This 17-mile road, which stretches between the park’s Big Oak Flat Entrance and Yosemite Valley, offers the most direct route to Yosemite Valley if you’re traveling from San Francisco. Although there’s little dramatic scenery past the entrance station, the Merced Grove of giant sequoias (below) is worth a visit. Two park campgrounds are also located along Big Oak Flat Road: Crane Flat and Hodgdon Meadow. Both are located far from Yosemite’s popular sights, but they might be your best bet for an open campsite if you visit during peak season.
Arguably the most important stop along the road is Crane Flat, located eight miles past the Big Oak Flat Entrance. Named for the sandhill cranes that early explorers found here, Crane Flat was the site of a rowdy saloon in the late 1800s. Back then visiting sheepherders would drown their loneliness in whiskey. Today Crane Flat sells an even more addictive liquid: gasoline. As the only “reasonably” priced gas station anywhere near Yosemite Valley, Crane Flat is one of the most logistically important places in the park, especially if you’re about to embark on a long drive up Tioga Road. The adjacent convenience store also sells cold drinks and snacks.
Southeast of Crane Flat the road descends roughly 12 miles towards Yosemite Valley. As you approach Yosemite Valley, the views grow more and more dramatic. The final descent into the Merced River Canyon offers fabulous glimpses of Half Dome, El Capitan and Bridalveil Fall, and there are a handful of scenic pullouts on the side of the road. At the end of the descent Big Oak Flat Road intersects with Highway 140, which heads to Yosemite Valley.
Home to about two dozen giant sequoias, the Merced Grove is often the least crowded of Yosemite’s three sequoia groves. The big trees are reached via a 1.5-mile trail, which descends nearly 600 feet from the parking area. The steep hike can be strenuous. Plan on at least two to three hours for a visit, and bring plenty of water—there’s no water available at the grove. The Merced Grove parking area is located about 14 miles from Yosemite Valley (30-minute drive) and 5.5 miles from the Big Oak Flat Entrance (10-minute drive).