How to Get to Yosemite from San Francisco, Fresno and Lake Tahoe

Yosemite Valley, the part of the park most visitors come for, is about 195 miles from San Francisco, and the National Park Service puts the drive at 4 to 5 hours each way: I-580 and I-205 east, then Highway 120 through Manteca or Highway 140 through Merced. From Fresno it is 94 miles, about 2 hours 15 minutes, on Highway 41. From Lake Tahoe it is 198 miles over Tioga Road in summer, and further when that road is closed for the winter.

Without a car, the route is the same for nearly everyone: train or bus to Merced, then a YARTS bus up Highway 140 into the Valley, all year. Or a tour handles the whole thing. In 2026 there is no timed entry reservation to worry about, so once you are at the gate, you pay the entrance fee by card and drive in. Below: every route with its distance and driving time, the buses and trains, the airports, and what changes once you reach the park: parking, traffic, chains and fuel.

The distances at a glance

These are the park’s own figures for the drive between each city and Yosemite Valley. The park notes that its times are approximate and assume good conditions and no stops, so treat them as a minimum, especially on a summer weekend.

From	Route	Distance	Driving time
San Francisco	Highway 120	195 miles	4 h
San Francisco	Highway 140	211 miles	4 h
Oakland	Highway 120	186 miles	3 h 45 m
San Jose	Highway 120	182 miles	4 h
Sacramento	Highway 120	160 miles	4 h
Merced	Highway 140	81 miles	2 h
Fresno	Highway 41	94 miles	2 h 15 m
Oakhurst	Highway 41	55 miles	1 h 30 m
Los Angeles	Highway 41	313 miles	6 h
Lake Tahoe	Tioga Road (summer)	198 miles	4 h 30 m
Lake Tahoe	Highways 120 and 49	200 miles	5 h 15 m

The table and the park’s own summary disagree slightly for San Francisco: the table gives 4 hours, the route description says 4 to 5. The longer figure is the honest one once you add Bay Area traffic, a stop for fuel and the wait at the entrance station.

Driving from San Francisco: Highway 120 or Highway 140

Both routes start the same way, east out of the Bay Area on I-580 and I-205. Then you choose.

Highway 120 through Manteca is the shorter route, at 195 miles. It climbs through Groveland and enters the park at the Big Oak Flat Entrance, which is 25 miles and about 45 minutes from Yosemite Valley. Inside the park, the road drops down past Crane Flat to the Valley.

Highway 140 through Merced is 211 miles but takes the same 4 hours on the park’s table. It follows the Merced River canyon through Mariposa and El Portal and enters at the Arch Rock Entrance, only 11 miles and about 20 minutes from the Valley. Two things count in its favor:

It is the lowest road into the Valley. The park says chains are required on Highway 41 and Highway 120 from the west more often than on Highway 140. From late fall to spring, that can decide the route.
It is the YARTS corridor. If you would rather not drive the last stretch, you can leave the car in Mariposa or El Portal and ride the bus in.

A common plan is in on one road and out on the other. Whichever you pick, follow the road signs over your phone: the park advises against relying on GPS in and around Yosemite, and says that where a sign and a GPS disagree, the sign is right.

Driving from Fresno and Los Angeles: Highway 41

From the south, everything funnels onto Highway 41 through Fresno and Oakhurst. Fresno is 94 miles from the Valley, Oakhurst 55 miles, and Los Angeles 313 miles, about 6 hours.

Highway 41 enters at the South Entrance, 35 miles and about an hour from the Valley, and it is the most scenic way in for a first visit:

The Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias is right by the South Entrance. You park at the Welcome Plaza and take the free shuttle into the grove, which in 2026 ran from May 3 until November.
Wawona is on the way, with one of the park’s three gas stations.
Tunnel View is the reward at the end. At the east end of the Wawona Tunnel, the road opens onto the classic view of El Capitan and Bridalveil Fall with Half Dome behind. It is 8 miles, about 15 minutes, from the Valley floor.

Just outside the South Entrance, on Highway 41, is the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad, 4 miles from the gate and about 15 minutes’ drive from Oakhurst. It runs from April through November, and many visitors coming from the south combine it with the park.

From Lake Tahoe and Reno: Tioga Road or the long way round

The fastest way from Lake Tahoe is over the top of the Sierra on Tioga Road (Highway 120 east): 198 miles, about 4 hours 30 minutes. The catch is the season. Tioga Road is typically open to cars from late May or June until sometime in November. In 2026 it opened to all traffic on Friday, May 15, at 8 am, and on October 21, 2026 the park listed it as temporarily closing at 5 pm that day because of forecast snow.

