How Far is Yosemite National Park From San Francisco

Yosemite National Park is a vast space of landforms featuring beautiful natural scenes. People from all over the world come to visit it.

Californians are more fortunate in that regard as they are relatively nearer to the national park.

This article takes a look at how far is Yosemite National Park from San Francisco. How to reach? How long might it take? And what is the best way to do so?

Knowing the way around Yosemite National Park is helpful to those who plan on going there from San Francisco and those who plan on staying there during their visit.

A Yosemite National Park full-day tour from San Francisco is popular and booked by many.

The distance of Yosemite National Park from San Francisco is 170 miles. Get Direction

That is quite a lot of distance to cover. Knowing the best way to do so aids the planning of the trip.

Knowing how far is Yosemite National Park from San Francisco may make you think that the trip would be boring and dull.

But if you make the right decisions the trip flies by and becomes an entertaining part of your tour itself.

By Car

Getting from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park via car can take roughly 3 to 4 hours.

A good road trip can also be part of your memories and if done right, can be an optimal way of reaching the park.

If choosing to drive from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park, you should pick a non-busy route. Getting there late can affect the quality of your trip.

It is best to get going early in the morning so that you can reach before Yosemite crowds.

Usually, San Francisco residents prefer to go by car, and those visitors staying here rent one for the trip.

Escape the city and embark on a day trip to Yosemite National Park and enjoy the breathtaking wonderland of towering granite cliffs, lush meadows, and majestic waterfalls, just a short drive from San Francisco.

Directions from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park

While there are many ways to travel from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park via car, the two best options are Highway 120 and Highway 140.

Both routes are scenic and allow you to take in the serenity of nature, acting as a warm-up to the big and gorgeous Yosemite National Park.

Highway 120 is generally clearer than 140. From Highway 580 to 120 is the best route from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park.

Driving Directions from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park (Highway 120)

Go east towards Oakland through 101N and I-80 downtown or 101S and 92E from SFO
Merge to I-580 E
Go left on the fork to continue to I-205 E and then merge to I-5 N
Take exit 461 for CA-120 and proceed to Manteca/Sonora
Exit left onto CA-120 E or CA-99 N
Head toward Sacramento/Sonora N
Use exit 242 for CA-120 E/Yosemite Avenue towards Sonora
Turn right to CA-120
Turn left to CA-108 E/CA-120 E/E F St
After going in that direction for 25 miles, turn right onto CA-120 E
44 miles later you arrive at the Big Oak Flat Entrance

Big Oak Flat is a busy entrance but is still the best choice. Through these directions, the travel time from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park is just a little more than 3 hours.

A gas station is available in Yosemite at Crane Flat. Refill there if you have to as it is the last one before you enter the wilderness.

Driving Directions from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park (Highway 140)

If for some reason travel through 120 is not feasible, then Highway 140 is the next best option.

Go east towards Oakland through either 101N and I-80 downtown or 101S and 92E from SFO
Merge to I-580E and keep left of the fork
Go on I-205E and merge to I-5N
Exit 461 for CA-120 in the direction of Manteca/Sonora
From Exit 6 merge onto CA-99 S, going to Modesto/Fresno
Take Exit 186B for CA-140 E and proceed towards Mariposa/Yosemite
Take the first left onto CA-140 E
After 68 miles in that direction, arrive at Arch Rock Entrance

This route takes you into the park through the Arch Rock Entrance.

As for how far is Yosemite National Park from San Francisco using this route?

The driving distance from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park increases a bit but this route will still only take just under 4 hours without heavy traffic.

This route also takes you through beautiful scenic areas and the trip does not feel monotonous.

The last gas station through this direction is in El Portal, keep that in mind while driving if you need a refill.

By Bus

Another way of traveling is via bus. To get from San Francisco to Yosemite, make use of the YARTS (Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System) and Greyhound buses.

You can reach the park through these buses in an affordable way but it takes about 8-9 hours depending on the traffic and you will need to change the ride in between.

Get from San Francisco to Merced through a Greyhound bus. Buses for Merced depart from Mission and Fremont streets downtown.
Buses are available from morning to afternoon. A trip to Merced and back costs $45 per person.

After reaching Merced, walk for a mile or book a ride to the Amtrak station. (Directions if you choose to walk: Move along the palm trees on N street, turn right on the main, and then turn left on K St. to 24th.)
From Merced, take a YARTS bus to Yosemite Valley. The fare is $22 per person one way and the buses are available from the morning through to the evening.
Buses for a return trip are not as easily available. Few Greyhounds leave in the afternoon from Merced but the better option if returning through public transit is via Amtrak.

You can also book a tour to Yosemite to take care of your travel. These bus tours prevent the hassle of arranging transport and come with added services.

A Yosemite National Park day tour from San Francisco allows you to indulge in activities such as hiking and sightseeing while taking care of your pick-up and drop-off.

There are also multi-day trips to Yosemite National Park along with accommodation.

You can completely dismiss the worries of traveling and staying and focus on relaxing in nature.

By Train

If you wish to have a cost-efficient journey to Yosemite but want to save time compared to a bus ride, then a train from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park is an option.

As with the buses, there is no direct train ride from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park but a journey made mostly by train would be faster than a journey made mostly by a bus while still being affordable.

Get to Richmond Amtrak Station by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) via the red line.
After reaching Richmond, take the San Joaquin Line South to get to Merced. A one-way ticket is $26 per person.
Upon reaching Merced, use the YARTS to arrive at Yosemite. The ticket for a one-way trip is $22 per person.

This whole trip will take you 6 to 7 hours.

Getting to Richmond takes anywhere from 35 to 75 minutes depending on traffic and the trips to Merced and then to Yosemite take around two and a half hours with 10 minutes give or take.

Return options from Merced to Richmond are available mainly in the afternoon and evening.

There is one more way to get to Yosemite via train:

Get on the bus bridge from downtown San Francisco to the Emeryville Amtrak Station.
From there, make the journey to Merced and then get on YARTS to reach Yosemite National Park.

Note: Check up on the most recent arrival and departure times to time your journey accordingly.
If you’re traveling to Yosemite for one day, it is better to find alternative means of transport as using public transport on a 1-day trip will cramp you up for time.
A good option for a 1-day trip is a Yosemite National Park- Full Day Tour from San Francisco.

By Plane

If cost is not a deterrent, you can save time by traveling by plane to reach Yosemite National Park faster.

While not a common choice, this is also an option.

Board a flight from San Francisco Airport and reach close to the park, from where you can drive and get to the park.

There are no direct flights from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park, of course, with Yosemite being a designated wilderness area for the most part.

The distance from San Francisco Airport to Yosemite National Park is 172 miles. You can cover a significant piece of that distance by air.

Through Fresno

United Airlines offers flights from San Francisco to Fresno. It is a direct flight that takes less than one hour.

After reaching Fresno, you can approach Yosemite via car (rental) in a journey that takes around 2 and a half hours.

Instead of renting a car, you can also use public transport. You can take a YARTS bus from Fresno but it will take 4 hours.

You can pick up the bus from the airport itself but it only runs between May and September and you must coordinate your time of arrival at the airport with the schedule of the bus.

Through Bishop

Another city that you can fly in from San Francisco to reduce your travel time is Bishop. Board a one-hour and 25 minutes long flight from San Francisco Airport to arrive at Bishop.

From Bishop, take a rental car for a 2-hour and 15-minute long journey to reach Yosemite National Park.

Whether one takes a car, bus, train, plane, or tour, it is sure to be an amazing and fulfilling experience.

Yosemite National Park is a beautiful, tranquil, and relaxing place and one should go for it if a chance arises.

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