Yosemite National Park Travel Forum

We (2 adults, 2 kids ages 8 and 12) will be visiting Yosemite in late June (20 - 27). We'll be approaching from the south, after visting some relatives in LA. We'd like to be able to visit Bodie while we are there, but I know it all hinges on Tioga pass being open. Here's what we were thinking:

Fri, June 20 -- Fly into LA, stay with relatives
Sun, June 21 -- Drive to Oakhurst
Monday, June 22 -- Drive into Yosemite, stop and see the big trees, make our way to Yosemite West, where we've rented a cabin
Tues, Weds -- "Do" the valley -- probably rent some bikes, not sure what else; my daughter would really like to do something on horseback....
Thursday, June 26 -- Drive east, stopping at various points as we desire, drive over Tioga Pass, stop and see Bodie; continue on to Reno
Friday, June 27 -- Fly home from Reno

So, my questions are: Is our itinerary for Thursday too amibitious? If we chicken out and decide we aren't willing to bank airline tickets out of Reno on Tioga pass being open, is it possible to do the eastern end of the park and Bodie as a long day trip if it does turn out to be open? About how long will it take us to drive from the valley to Bodie? Any suggestions of "MUST DOs" while we're there?

Thanks.

Sondra

Can't answer all of your questions but the itinerary looks very doable. Thursday will be a long day but just start early. Be aware that you will be driving into the sun when you cross Tioga. Tioga Pass is almost always open by Memorial Day and given that the snow pack is only about 65% of normal, I think it will be open by the time you are traveling. If you get to Oakhurst early and want to do something, you could go to Bass Lake (slightly to east) or Nelder Grove (Giant Sequoias) or Sugarpine Railroad (both to north).

Tioga Pass will definitely be open by late June.
Thursday is doable, but you'll be missing the chance to see Lake Tahoe, Virginia City and a couple of other things along the route from Yosemite to Reno, except out the car window.

We travelled to Yosemite from LA via the tioga pass and stopped at Bodie on the way there. It was a long day but we did also stop at mammoth and mono lake!
It will take at least an hour or more to get to the tioga pass from the valley and probably about 45 mins to get to Bodie. Once you take the turn off to Bodie it is a single dirt track all the way to the ghost town so it does take a while to get there but it's well worth the trip if you want to see something different.
I would definately do if you get the chance.

The "to do" for the road trip, over Tioga Pass to Bodie has been covered. So, these are my "must dos". In Oakhurst, there is the Fresno Flats Historical Museum and Park. Lots of antiques from the "gold rush" days and buildings to inspect. Just a few blocks off the main road. As for the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pass RR, if you love the old steam engines and want to go for a short round trip train ride through the pines or want to show your children the touristy gold panning, and gift store, then it is a must stop. Located in Fish Camp, near the south entrance to Yosemite. I have photos and the website on my Oakhurst VT travel pages. I also have the Fresno Flats photos and website, as well as Bass Lake, all on my Oakhurst pages. Inside the YNP, there is a great outdoor replica of the local native americans lifestyle of old, including a sweatlodge that is still used in ceremony. Also, in the native museum, are great exhibits of the old times in Yosemite. Take time to smell the flowers.

Bodie to Reno is ~130 miles. It will take you the better part of 3.5 hours.

Do you already have reservations in Reno? If you do not fly out until later in the day, consider staying Thursday night in South Lake Tahoe so you can at least plant a seed for what you missed there and make a return trip in the future. Maybe I'm biased... but I love Tahoe, my childhood home.

From SLT to Reno airport you could drive US-50 via Carson City. This would take you ~2 hours. But for a better view of the lake, you could drive the east shore to Incline Village and then take NV-431 over to Reno. This would take you ~2.5 hours.

Bodie, remnant of the gold rush days, is a scattering of weather beaten shells of buildings, out in the desert. Great for the "Ghost Town" seeker but I personally find it a little dead. The unpaved road is not that long, but gasoline and drinking water should be thought about before leaving civilization. The trip to Reno can be enlivened closer to Reno by stopping off in Virginia City. This is a real live gold rush town that knew how to stay. The trolley tour is very informative and many buildings are still in "the day they were built" state. I suggest a stop here to let your children see what the real old west was like. Virginia City has captured a somewhere in time feel. It is only 23 miles to or from Reno.

There is also the Nevada State Museum in Carson City. I haven't been there for a while but when I was younger, my brothers and I loved running around in the recreated mine under the museum. It is on the small side but has some great displays and it is right on your way to Reno.