Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Tioga Pass Opening

Tioga Pass will open this Friday (May 11th) at noon. Hurray!Tioga

Get ready...here they come!

I got lucky with that one...I gambled (hoping for an early opening of the pass) and reserved a permit for 5/17! Coming from south of SF, Highway 120 is going to save me a ton of time!

Is going through Highway 120 faster than going down I-5, touching Mojave, then going up 395? That is what Google Maps suggests, but maybe it prefers interstates too much.

I have only approached from LA, but next weekend I am going with a friend and we are leaving from SF.

wrigleyd, I just tried Google maps, with San Francisco to Lone Pine, and it gave me the Tioga route. ...maybe they are smart enough to cancel out Tioga when it is closed!
I got 7:07 hours via Tioga, and 7:19 via Bakersfield. Pretty close either way.

Edit after wrigleyd posted below: Now that's weird!

Yup, it's open. The Tioga Pass webcam showed an RV heading eastbound on SR120 at the Ranger Station (Toulumne Meadows). Drive safe and be prepared for sudden seasonal changes.

I know some people at smart Google, but they aren't that smart. It seems to depend on if you put the area code after it: San Francisco to Lone Pine, 93545
Weird.

The only problem with 120 is it is a winding two lane road and you never know when you'll be caught up behind a semi or RV. Passing can be difficult as there are double yellows for many miles on 120. Not to mention the slower speed limit than the southern route. Pick the right time of day.