petrol

Hi

we are driving from san fran to yosemite with a full tank of petrol. And are from the uk, when do you think we should fill up. Will a tank get us there. Also what are the prices at the mo please. Also will we need snow chains when visiting the valley, please.

petrol

The closer you get to Yosemite, the more expensive the gas will be. The last ';big'; city for you to get gas is Oakdale CA, but there are numerous towns in between including Groveland that will have gas. I would fill up in Oakdale or Groveland, assuming you%26#39;re driving on hwy 120 from San Francisco.

If you decide to take hwy 140 (which is less likely to require chains during bad weather, and won%26#39;t add much time to your drive) then fill up in Merced, or the very last place would be Mariposa.

Gas prices right now vary a lot depending on the city you%26#39;re in, but I%26#39;d plan on between $1.70-$2.10 USD to be on the safe side. If you purchase gas inside the park at Crane Flat, or at the gas station in El Portal, it will be far more expensive than that.

You never know if you need snow chains for the valley. So far it%26#39;s been a very cold winter with a fair amount of snow and yes...people have been needing chains at least to get into the valley. You should carry them with you, as just to get into the park during inclement weather, you may be required to have them in your car. The above towns for gas are also good sources for tire chains or tire cables. Also, someone on this forum recently posted that some rental cars also rent chains, so you might want to ask about that.

petrol

marmot 1995 said it all correct.I have taken both routes into YNP, for the past 45 years, and all what he said is correct. I would add, that people new to this area, espcially in the winter often don%26#39;t give it respect. Strangers do get lost, while driving a car!, and have tragic results. In the winter, always bring a extra large blanket, flashlights (torches), packaged food, and for sure, water. Cell phones do not work in many of the areas you will be driving through. Then go have some great fun in our National Parks!

You don%26#39;t say when you are making your trip? Snow is a big issue now, but decreases after March. If you are looking for the cheapest petrol (gasoline), fill up in Oakdale if you are driving in on 120. I saw $1.73/gallon US yesterday. Groveland is usually about $.10/gallon more, and even more into Yosemite.

If you drive 140, fill up in Merced, as Mariposa is more expensive, and again more expensive the further you go.

The highways in the US are pretty good. If you%26#39;re entering an area where there will not be any gas stations for a while you%26#39;ll see a sign with ';No Services Next 60 Miles'; or however many miles there is. How many miles you can go on a full tank depends on what car you are driving. Most current American cars are designed to get 300-350 miles of highway driving from a full tank of gas. Rule of thumb is start looking for gas stations when the gas station is at 1/4 full.

Lots of rental cars come with GPS units, these can be used to find the closest gas station.

This time of year, it is better to take HWY 140 into the Park - the all weather route into the Park. There is probably only a 10 to 15 minute difference using HWY 120 verses HWY 140 to get to Yosemite Valley. As for the Chevron in Mariposa they charge more because they have a full-time mechanic on board. However, there are other gas stations in the area that are much less than in town (ie Shell station on HWY 49 going towards Oakhurst is usually the cheapest). Unless you are in need of mechanic do not buy gas in the town of Mariposa. I%26#39;d fill up in Merced before heading up to the mountains.

Enjoy your visit!

If you are going into the Park this time of the year you will need to carry chains. There are stiff fines for not carrying chains even if you don%26#39;t need them.

You can rent chains in the town of Mariposa at Napa Auto Parts on Joe Howard Street (209) 966-3697 or Stage Stop Mini Mart on HWY 140 (209) 742-6634.

Enjoy the drive!

Hi Thamks all.

We leave a week tomorrow, and i am scared! My daughter and i were gonna have a week in vegas, but then got adventurous and decided to drive from san fran via yosemite, not thinking about the SNOW..I have never driven on the snow, in the UK the roads are pretty much clear, that or you dont go out! I just hope the car rental company dont tell us we can not drive in snowy areas, Any ideas if that is the case? We will enter from Mariposa and are booked in to the Yos lodge at the falls. Any idea of the price to hire chains please. If we cant drive into the park, can we park and catch public transport in? Thanks

You can park in Mariposa at the visitor center, or at one of the hotels in El Portal on hwy 140 (Yosemite View Lodge or Cedar Lodge...big signs, you can%26#39;t miss them) and take the yarts bus in if you%26#39;re interested. It%26#39;s a low fee, and includes your entry fee.

www.yarts.com

If you%26#39;re coming in hwy 140 through mariposa in particular, you%26#39;ll have nothing to worry about for the majority of the way. Just keep an eye on the weather forecast for the valley...the best link is here:

forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php鈥?/a>

Also keep this number handy...209-372-0200, press 1 and then 1 again. It will give you road conditions for the whole park. You%26#39;re just listening for hwy 140, and what you want to hear is either R0 or R1. R2 means you%26#39;re going to actually have to install the chains to get in, and R3 means (from my perspective) that you just don%26#39;t want to be driving at all...and R3 is very rare to hear for hwy 140. R2 is generally rare for hwy 140 but it%26#39;s already happened this winter.

As a random note, someone mentioned GPS units...they are great for the cities, but don%26#39;t depend on them for navigating to Yosemite. I%26#39;ve run into numerous people who landed in places they didn%26#39;t want to be.

You also need to be aware that you%26#39;ll have to return to the San Joaquin Valley and travel south to Bakersfield on the 99 freeway and pick up Highway 58 through Tehachapi to reach Las Vegas. The only road from Yosemite (Tioga Pass) leading to the other side of the Sierra Mountains is closed due to snow.