When Tioga Road is closed, you go around through the foothills on Highways 120 and 49: 200 miles, about 5 hours 15 minutes. From Reno/Tahoe International Airport the park allows about 4.5 hours to the Valley when Tioga Road is open and about 5.5 hours when it is closed.

Check the road status the day before you set off between November and June. A plan that depends on Tioga Road can turn into a much longer drive overnight.

Flying in

San Francisco is the usual international arrival, but it is not the closest airport. The park’s list, with its driving times to Yosemite Valley:

Merced (MCE): about 2 hours, with YARTS buses to the Valley all year.
Fresno Yosemite International (FAT): about 1.5 hours to Wawona and 2.5 hours to the Valley.
Oakland (OAK): about 3.5 hours.
San Francisco (SFO): about four hours.
San José (SJC): about four hours.
Reno/Tahoe (RNO): about 4.5 hours when Tioga Road is open.

Fresno is the sensible choice if you want to start at the Mariposa Grove and work north. San Francisco or Oakland makes sense if you are combining Yosemite with the Bay Area, which most first-time visitors do.

Without a car: Amtrak, Greyhound and YARTS

Public transportation to Yosemite runs through one town: Merced. Amtrak sells combined train and bus tickets to Yosemite Valley, and the park explains that the bus leg beyond Merced is run by YARTS, the regional transit system. Greyhound also runs to Merced, where you change to YARTS.

YARTS has four routes into the park, but only one runs all year:

Highway 140, all year: Merced, Catheys Valley, Mariposa, Midpines, El Portal and Yosemite Valley. Its summer 2026 schedule ran from May 22 to September 30, and its winter schedule runs from October 1, 2026 to May 28, 2027. On the winter timetable, run 140-3 reaches Yosemite Valley Lodge at 10:45 am.
Highway 41, summer only: Fresno, Oakhurst, Fish Camp and Wawona to the Valley. In 2026 it ran from May 22 to September 25.
Highway 120 west, summer only: Sonora, Groveland and Buck Meadows. In 2026 it ran from May 22 to September 30.
Highway 120 east, summer only: Mammoth Lakes and Lee Vining over Tioga Pass to Tuolumne Meadows and the Valley.

What it costs, on the YARTS fare tables:

Route	Adult round trip	Adult one way
Merced to Yosemite Valley	$44	$22
Mariposa to Yosemite Valley	$24	$12
Fresno to Yosemite Valley	$40	$20

A few details that catch people out:

The park entrance fee is not included. YARTS says entrance and non-resident fees remain each passenger’s responsibility.
There are small extras. The fare tables exclude a $1.00 per-person surcharge, and YARTS lists a $2.50 non-refundable convenience fee per one-way ticket, or $5.00 per round trip.
Children ride cheaply. Children 5 and under ride free, and one child aged 6 to 12 rides free with each paid adult fare.
Be early. YARTS asks you to arrive 15 minutes before the reserved departure, and refunds only if you ask 72 hours ahead.
Holidays. YARTS does not run on Thanksgiving (November 26, 2026), Christmas Day (December 25, 2026) or New Year’s Day (January 1, 2027).
Luggage. There is no luggage storage in Yosemite, which matters if you arrive by bus between two hotels.

Taking a day tour instead

For a visitor based in San Francisco without a car, a day tour is the simplest way to see the Valley, and it removes the two hardest parts of a day trip by car: about four hours of driving each way, and finding somewhere to park once you arrive. The trade-off is time. With 195 miles each way, most of a day tour from San Francisco is spent on the road, so the useful comparison is how many hours you get in Yosemite Valley and which stops are included.

Tours also start closer to the park. A tour from Oakhurst, 55 miles from the Valley, spends far less of the day driving and can reach the Mariposa Grove or, in season, Glacier Point. Tours from Lake Tahoe depend on Tioga Road being open. Our guide to Yosemite tours compared sets the formats side by side, and the tours page lists current departures.

One question to ask any tour before you book: does the price include the park entrance fee, and, if you are not a US resident, the $100 nonresident fee? On a commercial tour the park charges $20 per resident aged 16 or older and $100 per nonresident aged 16 or older.

At the gate: what you pay

You do not need a reservation to enter Yosemite in 2026. The park’s FAQ says so plainly, and adds that the entrance fee still applies when you arrive. On the fees page, last updated January 9, 2026:

Private vehicle: $35, valid for seven consecutive days for everyone in the car.
Motorcycle: $30, valid for 7 days.
On foot or by bicycle: $20 per person, valid for seven days; anyone 15 or younger is free.
Non-US residents aged 16 and older: $100 each on top, unless admitted with an Annual or America the Beautiful pass.

