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Tioga Pass Road

State Route 120 marker

State Route 120
Route information
Defined by
Maintained by Caltrans
Length: 153 mi (246 km)
(Does not include the portion in Yosemite)
Existed: 1934 – present
Tourist
routes:
Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road
Restrictions: Segment through Tioga Pass closed in winter
Major junctions
West end: I-5 near Lathrop
  SR 99 near Manteca
SR 108 in Oakdale
SR 49 near Chinese Camp
to SR 41 / SR 140 in Yosemite National Park
US 395 in Lee Vining
East end: US 6 at Benton
Highway system
SR 119 SR 121

State Route 120 marker

State Route 120 (SR 120) is located in northern California. It runs from the San Joaquin Valley near Lathrop through Yosemite National Park, to its end at U.S. Route 6 in Mono County, eastern California. While the route is signed as a contiguous route through Yosemite National Park, the portion in park boundaries is federally maintained, and is not included in the state route logs. The portion at Tioga Pass is the highest paved through road in the California State Route system, this part is not maintained in the winter and usually closed during the winter season.

This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System. However, it is not officially designated by Caltrans as a scenic highway.

SR 120 begins as a freeway intersecting Interstate 5 to extend Interstate 205 through Manteca. In east Manteca the freeway ends at SR 99 and becomes a highway which continues to head east through Escalon, Oakdale and other various small towns. East of Oakdale there are no highly populated areas for 90 miles (144 km) as it heads into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and into Yosemite National Park. After leaving Crane Flat within Yosemite, it is known as Tioga Pass Road (or often simply Tioga Road), and it retains that name as it travels through Tuolumne Meadows and over Tioga Pass at an elevation of 9,945-foot on its 59-mile (95 km) journey to its intersection with U.S. Route 395, at Lee Vining. After a jog to the south along US 395, it continues east as Mono Mills Road, skirting the south end of Mono Lake and providing access to the Mono Lake South Tufa as well as the historical site of Mono Mills before cresting Sagehen Summit and ending with the intersection of U.S. Route 6 at Benton. Both the portions through Yosemite National Park and the stretch south of Mono Lake are subject to winter closure. Usually the highway is open through Tioga Pass by the Memorial Day weekend at the end of May, and typically closes for the winter sometime in November.


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Wikipedia

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