Driving to Yosemite from MariposaDown the 140, along the Merced.

Which gate, how long it takes, when to leave, and what the road is like once the snow arrives.

The drive in

One road, and it follows a river.

The Arch Rock entrance is 28 mi from the cabin — about 45 minutes down Highway 140, following the Merced River most of the way. It is the closest gate to Mariposa and the one we send everyone to.

Yosemite Valley is another ten miles or so past the entrance, which puts El Capitan, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and Tunnel View roughly an hour from the front door.

Timing

Leave earlier than feels necessary.

The queue at the entrance builds through the morning. An early start is worth the alarm twice over: you spend less of the day at the gate, and the Valley is at its best in the first light.

Coming back, the drive down the 140 in the evening is the good half of the day nobody plans for. There is dinner in Mariposa ten minutes from the cabin if you would rather not cook when you get in.

Before you go

Check the reservation rules yourself.

Whether you need a reservation to drive into the park depends on the time of year, and the rules change. Rather than print a version of them that can go stale, we point at the source: recreation.gov/gateways/2991 is the park’s own page, and it is the current word on the day you read it.

Check it when you pick your dates, then again the week before you travel.

Without the car

Or let someone else drive.

YARTS, the regional bus, picks up at Midpines County Park — a four-minute drive from the cabin — and runs into the park. It is the easy answer on a day you would rather not think about the gate, the queue or parking in the Valley at all.

Arriving

The last 400 feet.

The driveway climbs gently from Triangle Road — about 400 feet of gravel with a few curves in it. All-wheel drive handles it easily, and two-wheel-drive cars are fine too; just take it slow when the ground is wet. There is free parking on site.

If you are arriving after dark, drive it slowly the first time. It is easier in daylight, and there is no prize for hurrying the last hundred yards of a long day.

In the snow

Winter changes the last mile, not the trip.

We are open year-round. In normal conditions the gravel driveway is easy for AWD and fine for a two-wheel-drive car driven with a little care. During and after a snowfall we recommend AWD or tire chains, and there is a lower parking area you can use if your car is not snow-ready.

Inside, two-zone heating and an electric fireplace mean the house warms up fast — which matters more than it sounds like it should after a cold day in the park.

If you arrive electric

Charge overnight on the deck.

There is a Level 2 charger on the deck. It uses an SAE J1772 connector, which fits most non-Tesla EVs; Teslas work with the adapter that came with the car. Scan the QR code on the charger to pay for the electricity you use — there is no account to set up in advance.

In town, Tesla Superchargers sit right outside Pioneer Market, which is also where the grocery run happens.

Somewhere to come back to.

Three bedrooms, a hot tub under the pines, and 28 mi between you and Yosemite.

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