Tioga Pass opening July 22, 8:00 AM

[luv2drive]

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tioga.htm

Opening 8:00 AM Saturday July 22. Latest ever opening date.

Very limited resources along the road, store & gas station at Tuolumne are closed, and road damage with one-way traffic control (signal) near Olmsted Point. I guess get supplies at Oakdale/Sonora/Groveland, Merced/Mariposa or Oakhurst on the west side, Lee Vining or Mammoth coming over Tioga; get gas in Bishop or Nevada.

[Quillz]

I'll probably wait at least a couple weeks. I'll be at Sonora Pass on Sunday.

[cl94]

I maaaaaay be up there next weekend. Was hoping to combine it with Bodie SHP, but they're having issues at Bodie as well that are delaying opening of things.

You do NOT want to get gas in Lee Vining unless absolutely necessary. That's routinely among the most expensive gas in the country and often a good dollar more than outside the park on the west side. Bridgeport and Gardnerville/Yerington/Topaz Lake are close enough unless you'll be doing a ton of driving around the parks or your car has a tiny stomach.

[Max Rockatansky]

That or Bridgeport.  Really anywhere in Mono County has super high gas prices.

[luv2drive]

The further north you go in Mono County the higher the prices.

gasbuddy prices (87 unleaded): Mammoth lakes cheapest: $5.79
Lee vining: Whoa Nellie Deli: $5.89   Chevron $6.39
Bridgeport: $6.15

ARCO in Minden: $3.89
Costco in Carson City: $3.93
Pace & Sinclair in Bishop: $4.69

[pderocco]

I still remember the first time I ever saw a gas price over $4, although I can't say exactly when. It was in Bridgeport.

[cl94]

Bishop, while seemingly high compared to elsewhere, tends to be pretty in line with much of California. For some reason, they don't get as much price inflation compared to other rural locales. Mono County, though, is horrendous and always will be just due to high transport costs and limited competition. The northern tip of Mono County isn't as bad, but they have Topaz Lake to compete with.

Said Costco in Carson City isn't a particularly fair fight. That's often the cheapest 87 octane in Nevada outside of Vegas/Pahrump, sometimes the cheapest outside of Pahrump. But yeah, Nevada and Bishop are where you want to gas up along 395 if you like having money.

[ClassicHasClass]

I hit the Paiute casino station for fuel on our way through Bishop heading back this weekend. It wasn't insane.

[cl94]

I hit the Paiute casino station for fuel on our way through Bishop heading back this weekend. It wasn't insane.

Usually 30-40 cents more than the Central Valley (as it is now), so yeah. My guess is that the other stations try and match them (or come close to it), which creates a price war. With as remote as Bishop is, prices there really aren't bad at all, and they frequently are cheaper than locales such as Redding or the 1/101 corridors.

Bishop is "good enough" that I'm willing to top off there without thinking about it. It's a looooong way in any direction to gas of comparable price.

[gonealookin]

The relatively new tribal gas station just north of Independence, next door to said tribe's dispensary, is also reliably the cheapest on that stretch of US 395.

If I'm heading from Tahoe to Vegas via the Death Valley route, as I sometimes do, I top off if necessary in either Bishop or Independence so I know I have enough to get to Pahrump, which is also quite cheap.  The station at Furnace Creek is always remarkable for its prices.  I wish I had stopped to take a photo the time I passed by and saw the >$8 price, early last year or whenever it was recently that gas prices everywhere were at their highest.

Elsewhere, Bridgeport is usually the highest.  There are two stations, I think owned by the same person, and the unbranded one is always 10 cents cheaper less obscenely expensive than the brand name across the street.  Lee Vining is right behind.

[jdbx]

I hit the Paiute casino station for fuel on our way through Bishop heading back this weekend. It wasn't insane.

Usually 30-40 cents more than the Central Valley (as it is now), so yeah. My guess is that the other stations try and match them (or come close to it), which creates a price war. With as remote as Bishop is, prices there really aren't bad at all, and they frequently are cheaper than locales such as Redding or the 1/101 corridors.

Bishop is "good enough" that I'm willing to top off there without thinking about it. It's a looooong way in any direction to gas of comparable price.

I was rather floored at how high the prices are at certain stops along I-5 where you would expect plenty of competition.  We pulled off last weekend near Harris Ranch and found a cluster of stations that were all charging around $6/gallon for regular unleaded. I hopped right back onto the highway and got gas for over $1 less just a few more miles down the road.

[Max Rockatansky]

I hit the Paiute casino station for fuel on our way through Bishop heading back this weekend. It wasn't insane.

Usually 30-40 cents more than the Central Valley (as it is now), so yeah. My guess is that the other stations try and match them (or come close to it), which creates a price war. With as remote as Bishop is, prices there really aren't bad at all, and they frequently are cheaper than locales such as Redding or the 1/101 corridors.

Bishop is "good enough" that I'm willing to top off there without thinking about it. It's a looooong way in any direction to gas of comparable price.

I was rather floored at how high the prices are at certain stops along I-5 where you would expect plenty of competition.  We pulled off last weekend near Harris Ranch and found a cluster of stations that were all charging around $6/gallon for regular unleaded. I hopped right back onto the highway and got gas for over $1 less just a few more miles down the road.

Kettleman City traditionally has been the worst for that.  They were charging $6.77-$6.79 prices for 87 octane back in April the last time I passed through.  I paid somewhere around $4 a gallon around Lemoore.

[pderocco]

Sounds like the permanent huge price difference between Gorman and Lebec.

[cl94]

There are a lot of towns in California that are notorious for being expensive, despite being located near plenty of cheaper gas. Mendocino is another, with Fort Bragg being as "normal-priced" as you'll find in that part of CA.

[cl94]

I just drove Tioga Pass today heading WB. Nice big backup entering the park from Mono County that could have probably been partially averted if people had their passes and IDs ready to go.

All developed facilities along Tioga Road are closed. This includes lodges, campgrounds, and visitor centers. There is also no water or flush toilets. There's a 1-lane section controlled by signals just east of Olmsted Point due to a slide, otherwise the road is open. A couple of trailheads are closed due to the ongoing Pika Fire.

Despite the weirdness caused by the bad winter, it is still a very nice drive with great views. With how this year has been, who knows how long it'll be open, so get up there while you can.