Parks / Yosemite / Big Oak Flat Entrance

Yosemite · Groveland (Hwy 120 west)

Yosemite Big Oak Flat Entrance: this week

Open — weekday delays Week of Nov 9–15, 2026

Big Oak Flat is the Highway 120 entrance from the Bay Area via Groveland, next to Hodgdon Meadow. With Tioga Road closing, Hwy 120 inside the park now leads only toward Crane Flat and Yosemite Valley (about 45 minutes away).

This week's conditions Risks here now Get GOES before you lose signal

When signal drops, GOES steps in.

Sub-freezing nights, a wet storm and bears around camp. Download GOES before Groveland so its hypothermia guidance and offline how-to guides work without a signal.

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Official conditions

This week at the Big Oak Flat Entrance

From NPS pages and alerts fetched Nov 12, 2026. Each line links to its source.

Heads-upBig Oak Flat Road: open, with 15-minute delays on weekdays for fire-safety vegetation work between Foresta and Big Oak Flat. NPS
ClosedTioga Road (east of Crane Flat) temporarily closes Thu Nov 12 at 5 pm for forecast snow. No overnight parking on Tioga Road. NPS alert
InfoHodgdon Meadow Campground (by this entrance): open, first-come, first-served. Crane Flat, Tamarack Flat and White Wolf campgrounds are closed. NPS
InfoFuel: Crane Flat, 24/7 by credit card. NPS

Entrance fee: Private vehicle $35. Non-US residents 16+ pay an additional $100 nonresident fee unless entering with an annual / America the Beautiful pass. NPS fees NPS API

Weather

Forecast near the Big Oak Flat Entrance

Snapshot from the National Weather Service, fetched Nov 12, 2026. Live forecast loads below if you're online.Full NWS forecast

Period	Temp	Forecast	Wind
Tonight	38°F	Clear	10 mph
Thursday	69°F	Sunny	5 to 10 mph
Thursday Night	35°F	Partly Cloudy then Chance Light Rain	5 mph
Friday	53°F	Rain then Showers And Thunderstorms	5 to 15 mph
Friday Night	27°F	Showers And Thunderstorms then Slight Chance Rain And Snow	5 to 15 mph
Saturday	50°F	Slight Chance Rain And Snow then Mostly Sunny	0 to 5 mph
Saturday Night	24°F	Mostly Cloudy	0 to 5 mph
Sunday	53°F	Partly Sunny then Slight Chance Light Rain	0 to 10 mph

Know the risks

What actually matters here in mid-November

The goal is a good trip, not a scary one. These are the hazards NPS highlights for this area and season, and what to do about each.

Freezing nights and wet snow

This week's NWS forecast here: sunny and about 69°F Thursday, then rain and thunderstorms Friday, a Friday-night low near 27°F, and a chance of rain and snow. Being wet in freezing weather is how hikers get hypothermia. NWS

In GOESEnvironmental Health: hypothermia and frostbite assessments

Bears at campgrounds and pullouts

Hodgdon Meadow is open. Use the food lockers, keep a clean camp, and stay 50 yards from bears in the forest. NPS NPS

In GOESWildlife Encounters: location-specific risk indicators for bears and other dangerous animals

Road work and wildlife on the road

Expect weekday work zones on Big Oak Flat Road. NPS posts signs where bears have been hit by vehicles, so drive the speed limit. NPS NPS

In GOESWildlife Encounters: location-specific risk indicators for dangerous animals

Before you go in

Checklist for the Big Oak Flat Entrance

Chains, even with 4WDChains can become mandatory at any time.
Allow extra time on weekdays15-minute delays on Big Oak Flat Road.
Don't plan on TiogaIt closes Nov 12 at 5 pm.
Download GOES in GrovelandBefore the climb into the park.

Follow official NPS rules, posted closures and ranger instructions. They override anything on this page.

Park-wide

Yosemite risks everywhere in the park

Black bears in all areas

NPS: bears remain active in all areas of the park. Store food properly, use bear-proof dumpsters, and stay at least 50 yards from bears in forest and meadows — but yell at and scare away a bear that approaches you or is in a developed area. Yosemite has an estimated 300–500 black bears and no grizzlies. NPS NPS

In GOESWildlife Encounters: location-specific risk indicators for bears and other dangerous animals

Rivers and slick rock

Waterfalls are flowing low, as usual for November, but NPS still asks visitors to use caution along rivers and creeks: rocks are slippery even when dry. NPS

In GOESOffline interactive health assessment + 50+ visual how-to guides

Winter storm, chains and ice

NWS Hanford issued a Winter Storm Watch (Nov 11, until Nov 17, 4 am PST) for the park's southern area, and the forecast calls for rain and thunderstorms Friday, with snow possible at higher elevations. Carry chains even with 4WD and expect icy spots on mostly dry roads. NWS NPS NWS

In GOESEnvironmental Health: hypothermia and frostbite assessments

Smoke and air quality

The Dome Fire (Sept–Oct) was 86% contained with minimal activity as of NPS's Oct 13 update, and fire closures remain around the Glacier Point Road area. Air quality can still be affected by fires elsewhere or prescribed burns, so check current AQI before strenuous hikes. NPS NPS AirNow

In GOESRespiratory Hazards: smoke, pollution and pollen (AQI) monitoring

NPS alerts

All active Yosemite alerts

Pulled from the NPS Data API on Nov 12, 2026; the same alerts appear on nps.gov/yose.

Park ClosureTioga Road and Glacier Point Road will temporarily close on Nov. 12 at 5 pm. Tioga Road (continuation of Highway 120 through the park) and Glacier Point Road will temporarily close on Thursday, November 12, at 5 pm due to a forecast of snow. Call 209/372-0200 (then 1, 1) to check road conditions in the park.
InformationNo overnight parking on Tioga & Glacier Point Roads. Overnight parking is not allowed on Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road, including all parking lots reachable from these roads.

Your outdoor safety companion

When signal drops, GOES steps in.

Sub-freezing nights, a wet storm and bears around camp. Download GOES before Groveland so its hypothermia guidance and offline how-to guides work without a signal.

Works with no cell service: interactive health assessment and 50+ visual how-to guides, available offline.
Location-specific risks: wildlife (bears, venomous snakes), hypothermia, frostbite, heat illness, altitude, ticks, poisonous plants, UV and smoke/air quality.
200+ prevention tips across 60+ medical topics, also available offline.
Built by wilderness medicine physicians: founded by Dr. Grant Lipman, former Stanford Emergency Medicine professor and director of its wilderness medicine fellowship; Chief Medical Officer Dr. Colin Little, MD, FAWM.

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

Free to download. Premium features need a monthly or annual subscription after a 7-day free trial. GOES provides guidance. It is not a substitute for professional medical care. Follow official NPS rules and ranger instructions.

Other Yosemite entrances

Arch Rock EntranceOpen — Hwy 140 / El Portal Road
Big Oak Flat EntranceOpen — weekday delays
South EntranceOpen — Winter Storm Watch
Hetch Hetchy EntranceDaylight only — closes for snow

Yosemite overview, closures and park-wide risks →

Sources

Where this week's information comes from

Fetched Thu Nov 12, 2026 (JST), which is Wed Nov 11 evening in US time zones. We don't publish wait times, bear sightings or conditions we can't source. Check the official pages before you go — they're updated more often than we are.