Cross Country Skiing from Crane flat to Tenaya up 120

Hey everyone! I remember seeing some information around cross country skiing from the crane flat gas station up to Tenaya lake. I can't seem to find it anymore.

Has any one done this? information on the topic? Looks to be about 31 miles one way.

Suggestions on best place to park for two nights to do this?

Probably ground snow conditions on the road?

Am I making this up and mixing it up with the standard glacier point xcountry skiing?

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gkam2
Hey everyone! I remember seeing some information around cross country skiing from the crane flat gas station up to Tenaya lake. I can't seem to find it anymore.

Has any one done this? information on the topic? Looks to be about 31 miles one way.

Suggestions on best place to park for two nights to do this?

Probably ground snow conditions on the road?

Am I making this up and mixing it up with the standard glacier point xcountry skiing?

You park at the TG parking lot. Self Register for a wilderness permit. It stays open roadbed all the way but it would be prudent to get off 120 and ski the old road up to the May Lake parking area and then follow the trail (still roadbed I believe) down down to where it meets 120 just before Tenaya Lake to bypass Olmsted Point. Nasty avalanche area there. 120 is ungroomed.

I've done 120 going west after slogging up the Snow Creek trail. A couple feet snow but it got really sticky at about 10AM. Prior to 10AM it was so crusty that sparks came of the metal edges. Zero glide after the snow got soft.

Out and back in three days?

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Old Dude

There's other Av Zones before there too...

With the winter we are having there is many feet of snow on Tioga Road.
Storm after storm... so expect to bust trail on your trip...
Even Thanksgiving... the road was completely covered... and we've
had many feet of snow since then... (there was at least 2 ft. of snow
right at the valley rim... and more than 8 ft. in areas ... Eagle Peak Mdw... Ribbon Mdw... )

You can park at TG (Tuolumne Grove) ... ignore the overnight parking signs..
Or right near the gate at Yosemite Institute.
We parked at TG over Thanksgiving ... and have done before
(pretty much AFTER Oct. 15 the signs of overnight can be ignored... until spring)

Good luck... I dunno ... unless AVID skier... I would recommend hiking up
Snow Creek trail... and go from there...
or MAYBE ... ski to Yosemite Creek Campground... and down Yose Falls..
It's slow going... dang.. even last weekend.. yeah, we only snowshoe...
but we were WAY less than 1mph... more like 0.5... busting trail in
new snow... making 6 miles if that...

Have fun ... you are young... you can do it...

Be safe

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chick-on
ski to Yosemite Creek Campground... and down Yose Falls..

Ski down Yosemite Falls says the bird?

On the topic of avalanche zones...I follow the Tahoe Area's Sierra Avalanche Center on facebook, and...lately there's been some real unstable snow, with weak buried surface facet layers that haven't yet consolidated.

On the other side of the crest, but closer to Yosemite, is the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center in Mammoth.