Beware "Old Priest Grad Road" - west entry to Yosemite

"Old Priest Grade is one of the steepest paved roads in Tuolumne County, and some hill-climbing bicyclists believe it’s one of the steepest in the Golden State. Duke York, deputy director for Tuolumne County roads and engineering, said the road is 1.97 miles from bottom to top, with grade steepness up to 18 percent, and the steepest stretch might be closer to 20 percent." per Union-Democrat, a Sonora, CA newspaper.

I did CA 4 in my youth with a trailer but never OPG.

Best stories often begin with taking a shortcut ;)

Actually there is a sign.

"trucks buses motorhomes trailers prohibited"

google street view

Then a second sign "weight limit 7500"

There is a large yellow "warning" sign and a larger white sign prohibiting trucks, trailers and RVs from using that road. This is followed quickly by another smaller white sign stating a weight limit of 7500 pounds. Sounds to me like someone is not paying attention. Had you not exited onto that road you would have remained on the newer and perfectly reasonable Highway 120.

I have a cousin who is a world traveller and he told me one night in Switzerland the navigation had him drive across a narrow foot bridge to a mountain hostel. In the morning when he walked outside he felt sick looking at what they drove across and realising they had to drive back across it.

Also in Japan while navagating to a fish market it wanted him to drive down a boat ramp and cross a bay. He said he people had done it.

Well now you did it! You need to go turn yourself in. Just chalk it up to an oops moment. The bright side was you probably got some great views. At least now you know.

The "Old Priest Grade Road" is one of the worst routes. When I called to make reservations at Yosemite Pines in Groveland, and after reading reviews about how bad the road was, the campground staff suggested the "New Priest Grade Road". I was hesitant after some of the reviews about the "New Priest Grade Road". Well it was very bad and steep. We were lucky as we only pulled over about 25 times. I like the area, but we will never use that road. Just for your information, I believe the Movie, "The Long, Long Trailer" with Lucy and Desi filmed back in the 60's? was actually filmed on the "Old Priest Grade Road". Watch the movie and decide if you will take that road.

Maps selects this route because it is shorter. It may also have the estimated speed off, and also calculate it as faster.

On GM Streetview I see a warning sign (not especially big, but easily read on SV).

WARNING
TRUCKS, MOTORHOMES,
BUSES AND TRAILERS
PROHIBITED
ON OLD PRIEST GRADE
USE HIGHWAY 120
NO (4 slash circles).

Before the turn off there's a large green direction sign, 120 to the left, Old Priest Grade to the right. And a 7500lb weight limit. The main highway striping goes left.

Chinese Camp to Yosemite Lakes is 32.4m, 46 min via Old Priest. Dragging the route to 120 changes it to 35.1, 52 min.

So new grade is on the other side of the canyon, following contours more, longer and thus climbing at a gentler rate. From a sampling of Streetview images on Old Priest I can see the New across the valley.

And from the of New Grade looking toward the upper junction: https://goo.gl/maps/n6ZsuPCw8z32

Another hint as to the grade, even on New is a sign "Turn off air conditioning next 5 miles". New has some curves marked 20 mph.

Used to ride that road everyday on a motorcycle for work. Wonderful on the bike but I can't even imagine doing it in a motorhome.

Tonijim wrote:
Learned a hard lesson today traveling on CA... SNIP... Does anyone know how to ring Google Maps bell? Anyone else had this problem? This was a very dangerous shortcut.

First of all glad that you made it without a major mafunction. Second, don't just blindly follow GPS, map apps and such. Way too many people have done so and never lived to tell about it. Google Kim family Bear Camp Road and read about one case.

There is a way to contact them. This is from several years ago so I may be off somewhat. If you use a desktop version of maps in a browser there is a place for feedback. I contacted them regarding a route that took me over a state highway that I KNEW had length restrictions and is only open for a few months during the summer. It is a decent logging road but that is about it.

Anyway I sent them an email including links from the State, other sites describing the road and my personal comments of why the road should not be a recommended route. Several weeks later I got a reply back saying I was correct and they would not list the route any longer.

I used to work with a person who liked to meet up with is family at some of the local wineries for tastings. His son arrived after some time and made a comment about how he didn't know how his dad made it up the road in his family car but he hardly made it there in his 4X4. Yep, he was following his GPS and it took him through the puckerbrush. Dad pointed to the lane out the window and told him to follow it about a quarter mile to the highway and turn left.

I took that same road in a 26 foot class A towing a Jeep, no brakes on the Jeep and I was a lone so I could not have my wife drive the Jeep, it was a wild ride and my front brakes on the motorhome were hot, at times I was in 1st gear and floored and only saw 20 mph max, {8.1 gm}, will never travel that road again in a RV..