Death Valley to Yosemite on the Eastern Sierra

Route description

Leave Las Vegas west via Pahrump into Death Valley National Park and drive down to Badwater Basin, 282 feet below sea level and the lowest point in North America, where the salt flats crack into hexagons. In summer avoid the middle of the day, carry plenty of water and fill the tank before entering the park.

Leave the park west on CA-190 over the Panamint Range and down to US-395 near Lone Pine. The highway then runs north through the Owens Valley with the steep eastern face of the Sierra Nevada rising to the west, past Independence to Bishop, a good place to stock up.

North of Bishop the road climbs into higher, cooler country toward Mono Lake, where limestone tufa towers that formed underwater now stand along the shore of an ancient salt lake; come at sunrise. From Lee Vining, Tioga Road (CA-120) climbs over Tioga Pass into Yosemite, but it is closed in winter, usually from November until late May or June.

In Yosemite Valley, Tunnel View on Wawona Road frames El Capitan, Bridalveil Fall and Half Dome in one view, and it is the first sight of the valley for anyone arriving from the south. Upper Pines Campground, the largest in the valley, sits beneath Half Dome, but reservations open months ahead and go fast. In summer, also check whether a park entry reservation is required.