Travel from San Franciso to Yosemite

What day of the week is the drive to Yosemite? If a weekend day leave
by 9 am, actually earlier if possible. If a weekday, leave 10 - 10:30
am. I think you will be okay. Mapquest routes are usually good.

In article , Patty Winter
wrote:

In article ,
- Bobb - wrote:

Speaking of which, how IS the weather in Yosemite these days ? All the
roads open again ?

No, not at all. 120 is still closed east of Crane Flat,

They are 22 miles east of Crane Flat now... but it will be weeks till
you can get to 395... too late for me.

the Glacier
Point Road is still closed,

Opening this week.


jay
Sun May 21, 2006



and Hwy 140 is still closed east of
Briceburg due to that rock slide, according to the CalTrans website.


Patty

It seems to me I heard somewhere that steveo wrote in article
AMTbg.177400$bm6.168082@fed1read04:

"Charles Lewis" wrote in message
news:XcHbg.111029$5Z.90223@dukeread02...
Renting downtown seems to be the best idea then. I was under the
impression that heading to the airport would get me out of enough downtown
traffic that it would save time. I gather from these comments that is not
the case.

There is no escape from traffic in the Bay Area.

You may not be aware, but SFO is south of the city by a good amount. It's
not really a big deal if SF is your destination from the airport, but if
your destination is Yosemite, I'd be hard pressed to come up with a more
time-consuming option. As SFO is south of the city proper, you'll have to
go back up into the city to cross the Bay, in the process wasting several
hours.

I don't think that's strictly true, since both the San Mateo Bridge and
the Dunbarton Bridge cross the bay south of San Francisco, the SMB
fairly near the airport. From the SMB the OP could catch I-880 I-580,
which joins the I-5 south of Tracy. The I-5 intersects with Hwy 140
near Gustine, and Hwy 140 goes all the way into Yosemite.

As an added bonus, by the time you are ready to start the trek, you
will probably be stuck in the afternoon commute exodus.

Crossing at San Mateo may help some with that, but both sides of the bay
are pretty urbanized down there, too. :-)
--
Don Kirkman

"Patty Winter" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Lawrence Akutagawa wrote:

As someone living within 15 minutes from SFO, I recommend from the SFO
rental place - head north on the frontage road to pick up 380 west, then
south on 280, south on 85, south on 101, east on 152 (over Pacheco Pass),
north on 59, south on 99, east on 140. Avoids all bridges, 101 traffic
north of south San Jose, and the 880 traffic.

Wow, that's a long ways to swing south just to avoid traffic on the
Bay Bridge. I live in Sunnyvale, and even I rarely take that route.
I wouldn't recommend it from the city or SFO even when 140 is open.
Given that one currently can't get to Yosemite via 140, it makes
even less sense, as one would have to veer back up to 120 (or down
to 41) at some point.


Patty


From SFO go south to hwy 92 and take the San Mateo bridge to I-80 North, to
238 and connect up with I-580. Same road you get from I-80 and the bay
bridge. Then go east to Manteca and 120, and head to the airport. I live
in the Livermore Valley and it would add a lot of miles to go via 140.
Yosemite is almost directly east of San Francisco.

"Frank F. Matthews" wrote in message
...


Patty Winter wrote:

In article ,
Lawrence Akutagawa wrote:

As someone living within 15 minutes from SFO, I recommend from the SFO
rental place - head north on the frontage road to pick up 380 west, then
south on 280, south on 85, south on 101, east on 152 (over Pacheco Pass),
north on 59, south on 99, east on 140. Avoids all bridges, 101 traffic
north of south San Jose, and the 880 traffic.


Wow, that's a long ways to swing south just to avoid traffic on the
Bay Bridge. I live in Sunnyvale, and even I rarely take that route.
I wouldn't recommend it from the city or SFO even when 140 is open. Given
that one currently can't get to Yosemite via 140, it makes even less
sense, as one would have to veer back up to 120 (or down to 41) at some
point.


Patty


The point was that, if he decided to rent from SFO, the short route to
Yosemite did not involve returning to the downtown area.


The short route does not include traveling about 70 miles south to get 152
over to Fresno. That trip is about 40 miles further than going via 120.

"Calif Bill" wrote in message
. net...

"Frank F. Matthews" wrote in message
...


Patty Winter wrote:

In article ,
Lawrence Akutagawa wrote:

As someone living within 15 minutes from SFO, I recommend from the SFO
rental place - head north on the frontage road to pick up 380 west, then
south on 280, south on 85, south on 101, east on 152 (over Pacheco
Pass), north on 59, south on 99, east on 140. Avoids all bridges, 101
traffic north of south San Jose, and the 880 traffic.

