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Airports near Yosemite


Greg252AY

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Going to Lake Tahoe the last week of Sept and we have a condo rented. Cant wait to fly the mooney out west from texas. Planning on  leaving a few days early and looking at visiting Yosemite. What airports near Yosemite would anyone recommend? I do not need a rental car since my brother is driving up from SAC and will pick us up. Just need a place for overnight parking and fuel. Also any insight on places to stay near or in Yosemite? Hope the fires are out by then. 

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We did Merced because cars were available and cheap, and Tioga road was closed so mammoth lake wasn't an option. I think a member here is based at kmpi, driving through that looked like a good spot.

 

Can't help on places to stay. We bailed out early, Tioga was closed and a rock slide had closed the North West entrance, whatever that one was called, and it made getting around too difficult.

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Right now Mariposa airport has a big TFR for fire fighting . Unfortunately this time of year out here the TFR's are as hard to predict as any weather easy to avoid unless its parked right over your destimation.  I would recomend E45 Groveland but you need to check conditions of HWY 120 to Yosemite. Here is current info.

 

SR 120

[IN THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA AREA & SIERRA NEVADA]
IS CLOSED 4.2 MI WEST OF THE SOUTH JCT OF SR 49 /AT TUOLUMNE RIVER BRIDGE/ (TUOLUMNE CO) FROM 1700 HRS EACH NIGHT TO 0700 HRS EACH MORNING SUNDAY THRU FRIDAY THRU 9/29/17 - DUE TO BRIDGE WORK - MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO USE AN ALTERNATE ROUTE

1-WAY CONTROLLED TRAFFIC 4.2 MI WEST OF THE SOUTH JCT OF SR 49 /AT TUOLUMNE RIVER BRIDGE/ (TUOLUMNE CO) FROM 0700 HRS TO 1700 HRS MONDAY THRU THURSDAY & 24 HRS A DAY FROM 0700 HRS FRIDAY TO 1700 HRS SUNDAY THRU 9/29/17 - DUE TO BRIDGE WORK

1-WAY CONTROLLED TRAFFIC AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS FROM 0.8 MI EAST OF THE SOUTH JCT OF SR 49 TO 2.5 MI WEST OF GROVELAND (TUOLUMNE CO) FROM 0600 HRS TO 1800 HRS TUESDAY THRU FRIDAY THRU 7/28/17 - DUE TO CONSTRUCTION

 

[YOSEMITE NAT'L PARK]
FOR YOSEMITE NAT'L PARK ROAD INFORMATION CALL 209-372-0200

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I think mammoth lakes is your best bet ,but not if your ground transportation is 5 hr drive from Sacto...I think your best bet is to fly to Sacto ,pickup your brother ,and rent a car there and come over toga pass ...I'm not a big fan of driving to Yosemite from the west

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33 minutes ago, thinwing said:

I think mammoth lakes is your best bet ,but not if your ground transportation is 5 hr drive from Sacto...I think your best bet is to fly to Sacto ,pickup your brother ,and rent a car there and come over toga pass ...I'm not a big fan of driving to Yosemite from the west

Driving from the West sucks so bad. Tioga was closed, the north was closed, and the only open route was one lane for construction. Yosemite is beautiful but way too crowded for me.

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Mariposa is closed as of now by Notam and a TFR.  The fire is almost out and is supposed to be 100% contained by August 5th.  

 The Notam expires Friday 7-28-17 unless extended again.   The TFR can usually be negotiated for a direct in and then out later.   As of last Saturday, the airport was in good shape, just needs a good clean up and the helicopters to go home.   Density altitude is about 5000' most days until the end of September.

Yosemite is over crowded at this time of year.  Looking forward to September and the tourists slowing down.   Tioga pass is open and probably will be until October, depending on the weather.  Tioga is closed every year for snow and ice.  

Rental cars are available, not cheap though.   Enterprise may come in soon.             Call the airport at 209 966-2143 for more info.    Atis is 209 966-2912.   Atis is not available to FSS.  

I am based at Mariposa.    Other airports are available, more driving though.

I will be driving to Grants New Mexico to meet my daughter half way, so that my grand daughter will get home for school next month.

Ron    Any other questions, please ask.

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2 minutes ago, kortopates said:

Yosemite is such a popular destination this time of year that your odds of finding accommodations within the park are pretty nil if you don't reserve months in advance. 

I looked in January for a June trip and it wasn't early enough!

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8 hours ago, Greg252AY said:

Going to Lake Tahoe the last week of Sept and we have a condo rented. Cant wait to fly the mooney out west from texas. Planning on  leaving a few days early and looking at visiting Yosemite. What airports near Yosemite would anyone recommend? I do not need a rental car since my brother is driving up from SAC and will pick us up. Just need a place for overnight parking and fuel. Also any insight on places to stay near or in Yosemite? Hope the fires are out by then. 

Close airports (from the north) are:

  1. Mariposa
  2. Pine Mountain Lake Airport
  3. Merced Regional Airport
  4. Castle Airport
  5. Turlock
  6. Modesto
  7. Oakdale
  8. Columbia

Mariposa should be open again by the time you get there.

With your brother driving in from SAC; Modesto, Merced, Castle and Oakdale would all be close.  Oakdale is easy, no overnight charges and cheap fuel.  Modesto was charging an overnight fee last time I stayed there.  Columbia is along highway 49, so scenic but slow driving, same for Pine Mountain.

The roads in from the west are all good and easy.  We drive up through Merced (140) all the time.

Housing is easier (cheaper) the farther you get from the park.  Depends on if you are planning on one day or more in the park.  

 

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Merced was very reasonable when I was there in June, no ramp fee with self serve fuel and what I considered at the time to be a fair price. The town is uh....yeah. 

I wouldn't want to make the drive every day to the park from that far out. 

That about exhausts what I know about it. Mariposa looked neat, I'd like to have spent more time there.

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Columbia is pretty, but probably a little out of the way for somebody coming down from Sac to pick you up.  I can't comment on the other airports in the area as I haven't landed there.  You should be able to find lodging near Yosemite, but for a place to stay in the park, you normally do have to make reservations well in advance.  Yosemite is a very worthwhile place to visit.  

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16 hours ago, RobertGary1 said:

FAT advertises itself as the gateway to Yosemite. Its a bit of a drive but closer than SAC and has full airline airport level services.

 

-Robert

I was in Fresno last year for business and my wife tagged along. We made the drive to the park and it was very quick, I think we arrived at the entrance in about an hour ten minutes. The drive to Yosemite Village from the entrance was about another hour, but what an hour.

 

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12 minutes ago, flyboy0681 said:

I was in Fresno last year for business and my wife tagged along. We made the drive to the park and it was very quick, I think we arrived at the entrance in about an hour ten minutes. The drive to Yosemite Village from the entrance was about another hour, but what an hour.

 

Guess I should have went to Fresno, kmer was about the same, hour fifteen or so 

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Thank you all for your replies,  great info. Working on a place to stay then it will be easier to figure our what airport to use. As some of you have stated a place to stay in sept is tight on supply. I was hoping that the tourist season would be winding down with the kids back in school but no such luck. 

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