Pacific Crest Trail Thru-Hikers Face a Long Resupply as Key Yosemite Road Remains Closed

Yosemite is reopening Glacier Point Road on July 1 to visitors after a year-long closure—but another, key road will remain closed months more than a month longer than usual, forcing thru-hikers to tote heavy loads of food.

Starting Independence Day weekend, visitors will be able to access Glacier Point Road from 6 am to 10 pm, from July 1 to  4. The road will be open the following weekend at the same time. The road will fully reopen on July 15 at 6 am, but park officials warn visitors to plan for 30-minute delays on weekdays. 

Originally closed to support rehabilitation and an improvement project, the road is a popular destination due to the access that it provides to the Bridalveil Creek Campground, Glacier Point, and a number of additional trailheads. The park service prohibited vehicular, bicycle, and foot traffic during the closure while crews worked to repair some of the road’s curves, repave the Glacier Point parking area and build the McGurk Meadow Trailhead to enhance visitor safety. 

While visitors to Yosemite will have fresh access to Glacier Point Road, nearby Tioga Pass remains closed due to high snow levels, which creates a lengthy resupply for Pacific Crest Trail hikers. 

When open, Tioga Pass provides an entry point into Yosemite National Park from the eastern side of the Sierra, giving hikers the chance to make their way to Tuolumne Meadows where packages and some resupply items can be found. In the event that Tioga Pass remains closed, hikers have to plan for a 110-mile resupply-less stretch between Red’s Meadow or Mammoth Lakes, and Bridgeport via Sonora Pass (open again as of June 9). 

The Sierra Nevada range is already infamous for being one of the most difficult places to resupply along the PCT, and during a high snow year like 2023 this section can become particularly grisly. Services at Tuolumne Meadows close over the winter, opening only when Tioga Pass has been plowed. If the road remains closed late into the season, the relatively few hikers plowing on through the Sierra will have to carry heavier loads.

There is currently no estimate available for the time when Tioga Pass will open this year. Park officials said earlier this month that conditions on Tioga Pass were similar to normal conditions in April.