Tioga Pass

Infobox Mountain Pass
Name = Tioga Pass
Photo=Dana Meadows from Mount Dana.jpg
Caption=The Tioga Pass area (including Tioga Pass Road), from Mount Dana summit
Elevation = 9,943 ft. / 3,031 m.
Location = California, USA
Range = Sierra Nevada
Coordinates = coord|37|54|40|N|119|15|29|W |region:US-CA_type:pass |display=title,inline
Topographic
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.

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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. [cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tiogaopen.htm|title=Tioga Road Opening & Closing Dates|accessdate=2008-05-08 NPS] [cite web|url=http://www.monobasinresearch.org/data/tiogapass.htm|title=Tioga Pass Road Opening and Closing Dates|accessdate=2008-05-08 Mono Basin Clearing House]

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.

See also

*Yosemite
*Tioga Lake
*Dana Meadows

References

External links

* [http://www.nps.gov/yose/trip/tioga.htm NPS: Tioga Road]
* [http://www.westkueste-usa.de/mn_Yosemite_TiogaPass.htm Westkueste USA: Tioga Pass] Virtual tour on Tioga Pass with 45 images (deutsch)
* [http://cessna.smugmug.com/popular/3/71835462#71835462-L-LB Photo taken from Gaylor Saddle]
* [http://www.hiking-world.com/popups/tiogapass.html Tioga Pass etymology]
* [http://www.yosemitehikes.com/tioga-road/yosemite-tioga-road.htm Tioga Pass Road Hiking Trails]