadside parking at Tenaya, parking for clouds rest, Murphy’s creek , Sunrise lakes is very crowded and will have to deal with day parking lake visitors much more than in past years.
- In the area between Polly Dome and Fairview Dome there are several roadside pullouts that used to be used for off trail visits in the area which are now cut off or blocked. Frankly I’m not certain what this will require of you if this is you favorite hide out in the park.
- On our visit the road in front of Lembert Dome was closed, it is un clear however if this was just a temporary closure or if they are redoing this area as well. I would not plan on parking there currently.
There is a Plan
Rehabilitating Yosemite’s Tioga Road has been planned out through an entire scoping process. The goals of the project are as follows:
- Improve the safety of visitors and employees traveling on Tioga Road.
- Maintain the character of the road corridor, including significant cultural landscape characteristics such as the curvilinear alignment, grade, and road features including culverts, retaining walls, and turnouts.
- Restore drainage features to control erosion and to protect natural and cultural resources.
- Increase accessibility for park visitors and reduce confusion regarding designated roadside turnouts.
- Manage roadside parking and traffic flow through improved turnouts.
- Reduce rockfall potential along Tioga Road by scaling rock at select locations.
- Manage and improve the Tuolumne Grove parking area.
Time will tell if the improvement goals are being achieved. Our hope is that we are seeing the cluttered mess that often has to occur in improvement. But after visiting Tuolumne area multiple times each summer for the past 8 years, I struggled to see the progress on this last visit. The important part to remember is to go with patients and flexibility on your 2022 summer visit. It is likely to have some effect to your experience that is not traditionally Yosemite.
