Yosemite chain requirements: SR-120, SR-140, SR-41 and Badger Pass

Yes, whenever a chain control is posted, by Caltrans on the approach highways or by the park inside the entrance. Highway 140 through El Portal is the lowest, least-restricted route; Badger Pass Road often requires chains. Today's status on the approaches is shown above.

Three ways into the park in winter

• SR-140 from Merced and Mariposa, along the Merced River through Midpines and El Portal to the Arch Rock entrance. It stays below 3,000 feet almost all the way and is the route the park recommends in winter. Chain controls here are the exception, not the rule. See the SR-140 page.
• SR-120 from Manteca and Groveland, the Big Oak Flat Road, which climbs Priest Grade and crosses higher ground before dropping into the valley. It sees controls in most storms. See the SR-120 page.
• SR-41 from Fresno and Oakhurst, through Fish Camp and Wawona to the south entrance, then over the ridge to the valley via the Wawona Tunnel. This is also the road to Badger Pass. Chains are common on the upper section.
• SR-49 links Mariposa and Oakhurst between the 140 and 41 approaches; see the SR-49 page.

Tioga Road, the SR-120 crossing of the Sierra to Lee Vining and US-395, closes for the winter from the first big storm until late spring, and Glacier Point Road is plowed only as far as Badger Pass.

Two authorities post the controls

Outside the park, Caltrans posts chain controls on SR-120, SR-140, SR-41 and SR-49, and those are what the live strip above and the Snowy Roads pages show, refreshed every 3 minutes. Inside the entrance stations the National Park Service sets its own requirements on park roads, using the same R1, R2 and R3 levels: R1 chains required unless you have snow tires, R2 chains required unless you have 4WD or AWD with snow tires, R3 chains on every vehicle. The park requires you to carry chains whenever a control is in effect, including in 4WD and AWD vehicles, and it enforces at the entrance stations and on Badger Pass Road. Park road conditions are on the park's own recorded line at 209-372-0200 (press 1, then 1). Snowy Roads does not currently show the park-posted controls inside the entrance, so check both.

Badger Pass

Badger Pass Ski Area is on Glacier Point Road, which leaves SR-41 at Chinquapin about halfway between Wawona and the valley. The road is plowed to the ski area during the season and gated beyond it. It climbs above 7,000 feet, so the park posts chain requirements on it frequently and R3 is not unusual after a storm; Badger Pass staff and the park's line are the sources for the road itself. Plan on chains being needed on SR-41 too, and on carrying them at all times. See the Badger Pass page for the Caltrans approaches.

What a storm usually looks like

Snow levels in Yosemite swing widely from storm to storm. A warm storm rains on SR-140 and puts controls only on SR-120 and SR-41; a cold one brings R2 to all three approaches and closes Badger Pass Road for avalanche and plowing work. Rock and mud slides have closed SR-140 in the Merced canyon in past winters, so a closure there does not always mean snow. Requirements change without notice, and the entrance-station requirement can be higher than the Caltrans level you met on the way up. Always carry chains.

What the levels mean for your car

Under R1 you need chains unless you have snow-tread tires (M+S, M/S, MS or the mountain snowflake symbol); under R2 unless you drive a 4WD or AWD vehicle with snow-tread tires on all four wheels; under R3 everyone chains up. See R-1 vs R-2 vs R-3 and chains for AWD, 4WD and snow tires. For the installation itself, read how to put on chains before the trip; Yosemite's checkpoints are not lined with chain installers the way I-80 is.

Before you go

The official sources are Caltrans QuickMap (quickmap.dot.ca.gov) and 1-800-427-7623 for the state highways, and the park's line at 209-372-0200 for the roads inside. The Snowy Roads pages for SR-120, SR-140, SR-49 and Badger Pass show the Caltrans checkpoints, message signs and cameras.