Tunnel View is a viewpoint you won’t want to miss at Yosemite National Park. You can see 3 of the main Yosemite landmarks right from this vista.
Contents
Directions
Arch Rock
From the Arch Rock entrance, head northeast on El Portal Rd and drive for 5.5 miles. El Portal Rd will turn into Southside Dr. (0.9 miles). In 1.6 miles, turn slightly right on to CA-41 S/Wawona Rd.
Big Oak Flat
From the Big Oak Flat entrance, head southwest on CA-120 E toward Tuolumne Grove Rd for about 7.7 miles. Continue on to Old Yosemite Coulterville Rd. and continue on to Big Oak Flat Road (9.5 miles). Turn left on El Portal Rd. (signs for Yosemite Valley/CA-41/Fresno). El Portal Rd will turn into Southside Dr. in 1.6 miles, turn slightly right on to CA-41 S/Wawona Rd.
Hetch Hetchy
From the Hetch Hetchy entrance, take Evergreen Rd. to CA-120 E and drive for 8.7 miles. Continue on to CA-120 E. Drive from Big Oak Flat Road to Mariposa County for 21.7 miles.
South
From the South entrance, head northwest on CA-41. At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit to Wawona Rd. and drive for 24.6 miles.
Tioga Pass
From the Tioga Pass Entrance, head south on CA-120 W toward Tioga Pass Parking Lot (46.5 miles). Then turn left on Old Yosemite Coulterville Rd (signs for Yosemite Valley/CA-41/CA-140) and continue on to Big Oak Flat Road (9.5 miles). Turn left on El Portal Rd (signs for Yosemite Valley/CA-41/Fresno). El Portal Rd will turn into Southside Dr. in 0.9 miles, turn slightly right on to CA-41 S/Wawona Rd.
From El Capitan, it is only about a 15 minute drive to Tunnel View.
This is a map of Yosemite and where Tunnel View is located.
Parking
There are two parking lots for Tunnel View that you can park at. This is a popular stop so the parking might be crowded at first. The shuttles can also take up a lot of room.
Tunnel View had a good amount of trash cans so you can throw away any trash you’ve kept in the car here. Do not litter as it can attract bears at night.
Restrooms
There are no restrooms here so you will need to use it either before you get to this location or after.
Distance
There is no hiking involved for this viewpoint. You can just walk up to the area from the parking lot.
Difficulty
Easy since there is no hiking necessary.
Tunnel View
There were a lot of people at this viewpoint when we went so we had to wait our turn for taking pictures. But it is worth the wait. There is a ledge that you can sit on or stand on to get more dynamic pictures.
Places Nearby
El Capitan, Yosemite Village
Even though there were a lot of people at Tunnel View, we were still able to get the photos that we wanted and we also were able to enjoy the view.
