California State Route 120

State Route 120
SR 120 highlighted in red; the gap represents the unofficial segment through Yosemite National Park
Route information
Maintained by Caltrans
Length152.562 mi (245.525 km)
(Does not include the portion in Yosemite)
Existed1934–present
Tourist
routes
  • Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road
  • Lee Vining Canyon Scenic Byway
RestrictionsSegments through Tioga Pass, and between Mono Lake and Benton, closed in winter
Major junctions
West end I-5 in Lathrop
Major intersections
East end US 6 at Benton
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountiesSan Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Mono
Highway system
SR 119 SR 121

State Route 120 (SR 120) is a state highway in the central part of California that connects the San Joaquin Valley with the Sierra Nevada, Yosemite National Park, and the Mono Lake area. It runs between Interstate 5 (I-5) in Lathrop and U.S. Route 6 (US 6) in Benton, traversing four counties over a distance of approximately 153 miles (246 km). The route rises from near sea level in the Central Valley to 9,945 feet (3,031 m) at Tioga Pass, the highest highway pass in the state highway system. While SR 120 is signed as a continuous route through Yosemite, the portion inside the park is federally maintained and is not included in the state route logs. The segment through Tioga Pass and the stretch between Mono Lake and Benton are subject to annual winter closure, typically from November through late May.

The route has origins in the Gold Rush-era Big Oak Flat Road, a wagon road completed to Yosemite Valley in 1874. Through Yosemite, SR 120 follows Tioga Road, designated as both a National Scenic Byway and a National Forest Scenic Byway.