San Francisco To Yosemite National Park Driving Time
Yosemite’s nearest commercial airports are in Fresno Fresno Yosemite International Airport and Merced Merced Regional Airport—the closest to the park , but both are small. The total driving time is 3 hours, 54 minutes. The fastest way to get to Yosemite from San Francisco is to fly.
Ultimate San Francisco to Yosemite Road Trip!
The cheapest way to get from San Francisco to Yosemite is by a series of buses and a train. Merced County Transit ‘s public bus will pick you up from the Roger K. The fastest way to get to Yosemite from San Francisco is to fly. Yosemite’s nearest commercial airports are in Fresno Fresno Yosemite International Airport and Merced Merced San Francisco To Yosemite National Park Driving Time Airport—the closest to the parkbut both are small.
Sometimes, you can snag a cheap return flight to Merced from Oakland International Airportbut the drive from Merced to Yosemite Valley is two hours long on top of the minute flight.
The YARTS bus, which stops at the airport, can also take you all the way to Yosemite Valley if you don’t mind a three-hour bus journey. However, when you consider the time it takes to actually commute to San Francisco To Yosemite National Park Driving Time airport, check a bag, go through security, and travel by ground on the other side, flying is about as time-consuming as driving the entire distance.
The quickest driving route between San Francisco and Yosemite takes about four hours. Interstate 80 will lead you into Oakland, where you can merge onto East for 45 miles 72 kilometersthen State Route This scenic route passes through fruit and almond orchards, small agricultural towns, and ranches in the rolling foothills before ascending sharply up the Priest Grade to Big Oak Flat and the old gold mining town of Groveland.
It’s always a good idea to check the CalTrans website or national park alerts for current road conditions, seeing as many roads in the area are closed during winter. The Big Oak Flat Entrance—one of five—is open year-round.
Oakdale is the largest town east of Highway 99, so stop here for groceries to avoid paying a fortune at the Village Store. In the summer, gasoline is available at Tuolumne Meadows on Tioga Road, too.
Besides private bus tour companies—such as Gray Line and Viator —that offer day trips to the park from San Francisco, there’s no single bus that runs the route directly. The entire Glacier National Park To Great Falls Mt takes six and a half hours, not including bus wait times. June through August, you can expect major crowds on the trails and in the campsites, not to mention traffic coming into the park.
Winter in Yosemite National Parkwhile beautiful, is a different experience entirely. Many hiking trails, roads, viewpoints, and campgrounds are closed for the season and there aren’t many people around.
Driving into the park during winter—where the Sierra Nevada range begins—can be treacherous. From Highway 99 at Merced, passes through open ranch land, into the wooded foothills, and through the old mining town of Mariposawhich has an old-fashioned main street with many cute places to eat.
Continuing uphill through Midpines, the road parallels the Merced River for about 30 miles 48 kilometers. The road enters the park via Arch Rock. Otherwise, you can catch the Merced County Bus, a Greyhound, or the Amtrak, but none of those go into the park. Yosemite National Park is a nature lover’s paradise. Half Dome and El Capitan are the two world-recognized granite walls that make up that iconic Yosemite scene. As far as waterfalls, the park is home to dozens, including one of the world’s tallest: Yosemite Falls.
There are 13 campgrounds in which to lounge and the Merced River in which to float on a hot day. For the real adventurer, there are plenty of opportunities for a thrill, including rock climbing, zip lining, and rafting tours.
Featured Tour
Taking a rented vehicle means you can break up the drive however you like! San Francisco, California. From there you will drive up the steep incline Priest Grade to Big Oak Flat and the old gold mining town of Groveland. The drive takes you through the towns of Oakhurst and Fish Camp and into the park near the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias and Wawona.