Hwy 108 Over Sonora Pass
Northern Sierra (Lake Tahoe and Sonora Pass) Trailheads
Hwy 395 Waypoints - Eastern Sierra Trailheads and Junctions
Twin Lakes Near Bridgeport -Horse Creek and Robinson Creek trailheads Yosemite Valley and Curry Village TrailheadsGENERAL NOTES:
This file describes, from west to east, trailheads accessed from Hwy 120. The GPS waypoints go from the junction of Hwy 120 and Hwy 108 east of Oakdale (waypoint 120108) through the Priest Grade shortcut to Groveland, and then through the Yosemite National Park high country and down to the junction of Hwy 120 and Hwy 395 near Lee Vining (waypoint LEEVIN).
Hwy 120 is closed in winter from near the filling station at Crane Flat (roughly at waypoint CRANEF - please send GPS coordinates if you have them) to a gate (roughly at waypoint LEEGAT - please send GPS coordinates if you have them) where the power station road leaves Hwy 120 in Lee Vining Canyon.
Park entrances on the west (waypoint YOSEMW) and east (waypoint YOSEME) collect fees, but only the western entrance has facilities (permits, restrooms, vending machines). Similar facilities on the eastern end are at the Tuolumne Meadows parking lot (waypoint TUOLUM, 6 or 7 miles west of YOSEME) near Lembert Dome.
Tioga Pass is not particularly steep or narrow, but the speed limits are low and there are lots of pedestrian and animal obstacles not to mention slow drivers in rented motorhomes. Speed limits are enforced by radar, particularly near congested areas.
This isn't a trailhead, it's a shortcut! East of the four-lane
section around the Don Pedro Reservoir, there is a very steep
and narrow shortcut called Old Priest Grade (between waypoints
PRESTW and PRESTE). The new road (in purple) is almost 5 miles,
while the old road (in red) is under 2 miles. The new road is
less steep and wider, but there is no place to pass and it's
very winding:
Old Priest Grade (see also Hwy 120 Overview Map)
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The speed limit from the fire station past the school is
only 25mph, which always seems like a speed trap to me
since there is no congestion and the road is great.
Crane Flat (waypoint CRANEF) is the junction where Hwy 41 (the purple line from Fresno, via Yosemite Valley) ends at Hwy 120 (the red line). The filling station here is open more often than the one in Tuolumne Meadows. There is a tourist trailhead for the Tuolumne Grove immediately south of the environmental education campus (waypoint SCHOOL) at Crane Flat. Big trees, big crowds. | 
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The White Wolf campground (leave Hwy 120 at waypoint WHITEW)
can serve as a trailhead to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and the
Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne. I've never been to either of
them, but I know the hike has a huge uphill slog on the way out!
Yosemite Creek crosses Hwy 120 at the Ten Lakes Trailhead
(waypoint YOSTEN). Looks like a nice place, but I've never hiked here.
The Porcupine Flat trailhead (waypoint PORCUF) is
roughly 7 miles west of Tenaya Lake on Hwy 120,
across the highway from the Porcupine Flat Campground.
The Porcupine Creek trailhead (waypoint PORCUC) is
roughly 6 miles west of Tenaya Lake on Hwy 120.
The Snow Flat parking area (waypoint SNOWFP) is the best
way to reach the May Lake High Sierra Camp and Mt Hoffman.
In summer, leave Hwy 120 at waypoint SNOWFJ to drive to
the trailhead. In winter, or when hiking from Yosemite Valley,
use the trail which crosses Hwy 120 in the middle of the
hairpin turn just south of the side road to Snow Flat.
Olmstead Point (waypoint OLMSTD) is a great lookout for
Half Dome, Clouds Rest, and Tenaya Lake. There's a pack
trail near this parking lot, but no one starts here.
Sunrise Creek, at the west end of Tenaya Lake (waypoint TENAYA)
sometimes serves as a trailhead for the May Lake and Sunrise
High Sierra Camps. Nearby peaks include Mt Hoffmann
(with a great view but also a great radio antenna array),
Tenaya Peak (the best day hike in the area), and Clouds Rest.
There are lots of trailheads in and near Tuolumne Meadows!
This is often referred to as the Yosemite High Country.
The Cathedral Lake trailhead (waypoint CATHED) leads you
south of Hwy 120 to short and stunning climbs of Cathedral Peak,
Unicorn Peak, Echo Peaks, etc.
The Lembert Dome Trailhead (waypoint LEMBRT), aside from the
obvious dome next to it, gives you access to the Pacific Crest Trail
north, Soda Springs, the Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp, etc.
The Tuolumne Meadows Permit Kiosk parking lot (waypoint TUOLUM)
is where you pick up backcountry permits. You can park your car
here, but there's probably another lot that's closer to wherever
you happen to be going. Don't park at the nearby lodge, which has
an attractive parking lot that looks like it's for the general
public but which is technically for their guests only. The lot
is where the John Muir Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail cross
Hwy 120.
The Dog Lake Trail Backpacker Lot (waypoint DOGLAK) is
EAST OF the wilderness permit kiosk lot. This is where
you park for hiking to southeast to Vogelsang, Lyell, etc,
or north to Dog Lake via the trail east of Lembert Dome.
White Wolf, Yosemite Creek, Ten Lakes Trailhead (see also Hwy 120 Overview Map)
Porcupine Flat and Porcupine Creek (see also Hwy 120 Overview Map)
Snow Flat, Olmsted Point, and Tenaya Lake (see also Hwy 120 Overview Map)
Tuolumne Meadows (see also Hwy 120 Overview Map)
Dana Meadows, Parker Pass, Mono PaSs (see also Hwy 120 Overview Map)
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This trailhead (waypoint MONOTH) leads from Dana Meadows
south to Parker Pass and Mono Pass. It is the place to
start for Koip Peak, Mount Gibbs, etc.
Parking is strictly limited, and tickets for parking outside the striped lot are very expensive. |
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Saddlebag Lake (near waypoint SADLAK) is a short drive
north of Hwy 120 (turn at waypoint SADJCT), and gives
you access for dayhikes to North Peak and Mount Conness.
It's outside Yosemite National Park, so you get permits
from the Forest Service. Taking the ferry across the lake
and hiking over a ridge allows you legal access to northern
Yosemite without the limits and hassles of getting a permit
from the park!
The Warren Fork of Lee Vining Creek is the common route
for climbing Mt Warren (which has the best view possible
of Mono Lake). From waypoint WARNFK you can walk north
up the canyon to a free walk-in campground then hike
cross-country to the peak.
The hairpin turn on Hwy 120 is right at 9000 feet elevation,
and is sometimes called 'Camp 9' because the inside
of the hairpin has some gravel roads (probably an old construction
site) that people have been known to car camp on. For a while
there were 'no camping' signs posted, but recently the level of
use seems to have dropped and so has enforcement.
Useful Links:
Saddlebag Lake (see also Hwy 120 Overview Map)
Warren Fork / Camp 9 (see also Hwy 120 Overview Map)
