Glacier Point Road
The road to Yosemite's grandest overlook. It's plowed only as far as Badger Pass all winter, and the last miles to the point open once the snow comes off — anywhere from late March in a dry year to mid-July after the record 2023 winter. The table below runs back to 1995, which is as far as the Park Service's own record goes; it keeps a longer list for the Tioga Road, but not for this one.
This year
Live plow-season reports load here. For today's conditions, go straight to Yosemite NP's status page.
Conditions change by the hour at 7,214 feet — check Yosemite NP's status page before you drive.
Plow progress: Yosemite NP's plowing updates.
The record
Usually opens in May, a few weeks ahead of Tioga.
Will it be open for your trip?
| If your dates start… | The road was already open in | That's |
|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 6 of 31 years | 19% |
| May 15 | 18 of 31 years | 58% |
| June 1 | 27 of 31 years | 87% |
| June 15 | 28 of 31 years | 90% |
| July 1 | 30 of 31 years | 97% |
| July 15 | 31 of 31 years | 100% |
Odds come from the full record below — past springs, not a promise about this one.
When does Glacier Point Road close?
Closes with the first lasting storm, usually mid-November. The winter closure covers the road beyond the Badger Pass Ski Area turnoff.
| If you're driving on… | The road was still open in | That's |
|---|---|---|
| October 22 | 27 of 27 years | 100% |
| November 15 | 12 of 27 years | 44% |
| November 22 | 8 of 27 years | 30% |
| December 1 | 4 of 27 years | 15% |
| December 8 | 2 of 27 years | 7% |
| December 15 | 0 of 27 years | 0% |
Closing dates come from the same record as the openings — the year-by-year table below. Past autumns, not a promise about this one: a single storm can end the season a fortnight early.
Every year on record
| Year | Opened | Closed | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | May 9 | — | nps.gov | |
| 2025 | May 10 | November 12 | — | |
| 2024 | May 14 | November 11 | — | |
| 2023 | July 15 | November 14 | Latest opening on the books after the record 2023 winter. | — |
| 2022 | — | — | Did not open — closed all season for road work. | — |
| 2021 | April 30 | December 7 | — | |
| 2020 | June 11 | November 5 | Opening delayed by the COVID-19 park closure. | — |
| 2019 | May 10 | November 25 | — | |
| 2018 | April 28 | November 20 | — | |
| 2017 | May 11 | November 14 | — | |
| 2016 | April 19 | November 16 | — | |
| 2015 | March 28 | November 2 | Earliest opening on the books, in the driest snow year. | — |
| 2014 | April 14 | November 28 | — | |
| 2013 | May 3 | November 18 | — | |
| 2012 | April 20 | November 8 | — | |
| 2011 | May 27 | November 19 | — | |
| 2010 | May 29 | November 7 | — | |
| 2009 | May 5 | November 12 | — | |
| 2008 | May 2 | December 12 | — | |
| 2007 | May 4 | December 6 | — | |
| 2006 | May 25 | November 27 | — | |
| 2005 | May 25 | — | The Park Service's record carries no closing date for this year. | — |
| 2004 | May 14 | — | The Park Service's record carries no closing date for this year. | — |
| 2003 | May 31 | October 31 | — | |
| 2002 | May 17 | November 5 | — | |
| 2001 | May 15 | — | The Park Service's record carries no closing date for this year. | — |
| 2000 | May 15 | November 9 | — | |
| 1999 | May 28 | November 23 | — | |
| 1998 | July 1 | November 6 | — | |
| 1997 | May 22 | November 12 | — | |
| 1996 | May 24 | November 5 | — | |
| 1995 | July 1 | December 11 | — |
Record drawn from NPS Yosemite: Tioga and Glacier Point Roads opening and closing dates · NPS Yosemite: historical seasonal opening and closing dates · NPS Yosemite: Glacier Point Road plowing and opening updates · NPS news release: 2026 opening, May 9. Years with their own link were taken from that record. Last checked August 24, 2026.
Glacier Point Road: opening and closing questions
- When does Glacier Point Road close for the winter?
- Closes with the first lasting storm, usually mid-November. Across the 27 closings on record the gate has gone shut around November 14 — as early as October 31 in 2003, as late as December 12 in 2008. The winter closure covers the road beyond the Badger Pass Ski Area turnoff.
- When did Glacier Point Road close last?
- The most recent closing on the record is November 12, 2025. Every other season we can source is in the table on this page.
- Can you drive Glacier Point Road in winter?
- No. The road beyond the Badger Pass Ski Area turnoff is gated once the season ends, and it stays shut until spring plowing gets through. Yosemite NP posts the gate's current state.
- Is Glacier Point Road open right now?
- This page is the season record, not the road's condition this morning. National Park Service — Yosemite National Park publishes today's state of the road, and that is the one to check before you drive — conditions turn over in hours at this elevation. For planning: the usual season runs from about May 14 to about November 14.
- When does Glacier Point Road open again?
- Usually opens in May, a few weeks ahead of Tioga. The median of the 31 openings on record is May 14; the earliest was March 28 in 2015 and the latest July 15 in 2023.