Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board airports near yosemite

hi,
can anyone point out the nearest general aviation airport nearest to the valley entrance. would like to fly there for the weekend, but i only see fresno or mmh as the closest airports.

There are no other gaa's.

I'm glad you're not my pilot, bud. There is a GAA in Mariposa, called the Yosemite-Mariposa airport. Good luck finding it.

Ok, guys, what's a GAA? Google doesn't list it.

Pine Mountain Lake airport is closer to Yosemite Valley than the Mariposa airport.   ...but good luck finding any ground transportation. Car rentals are 50 miles away from either one.

Sonora has a nearby airport in Columbia, and you can find car rentals in Sonora. And that's a 90 minute drive to Yosemite valley.

Fresno airport has car rentals, and Yosemite is 2 hours away.

Good luck!

...seems like a parachute might be the best way.

Google Schmoogle....GAA: General Aviation Airport....(Military bases don't appreciate us little guys dropping in for ice cream...anybody remember flying in for the $50 bowl of ice cream at Nut Tree Airport?

B

OMG - The Nut Tree Airport! I lived in Vacaville from 1974 to 1986 when I was first married (child bride at 18 years old) after relocating from the San Fernando Valley area - talk about culture shock. From a metro area to a rural area of 10,000 folk. I couldn't sleep at night because there were no street lights - the stark darkness was a new experience for a city gal. Eating at the Nut Tree was a treat. Boy, were they expensive! And I loved riding that silly railroad ride. Took my kids on it when they were babies.

Now I live in a rural area of Chatsworth (still in the SF Valley) and have no street lights, sewer (septic tank), sidewalk, gas (all electric), or cable. And we love it...

And a little train ride.

Dale B. Dalrymple

Closest to the valley floor is Mariposa - surrounded by hills on most sides, but otherwise decent. Keep an eye on temps and airport elevation

Closest to the Tioga Pass entrance is Lee Vining, but last time I was there, runway was rather rough and zero services. Mammoth might be the better option and it has full service and a great runway that was recently resurfaced.

Closest major airport to valley floor would be Fresno (FAT), Class C. If you want to avoid Class C, Fresno Downtown Chandler is the other option. FAT does have rental cars, etc.

Warm Regards, Keith (ASEL)

Never was a pilot, but was a naval aviator's best friend...aircraft maintenance officer.

thanks for the heads up re: Yosemite-Mariposa airport

I called them, but they have a short runway (3200 ft) so not sure if they take jet landings.

looks like FAT is my only choice.