My bicycle route from Yosemite National Park to the town of Lee Vining crosses Tioga Pass. Tioga Pass closes for the winter sometime in November. It is always closed by Thanksgiving. On one trip, I ducked under the barrier gate on the Yosemite side of Tioga Pass on Thanksgiving Day and tried to ride over the pass. It was a very peaceful, sunny day. After a few miles, a profound quiet settled around me. It was pleasant riding without worrying about traffic. Pine needles covered the pavement. I avoided tree limbs, rocks, and even small boulders sitting on the road. I dismounted to walk across icy patches. Near the summit, the road was covered with about a foot of snow and it became physically impossible to push my bicycle and trailer uphill through the snow. I camped for the night near the summit. I melted a pan full of snow with my stove to supplement my supply of drinking water. Two and a half liters of snow only produced about four cups of water! It takes more fuel to melt a pan full of snow than it takes to boil an equivalent amount of water! The next day, I returned to the town of Groveland. Along the way, I stopped to read a historic marker that contained the following account of the first white settlers to cross Tioga Pass:
“In 1833, in a trip that took more than two weeks, Joseph R. Walker led a party of mountain men along a ridge near here. They were the first non-Indians to pass through this area as they crossed the Sierra Nevada. Near starvation they finally found an Indian trail that eventually led them to safety, but not before 24 of their horses succumbed, most of which they had to eat for their own survival.”
Directions:
E 120 Tioga Pass
When you return to the Crane Flat Gas Station from Yosemite Valley, follow the signs for “Tuolumne Grove/Nature Bridge” to take Tioga Rd./Hwy 120 E to Tioga Pass and Lee Vining. The climb to Tioga Pass will take the better part of a day. The climb consists of long, straight 6-8% grades. The elevation at Tioga Pass is 9,943 feet.