Tioga Pass
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tioga Pass | |
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The Tioga Pass area (including Tioga Pass Road), from Mount Dana summit |
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Elevation | 9,943 ft. / 3,031 m. |
Location | California, United States |
Range | Sierra Nevada |
Coordinates | |
Topo map | USGS Tioga Pass |
Traversed by | State Route 120 |
Tioga Pass (el. 9,943 ft. / 3,031 m.) is a mountain pass in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. State Route 120 runs through it, and serves as the eastern entry point for Yosemite National Park. Mount Dana is to the east of the pass. There are several trailheads into the Yosemite backcountry which begin at Tioga Pass, including the trail to the Gaylor Lakes to the west/northwest, and the rough trail to the summit of Mount Dana. Dana Meadows is immediately south of the pass alongside the highway, as the pass itself is roughly angled north/south as opposed to east/west. Dana Meadows contains several small lakes.
This pass, like many other passes in the Sierra Nevada, has a gradual approach from the west and drops off to the east dramatically, losing more than 3,000 ft (914 m) by the time the road reaches U.S. Route 395.
Tioga Pass is named after Tioga Mine, whose name originated in New York: "Tioga" is named for an Iroquois and Mohawk term meaning "where it forks".
The pass is subject to winter closure, due to high snowfall, normally from around the end of October until the end of May the following year, though these dates are subject to considerable variation. In heavy snow years, the road usually closes in early-October and could open as late as mid-July. In light snow years, the road could be closed in December and open as soon as April.[1][2]
Tioga Pass is the most direct route from Bishop or Mammoth Lakes, California to Fresno, Merced, and Stockton. There are four passes to the north, between Yosemite and Lake Tahoe, but none to the south for about 200 miles (300 km), until Sherman Pass in southern Tulare County.
[edit] See also
[edit] Reference
- ^ Tioga Road Opening & Closing Dates. Retrieved on 2008-05-08. NPS
- ^ Tioga Pass Road Opening and Closing Dates. Retrieved on 2008-05-08. Mono Basin Clearing House
[edit] External links
- NPS: Tioga Road
- Westkueste USA: Tioga Pass Virtual tour on Tioga Pass with 45 images (deutsch)
- Photo taken from Gaylor Saddle
- Tioga Pass etymology
- Tioga Pass Road Hiking Trails
- Tioga Pass is at coordinates Coordinates: