Yosemite to Bridgeport, CA
I was a newbie to Yosemite AND photography! However, this was an unforgettable day and I think I found the hack to road tripping through Yosemite without having the time to camp in the park.
What isn’t captured here is a beautiful drive from Fresno (I even walked around Fresno State’s campus, because why not). If you arrive in Yosemite from the west, stop at tunnel view for an INCREDIBLE first look at Yosemite Valley. El Capitan (pictured, duh) was so unassuming yet stunning. I have a lot more appreciation for the free climbers to say the least.
After visiting El Capitan, I trekked through the amusement park that is Yosemite Valley. My naive take - visit the valley if you’re camping, but stopping through on a road trip is NUTS.
I immediately felt less crowd congestion as I left Yosemite Valley and ascended up Tioga Pass. The daytime shade from rugged trees made for such a comfortable drive. After a steep incline (something crazy like 5,000 feet of elevation in an hour’s drive), I reached an Olmsted Peak viewpoint. Ironically, I missed Olmsted Peak in this photograph (just outside the shot to the right), but nonetheless, this viewpoint was incredible no matter where you looked.
Lake time on Tioga Road! The first is Tenaya Lake. I could’ve spent all day here if I had the time. You’re nearing the eastern edge of Yosemite National Park here. People were hanging, fishing, and parked here.
While the western American snowpack has been horrifically low in 2026, I was fortunate there was enough snowmelt to not see depressingly low lakes.
The other lake on Tioga Road! This time, it’s just outside Yosemite National Park. Ellery Lake, you have my heart. Everyone is either excited to enter Yosemite, or they’re ready to leave. NO ONE WAS HERE. I’m so grateful I wasn’t dying to keep driving.
Tioga Pass. I’ve driven up and down so many passes in Colorado and thought nothing would phase me. I was wrong. Driving down this pass is NUTS. I needed a break when I got towards the bottom.
My day concluded in Bridgeport, California. After visiting I can genuinely say it is one of the best small towns I have ever visited. Rhino’s Bar and Grill was fun and eclectic, and the viewpoint of the Sierra Nevada from its steep eastern slope was the perfect cherry on top of a road trip.
