Yosemite from Base Camp

Forty minutes to the gate.

Base Camp is on Highway 120, the road to Yosemite’s Big Oak Flat entrance. Spend the day in granite country, then come back to a hot tub and your own sunset.

2026 entry, at a glanceLast checked September 2026. Always confirm on nps.gov/yose.
No reservation

No timed-entry reservations are required in 2026, all year.

$35 / car

Good for 7 days, so buy it once for a whole week. The annual America the Beautiful pass works too.

Non-US visitors

New in 2026: a $100 per-person surcharge for non-US residents aged 16 and over.

Tioga Road

It opened May 15, 2026. It usually closes with the first big snow (around November).

Pick your day

Four ways into the park

The Valley

~1 hr 40 min from the house

Hwy 120 → Big Oak Flat gate → Big Oak Flat Road → Yosemite Valley

El Capitan, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Fall. You come in on the north side of the Valley, and your first view of El Cap from the road will stop the car conversation.

  • Be through the gate by 8am on summer weekends
  • Park once and use the free Valley shuttle
  • Tunnel View at sunset is worth the extra loop

Hetch Hetchy

~1 hr from the house

Hwy 120 → Evergreen Rd (1 mi before the gate) → Hetch Hetchy Rd

The quieter twin of Yosemite Valley: granite walls, Wapama and Tueeulala Falls, and a walk across O’Shaughnessy Dam. The dam was built with supplies hauled on the same railroad whose old grade is now PML’s Big Creek Trail.

  • The road is open in daylight hours only
  • Spring is peak waterfall season
  • Bring water. The Wapama Falls walk is exposed and hot in summer

Giant sequoias

~55 min from the house

Hwy 120 → Big Oak Flat gate → Crane Flat

There are two sequoia groves near Crane Flat. The Tuolumne Grove is a 1-mile walk downhill (and a 1-mile walk back up) to about two dozen giants. The Merced Grove is quieter and longer.

  • The best short, big-payoff outing for kids
  • Go early or late for the soft light

The high country

~1 hr 45 min to Tenaya Lake from the house

Hwy 120 → Tioga Road (seasonal)

Olmsted Point, Tenaya Lake and Tuolumne Meadows: granite domes as far as you can see. This is where we got engaged, high on Stately Pleasure Dome above Tenaya Lake. It’s our favorite place in the park.

  • Tioga Road usually closes from November to late May or June
  • Pack layers. It’s 8,000+ ft and can be 25° cooler than the house
  • Tenaya Lake’s beach is perfect for a picnic
Before you go

Your park-day checklist

  • Fill up the tank in Groveland or Big Oak Flat. There’s very little gas in the park, and it’s expensive.
  • Pack lunch and lots of water. Groveland’s Mar-Val opens at 7am.
  • Download offline maps. Cell service disappears past the gate.
  • Pack layers, since the Valley and high country can be 20–30° apart.
  • Bring cash or a card for the $35 entry, or your annual pass.
  • Leave no food in the car. Yosemite’s bears break into cars for food.
Driving notes

About Priest Grade

Coming from the Bay Area on Highway 120, you’ll climb Priest Grade just before Groveland. New Priest Grade (the main highway) is longer but gentle. Old Priest Grade is a steep shortcut that’s hard on brakes and not for trailers or nervous passengers.

In winter, check Caltrans for chain controls on 120 before driving up, and keep chains in the car from December through March.

From the hosts

Why this park, for us

We got engaged on a climb up Stately Pleasure Dome, above Tenaya Lake, and years later we got married in Yosemite. The park is the whole reason Base Camp exists. Whether you’re coming for the big walls or just for a picnic under the sequoias, we hope you fall for it the way we did.

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