Leaving your Wawona vacation rental home for a day trip to Yosemite Valley, you’ll be driving right through one of the most breathtaking sights in all of Yosemite, the Wawona Tunnel.
5 FACTS ABOUT YOSEMITE’S WAWONA TUNNEL
Most people, who have had the opportunity to venture through Yosemite National Park, have driven through the famous and historical Wawona Tunnel. It is part of three main roads into Yosemite Valley, transporting you down to Tunnel View and Yosemite Valley, or up to Wawona and Mariposa Grove on California State Route 41, towards the south entrance.
There isn’t anything more spectacular than driving through Wawona Tunnel to reach one of the most stunning views in the park. The spectacular Tunnel View looks eastward into Yosemite Valley, including Half Dome, El Capitan and Bridalveil Falls. Here are other great facts about the tunnel:
- Construction of the tunnel began in 1930, and was dedicated in 1933. And everyone who worked on its construction survived.
- It cost $850,000 to construct at the time, equivalent to a cost of 12.5 million today.
- The tunnel was blasted through solid granite bedrock on the mountainside, requiring 275 tons of blasting power.
- It is the longest highway tunnel in California at 4,233 feet (1,290 m) long, or 0.8 miles long, and was once the largest tunnel for vehicles in the west.
- Although not a popular spot, people like and are able to rock climb the tunnel.
Written by Christina Kantzavelos, BuenQamino