Yosemite National Park · seasonal road
Glacier Point Road: when it opens, year by year
Last verified Official record 1995–2025NPS page updated May 13, 2026 (source page); history table page: January 16, 2026
The road to Glacier Point; from approximately mid-December through March the first five miles are open to the Badger Pass Ski Area, and those first five miles close near the end of March or very early April (it is not possible to drive to Glacier Point when the road is closed) Typically opens: Sometime in May (typically open to vehicles from sometime in May until sometime in November; plowing typically begins around April 15). Closes: Sometime in November.
- 2026 opening
- May 9
- opened
- Median opening
- May 16
- 30 years
- Earliest opening
- Mar 28
- 2015
- Latest opening
- Jul 15
- 2023
- Median closing
- Nov 15
- 27 years
The official record
31 years of Glacier Point Road
Each dot is a date from the park’s (or WSDOT’s) published table: gold opening, brick closing. Missing dots are years the table leaves blank.
1990s
Jun 10
average opening · 5 yrs
2000s
May 17
average opening · 10 yrs
2010s
May 2
average opening · 10 yrs
2020s
May 30
average opening · 5 yrs
Show the full table ↓
| Year | Opened | Closed | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | May 10 | Nov 12 | 186 |
| 2024 | May 14 | Nov 11 | 181 |
| 2023 | Jul 15 | Nov 14 | 122 |
| 2022 | — | — | — |
| 2021 | Apr 30 | Dec 7 | 221 |
| 2020 | Jun 11 | Nov 5 | 147 |
| 2019 | May 10 | Nov 25 | 199 |
| 2018 | Apr 28 | Nov 20 | 206 |
| 2017 | May 11 | Nov 14 | 187 |
| 2016 | Apr 19 | Nov 16 | 211 |
| 2015 | Mar 28 | Nov 2 | 219 |
| 2014 | Apr 14 | Nov 28 | 228 |
| 2013 | May 3 | Nov 18 | 199 |
| 2012 | Apr 20 | Nov 8 | 202 |
| 2011 | May 27 | Nov 19 | 176 |
| 2010 | May 29 | Nov 7 | 162 |
| 2009 | May 5 | Nov 12 | 191 |
| 2008 | May 2 | Dec 12 | 224 |
| 2007 | May 4 | Dec 6 | 216 |
| 2006 | May 25 | Nov 27 | 186 |
| 2005 | May 25 | — | — |
| 2004 | May 14 | — | — |
| 2003 | May 31 | Oct 31 | 153 |
| 2002 | May 17 | Nov 5 | 172 |
| 2001 | May 15 | — | — |
| 2000 | May 15 | Nov 9 | 178 |
| 1999 | May 28 | Nov 23 | 179 |
| 1998 | Jul 1 | Nov 6 | 128 |
| 1997 | May 22 | Nov 12 | 174 |
| 1996 | May 24 | Nov 5 | 165 |
| 1995 | Jul 1 | Dec 11 | 163 |
Table source: www.nps.gov/common/uploads/sortable_dataset/yose/3100211F-F070-1219-7F
In the park's words
What Yosemite says about Glacier Point Road
“From approximately mid-December through March, the first five miles of this road are open to the Badger Pass Ski Area. The first five miles of this road close near the end of March or very early April. It is not possible to drive to Glacier Point when the Glacier Point Road is closed.” source
“Glacier Point Road Glacier Point Road closes due to snow, usually from sometime in November through late May or early June.” source
“Glacier Point Road is typically open to vehicles from sometime in May until sometime in November.” source
“Glacier Point Road will open to vehicles on Saturday , May 9, 2026, at 8 am.” source
“Glacier Point Road opened to vehicle access May 9” source
“1999-2000: Re-opened December 23, 1999–January 1, 2000.” source
Worth knowing
- History table: same NPS CSV as Tioga Road; Glacier Point Road dates are published only for 1995-2025 (1980-1994 are '?' and omitted). 2022: 'Did not open' (rehabilitation project).
- Cross-check against NPS 'closed for the season' news releases (captured): the table's closed date is often EARLIER than the announced season closing - 2014: table Tioga Nov 13 / Glacier Point Nov 28 vs release dated Dec 15, 2014; 2015: table Tioga Nov 01 vs release dated Dec 9, 2015; 2016: table Nov 16 vs release dated Dec 1, 2016; 2019: table Tioga Nov 19 / Glacier Point Nov 25 vs release dated Nov 27, 2019. The table probably records the first closure, which the road can reopen after; treat 'closed' as 'closed on this date' not 'final closing of the season'.
About this page
Dates are the park’s and WSDOT’s own, captured on 2026-10-05 and re-checked at every build. Medians and extremes are arithmetic on the published rows; we do not forecast. Weather closes passes without notice, so check live alerts for Yosemite before you drive. Other seasonal roads in the park: Tioga Road.
Sources · 3
- 1.Yosemite National Park — Glacier Point Road (official page) · National Park Service
- 2.Glacier Point Road — historical opening dates table · National Park Service
- 3.Seasonal road pages and historical opening-date tables on nps.gov and wsdot.wa.gov, read and quoted · National Park Service; Washington State DOT
FAQ
Glacier Point Road questions
- When does Glacier Point Road open?
- Yosemite says: Sometime in May (typically open to vehicles from sometime in May until sometime in November; plowing typically begins around April 15). Across 30 recorded years the median opening is May 16, ranging from Mar 28 (2015) to Jul 15 (2023). In 2026 it opened May 9, 2026.
- When does Glacier Point Road close for the season?
- Yosemite says: Sometime in November. In the official record the median closing is Nov 15 (27 years), earliest Oct 31 in 2003. Closing dates depend on the first lasting snow and are rarely announced ahead.
- Is Glacier Point Road opening later than it used to?
- The 1990s averaged an opening around Jun 10; the 2020s average is May 30 — about 11 days earlier. That is the arithmetic of the official table, not a forecast; snowpack, staffing and construction all move the date.
- Is Glacier Point Road open right now?
- Check the park's road-status page (linked under Sources) or its alerts: our “Is Yosemite open?” page shows the live NPS alerts.
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