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California State Route 120, in northern California, USA, runs between the Central Valley near Manteca, through Yosemite National Park, and ends at U.S. Highway 6 in Mono County. It begins as a freeway intersecting Interstate 5 to extend Interstate 205 through Manteca. This section is referred to as "the 120 bypass".[citation needed] In east Manteca the freeway ends at SR-99 and becomes a highway which continues to head east through Escalon, Oakdale and other various small towns. East of Oakdale there are no major cities for the 90 miles (144 km) as it heads up into the Sierra Nevada mountains to Yosemite National Park. Once in Yosemite, it is known as Tioga Pass Road, and it retains that name as it travels through the Tioga Pass on its 45 mile journey to its intersection with U.S. Highway 395, near Lee Vining, California. After a jog to the south along US 395, it continues east, skirting the south end of Mono Lake and providing access to the Mono Lake South Tufa, and ends at the intersection of U.S. Highway 6 in Benton, California. Both the portions through Yosemite National Park and the stretch south of Mono Lake are subject to winter closure. Usually the highway is open through Tioga Pass by the Memorial Day weekend at the end of May, and typically closes for the winter sometime in November. California Route 120 was considered for awhile as a proposed extension of US-6. [citation needed]
[edit] History
During the Gold Rush, SR-120 was originally known as Big Oak Flat Road, after the village of Big Oak Flat through which it passes in the Sierra foothills. It was a pack trail from Stockton which became popular with prospectors about 1849. By 1874 it was a wagon road which extended to the Yosemite Valley.
[edit] Source
- Map: "Stanislaus National Forest, California," U.S. Forest Service, 1979.
[edit] State law
Legal Definition of Route 120: California Streets and Highways Code, Chapter 2, Article 3, Section 420
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Route 120 is part of the Scenic Highway System, as stated by section 263.6 of the California State Highway Code. |
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