Wow, that's a long ways to swing south just to avoid traffic on the
Bay Bridge. I live in Sunnyvale, and even I rarely take that route.
I wouldn't recommend it from the city or SFO even when 140 is open.
Given that one currently can't get to Yosemite via 140, it makes even
less sense, as one would have to veer back up to 120 (or down to 41) at
some point.

The point was that, if he decided to rent from SFO, the short route to
Yosemite did not involve returning to the downtown area.

The short route does not include traveling about 70 miles south to get 152
over to Fresno. That trip is about 40 miles further than going via 120.

ah...but is the issue distance or time? No argument that 120 is shorter
distance-wise, if that is the criteria. But time-wise? The route I
recommended. As I said, get behind a flatlander doing 30-35 mph on 120 past
China Camp vs 140 past Merced and see for yourself. These guys hardly ever
use turnouts (I don't think they know what turnouts are) and passing lanes
are more numerous on 140. Of course, you may well be more fortunate than I
have been and never, ever find yourself behind one of these slowpokes as you
traverse 120.

The recommended routing, of course, presumes that 140 is open. I see that
having opened a week or so ago (around the tenth?), it is again closed.
Best check with the Calif. highway folks on road closures.

In article ,
Frank F. Matthews wrote:

Patty Winter wrote:

Wow, that's a long ways to swing south just to avoid traffic on the
Bay Bridge. I live in Sunnyvale, and even I rarely take that route.

The point was that, if he decided to rent from SFO, the short route to
Yosemite did not involve returning to the downtown area.

I would argue that it sure as heck doesn't involve driving to Gilroy
and Los Baños, either. As a couple of people pointed out in other
messages, going just a little bit south to the San Mateo Bridge and
then picking up I-580 in the East Bay would make a lot more sense.


Patty

"Lawrence Akutagawa" wrote in message
. com...

"Calif Bill" wrote in message
. net...

"Frank F. Matthews" wrote in message
...


Patty Winter wrote:

In article ,
Lawrence Akutagawa wrote:

As someone living within 15 minutes from SFO, I recommend from the SFO
rental place - head north on the frontage road to pick up 380 west,
then south on 280, south on 85, south on 101, east on 152 (over Pacheco
Pass), north on 59, south on 99, east on 140. Avoids all bridges, 101
traffic north of south San Jose, and the 880 traffic.

Wow, that's a long ways to swing south just to avoid traffic on the
Bay Bridge. I live in Sunnyvale, and even I rarely take that route.
I wouldn't recommend it from the city or SFO even when 140 is open.
Given that one currently can't get to Yosemite via 140, it makes even
less sense, as one would have to veer back up to 120 (or down to 41) at
some point.

The point was that, if he decided to rent from SFO, the short route to
Yosemite did not involve returning to the downtown area.

The short route does not include traveling about 70 miles south to get
152 over to Fresno. That trip is about 40 miles further than going via
120.

ah...but is the issue distance or time? No argument that 120 is shorter
distance-wise, if that is the criteria. But time-wise? The route I
recommended. As I said, get behind a flatlander doing 30-35 mph on 120
past China Camp vs 140 past Merced and see for yourself. These guys
hardly ever use turnouts (I don't think they know what turnouts are) and
passing lanes are more numerous on 140. Of course, you may well be more
fortunate than I have been and never, ever find yourself behind one of
these slowpokes as you traverse 120.

The recommended routing, of course, presumes that 140 is open. I see that
having opened a week or so ago (around the tenth?), it is again closed.
Best check with the Calif. highway folks on road closures.


There are passing places. You will have to brave Old Priest Grade, as the
bypass is closed with a washout. I find that it is an enjoyable drive, and
why would you want to do 70 mph through all the historic gold country? And
a short wait behind a 35 mph RV, is not going to delay you more than an
extra 60 miles, and having to brave the traffic via San Jose and the Burb's
to the south.

Lawrence Akutagawa wrote:

As someone living within 15 minutes from SFO, I recommend from the SFO
rental place - head north on the frontage road to pick up 380 west, then
south on 280, south on 85, south on 101, east on 152 (over Pacheco Pass),
north on 59, south on 99, east on 140.

Wow, talk about taking the long way around! This would add about two
hours and about 70 miles onto the trip. I live next to San Jose, and I
rarely go this way (unless I'm staying near the southern entrance in
Fish Camp), or unless the other roads are closed for some reason.

"Don Kirkman" wrote in message
...

Crossing at San Mateo may help some with that, but both sides of the bay
are pretty urbanized down there, too. :-)
----------------

Understatement!

Marianne