The gates take credit and debit cards and mobile payment, but not cash. All entrances except Hetch Hetchy are open 24 hours a day, so an early start is never blocked by a closed gate. Our entrance fees and reservations guide covers the passes and permits in detail.

Arriving: traffic and parking in the Valley

The drive is the predictable part. The unpredictable part is what happens when you arrive. Yosemite welcomes over four million visitors a year, and in summer the park tells you to expect delays of an hour or more at entrance stations and two to three hours in Yosemite Valley.

The park’s advice, which applies from April through September and on spring and fall weekends and holidays:

Arrive early. The park’s traffic page says to reach the Valley before 8 am from spring through fall, after which parking is usually full. Its Yosemite Valley page says before 9 am. Aim for the earlier time.
Avoid Saturdays if you can. Saturdays and holiday weekends are the busiest days of the week.
Park once. When you find a space at Yosemite Village, Curry Village or near Yosemite Falls, leave the car there and walk, bike or use the free shuttle. Parking is free, but there is no second chance: when all Valley parking is full, cars are diverted back out of the Valley near El Capitan.
Use the shuttle. The free Valleywide shuttle serves every stop in the Valley every 12 to 22 minutes from 7 am to 10 pm; the East Valley shuttle runs every 8 to 12 minutes.
Check before you go. On very busy days you can get traffic updates by texting ynptraffic to 333111.

Through December 2026, work on El Capitan Bridge also causes 15-minute delays on the Valley roads, Monday to Friday, from 7 am to 7 pm.

Driving in winter: chains

From November through March the park says to expect tire chain requirements anywhere in Yosemite, even if you only plan to visit the Valley and use the shuttle. The rules are strict:

Every car carries chains when controls are in force, including four-wheel-drive and rental vehicles.
Rental cars are not exempt. Rental companies generally don’t provide chains, so buy them before you reach the mountains.
Highway 140 is your friend. Chains are needed less often on the El Portal Road than on Highways 41 and 120.
Or skip the driving. In chain season you can park at a YARTS stop on Highway 140, such as Mariposa or El Portal, and ride the bus into the Valley.

Fuel, GPS and phone signal

Three practical points that are easy to overlook on a long drive:

Fuel up outside the Valley. Gas is sold 24 hours a day by credit card at Wawona, Crane Flat and El Portal, and there is none in Yosemite Valley itself.
Trust the signs. The park advises against relying on GPS around Yosemite.
Download your maps and tickets. Cell service is limited, and the park says not to expect reliable coverage.

Once you are in the Valley

Distances inside the park are bigger than they look on a map. From Yosemite Valley:

Tunnel View: 8 miles, about 15 minutes.
Glacier Point: 30 miles, about an hour each way, while Glacier Point Road is open.
Mariposa Grove: 37 miles, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
Tuolumne Meadows: 55 miles, about 1 hour 30 minutes, in summer only.

For a short visit, the Valley floor itself is enough. The easy walks are short: the Lower Yosemite Fall Trail is a 1-mile loop, Cook’s Meadow is a flat 1-mile loop, and the Bridalveil Fall Trail is a 0.5-mile round trip.

Staying overnight instead

If the round trip from San Francisco sounds like too much driving for one day, it is worth staying near the park. Lodging inside Yosemite can be booked 366 days in advance and campgrounds up to five months ahead, and both are strongly recommended. Yosemite Valley Lodge, near the base of Yosemite Falls, is open year-round; the Wawona Hotel is currently closed. Outside the park, the towns on each approach road, such as Mariposa, Oakhurst and Groveland, make the drive in each morning much shorter.

Frequently asked questions

How far is Yosemite from San Francisco?

About 195 miles to Yosemite Valley via Highway 120, or 211 miles via Highway 140. The park puts the drive at 4 to 5 hours each way.

Can you get to Yosemite without a car?

Yes. Amtrak and Greyhound run to Merced, and YARTS buses continue up Highway 140 to Yosemite Valley all year, for $44 round trip for an adult. In summer YARTS also runs from Fresno, Sonora and Mammoth Lakes.

Which entrance is closest to Yosemite Valley?

The Arch Rock Entrance on Highway 140, about 11 miles and 20 minutes from the Valley. The Big Oak Flat Entrance on Highway 120 is 25 miles away and the South Entrance on Highway 41 is 35 miles away.

Do I need a reservation to drive into Yosemite in 2026?

No. The park is not using a timed entry reservation system in 2026. You pay the entrance fee, $35 per private vehicle, at the gate by card.

What is the best route from Fresno?

Highway 41 through Oakhurst to the South Entrance: 94 miles and about 2 hours 15 minutes to the Valley, passing the Mariposa Grove and ending at Tunnel View.