Chowchilla Mountain Road to Yosemite National Park

[Max Rockatansky]

Something I worked on for the Gribblenation Facebook page today:

"Over the years we have featured every highway corridor which has served Yosemite National Park save for one, Chowchilla Mountain Road.  As presently configured Chowchilla Mountain Road spans from California State Route 49 near the former site of Elliott Corner east over Battalion Pass (5,666 feet above sea leave) to the Wawona Road near the Wawona Hotel and Covered Bridge. 

Photo 1 is of Chowchilla Mountain Road between Mariposa and the Wawona Hotel complex as it was displayed on 1882 Bancroft's map of California.  Photo 2 is a historic plaque by E. Clampus Vitus detailing the history of Elliott Corner, Cold Springs and the Chowchilla Mountain Road corridor.  The remaining photos are from the end of the regularly graded portion of Chowchilla Mountain Road eastward to Battalion Pass.

I should note, I'm not completely clear if traffic can continue east from Battalion Pass into Yosemite National Park.  Maps show the roadway still as continuous from the pass to the Wawona Hotel complex.  Numerous signs along the brief paved portions of Chowchilla Mountain Road state "no access to Yosemite."  I suspect this isn't actually the case but rather an attempt by Mariposa County to deter drivers blindly following GPS through a very haggard road.  Leave us a comment if you know the roadway status east of Battalion Pass.

Chowchilla Mountain Road is expansion of an early trail from Mariposa to the Wawona Hotel.  The original Wawona property owned Galen Clark petitioned Mariposa County in 1868 for funds to reconstruct a bridge and expand the trail over Chowchilla Mountain into a stage road.  Construction of the Chowchilla Mountain Road would commence in 1869 and would be completed as a franchise toll road in 1870. 

During 1874 Galen Clark would sell the Wawona Complex to the Washburn Brothers.  In 1882 the Yosemite Stage Company would commission a stage road from Madera to Wawona via Coarsegold and Fresno Flats (now Oakhurst).  Circa Yosemite Stage corridor would be realigned over Miami Mountain to the Yosemite Branch Railroad in Raymond circa 1886. 

Despite the diminishing importance of Chowchilla Mountain Road, it would remain tolled until 1917.  The corridor today is maintained by Mariposa County as a mostly as a high clearance and four-wheel drive rural highway.  The corridor accesses some remote locales in Sierra National Forest such as the Summit Campground."

The post on Facebook can be viewed here:

https://www.facebook.com/gribblenation/posts/pfbid0aVt3Jv1iga2X9E9ohLxaRdhGkWE3nouq2R6UBsLyB1WLpNYVXKt5iT9T4tDPJVLQl

The raw photos I took today can be found here:

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjChSfP

[Max Rockatansky]

Seems this corridor was subject to a December 2006 MapQuest horror story:

https://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/tempting-fate-on-the-road-taking-a-thanksgiving-2465611.php

[Max Rockatansky]

1870-era stage roads to National Parks without coverage in the road fandom don't grow on trees.  That being the case it got prioritized up through schedule to publish on holiday weekend:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2025/07/chowchilla-mountain-road-to-yosemite.html?m=1