Re: Crane Flat Gas

My mom recieved an email confirmining our reservations and it said that the gas station was closed. I know eeek posted before that is was closed for a few days. So...is it open or closed now?

Thanks In Advance!

According to the Yosemite Guide, it is currently closed, I have no idea why, or when it will open. http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&PageID=398515

This is what it says:

Crane Flat
10am to 4pm daily - Closed effective January
3 with exceptions of January 16-18,
2011 and February 13-15, 2011. Pay 24
hours with credit or debit card.

I admit, I am confused as to whether or not it is completely closed, or if you can still pay at the pump.

The gas in El Portal is exhorbitantly high. The little country store in Midpines is the next closest gas and they are very competitive in their pricing. The next closest is Mariposa.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/07/2011 06:16PM by hotrod4x5.

I always top-off the tank in Big Oak Flat or thereabouts if I'm driving up 120 (regardless of what the gauge says). My 'range' is around 450 miles, losing 4 MPG up the Sierra and gaining 3 MPG down, so that works for me.

Beats trying to get a tow truck sometimes.

My gas story is that I was driving on fumes around SEKI and Sequoia NF back in 2007. Prices for premium to fill my turbo car was around $3.25/gallon in Fresno. I'd refueled once during this trip at the Stony Creek store, which was about $3.80/gallon. I saw a couple of gas stations on the NPS map at Hume Lake and Kings Canyon Lodge (in Sequoia NF between Grant Grove and Cedar Grove). We took the narrow road to Hume Lake and they don't have premium. Their prices were $4.00/gallon for regular and 10 cents more per gallon for midgrade. So we drive on our way to Kings Canyon and stop at the other place with gas. Well - they had regular and premium, but in these antique gravity-fed glass vial fuel dispensers. They would pump them into the graduated glass vials, and the fuel was dispensed via gravity. They also had a 5 gallon minimum and were charging about $28 for 5 gallons of regular and $32 for 5 gallons of premium. I passed and hoped that we would have enough fuel to get us to Fresno that night for dinner.

So we made it all the way to Fresno with the low-fuel indicator coming on maybe 40 miles from town. I'm guessing we had about a half gallon left. In the end I probably should have just bit the cost and not taken the chance.

Quote
y_p_w
In the end I probably should have just bit the cost and not taken the chance.

Did Sonora Pass that way once. Just barely made it into Bridgeport.

Upon further reflection, I am thinking you can get gas, just no snacks, drinks, etc. 24 hours a day.

Depending upon the highway I'm driving up, I've looked for areas in the Sierra foothills where gas prices are semi-sane, and where the location is close enough to likely destinations to leave me with a generally full tank. 120 = Big Oak Flat/Groveland. 108 = Sugar Pine/MiWok/Etc. 4 = God only knows, I've generally just driven down. 88 = Jackson. Towards Edison Lake = Madera, yet I still top off again in Shaver Lake out of gas paranoia despite the insane prices.

I usually take 120 into yosemite and across to 395. I fill up in Oakdale. Cheap. Can make it to and from the the park with 1/2 tank to spare (regardless of which vehicle I'm in). If I'm heading over to the east side I'll fill up again in Bishop - Piute Palace gas station is usually cheaper than home. I've never *had* to fill up with expensive gas except once or twice in bridgeport or whoa nellie (like if i'm heading into northern yose/hoover or noodling around in the backroads out there and never making it anywhere else cheaper). Careful planning, and more importantly knowing my vehicle (and an extra 5gal tank for desert driving) has always worked for me. Yosemite Valley is only so far from civilization and there is only so much driving you can do there, I've never come close to worrying about an empty tank.

Quote
calipidder
If I'm heading over to the east side I'll fill up again in Bishop - Piute Palace gas station is usually cheaper than home.

The Vons station is often very close (and sometimes lower) to the Piute price and without the insane lines.

If your coming down off the east side, and you can wait at least till Mammoth, you'll usually save 20-30 cents off Lee Vining prices.

I seem to remember that the Tuolumne Meadows station was lower in price that Lee Vining, and I suspect most of the stations along 395.

Quote
qumqats
I seem to remember that the Tuolumne Meadows station was lower in price that Lee Vining, and I suspect most of the stations along 395.

It often is.

What are the dates of your reservation?

---

Old Dude