Wendy from the UK wrote in:
“We are trying to squeeze in a last adult holiday in California in January before our first baby is born (in May)!
Everyone we speak to says you can’t miss Yosemite so we’d love to visit but on investigation it seems a lot of the area won’t be available to us in a hire car (that may not be equipped with chains)
Is there a road into the park that always stays accessible or are they all subject to closure, and if we make it into the park can we drive anywhere at all without chains?
I’d love to see the park but would you say we were better avoiding it in January?”
Congratulations on the baby Wendy! I get this questions a lot. You are required by law to carry snow chains in your vehicle when entering Yosemite in the winter. They don’t stop you at the gate and make you present them when entering but if you get stuck you may end up spending the night you, as a mommy-to-be probably don’t want to stay.
Your rental agency should be able to supply you with chains if you call ahead of time and let them know. If not there’s Walmart and other establishments that sell them for around $30-35 depending on the size.
You can also usually rent or buy chains along the way. There are plenty of places with them for sale.
If you’ve never installed chains though, you might want to buy some at home and practice putting them on and taking them off your car. Chain installers aren’t always available should you be asked to chain up.
As for coming up in January, it’s a great time to come up. Right now gasoline is under $2 a gallon. That’s the cheapest we’ve seen it here in about 10 years. The park is beautiful, quiet and undisturbed. You won’t be totally alone but the amount of visitors in January is significantly less than peak months. Many photographers steer clear of Yosemite Valley except in the winter months so it’s an exceptional time to take photos and there are plenty of places you can snuggle up next to a wood fire to get warm.
The best road to take into the park in winter is Highway 140 from Merced to Mariposa then in to El Portal and Yosemite. There are a couple of high spots along the road where you may need chains but you’re no where near as likely to need to chain up as if you’d entered on 120 or 41. They’re much higher and almost always have snow in the winter.
Highway 140 takes you along the bottom of the Merced River canyon and was for years touted as Yosemite’s “all weather highway”.
Also, if you’re staying outside the park at one of the local inns they may offer shuttle service into the Valley. This would be great because someone else could do the driving for you! Just call ahead and ask the lodge or inn where you’re staying if this is provided.
Good luck! Have a great and safe trip!
Photo by Rickz via Flickr.com