--- title: "Groveland, CA — Yosemite's Highway 120 Gateway | Arnold Haven" description: "Groveland from Arnold: the last town before Yosemite's western entrance, granite swimming holes and the Highway 120 drive." lang: en json-ld: --- [Skip to content](#main-content) [![](/__l5e/assets-v1/84bf9984-9cf8-406b-aaf5-dbde0a9f8c6a/arnold-haven-mark-white.png)Arnold Haven Arnold · California ](/) [Cabins](/cabins)[Explore](/explore)[Guides](/guides)[Membership](/circle)[Support](/chalet-bruin-future)[Merch](/merch)[Book a stay](/cabins) ![Groveland, CA](/assets/groveland-main-street-5fZN58Lx.jpg) Explore Arnold # Groveland, CA The last real town before Yosemite's Highway 120 entrance: a wooden-balconied main street, granite swimming holes down the side roads, and the closest place to catch a tour that drives you into the park. [Check availability](/cabins)[See the cabins](/cabins) First things first ## First things first Groveland is a gold-rush town that became a gateway town. It sits at about 3,100 feet on Highway 120, half an hour west of the Big Oak Flat entrance, with a main street of wooden storefronts and balconies, a famously old saloon, a grocery, fuel and a handful of good places to eat. From the cabins it is about an hour and three quarters: Highway 4 down to Angels Camp, Highway 49 through Sonora, then Highway 120 east. It is worth a stop on any Yosemite day and worth a visit on its own if you like the swimming holes. ![A two-storey wooden hotel with a balcony on Groveland's main street in warm evening light](/assets/groveland-main-street-5fZN58Lx.jpg) Geography ## Where Groveland, CA sits ![Illustrated antique-style map of California inside the United States with a gold marker on Groveland on the Highway 120 corridor west of Yosemite, with engraved oak and pine ridges and a river canyon](/assets/groveland-DJs_hvDj.jpg) Illustrated locator map — for orientation, not navigation. Groveland sits on a broad ridge above the Tuolumne River canyon, the last town of any size before Yosemite's western entrance. The country around it is oak and pine, cut by granite creek drainages with pools and small waterfalls, and much of the forest east of town is regrowing from the 2013 Rim Fire. It is about 70 miles from Chalet Bruin and Koda Loft via Sonora and Highway 120 — roughly an hour and three quarters. Region Sierra Nevada western slope, Highway 120 corridor County Tuolumne County Elevation About 3,100 ft Nearest town Groveland itself; Sonora is about an hour northwest Getting there Highway 120 east 02 ## The main street The whole town is a few blocks. The Groveland Hotel and the Iron Door — which claims to be California's oldest continuously operating saloon — anchor the street, and the shops in between are the sort where somebody will tell you what the road conditions are actually like before you ask. Fill up here. Fuel, groceries and cell service all get scarce and expensive once you pass the park entrance, and coming back out hungry is a long half hour. ![A two-storey wooden hotel with a balcony on Groveland's main street in warm evening light](/assets/groveland-main-street-5fZN58Lx.jpg) 03 ## Swimming holes and waterfalls The side roads north of town lead to the best water in this corridor: granite pools and small waterfalls on the Tuolumne drainage, cold and clear, with slabs to lie on. Rainbow Pool, right off Highway 120, is the easy one — a pool below a low waterfall a few steps from the parking area. Carlon Falls, further east, is a mile and a half of flat river walking to a broad falls in the trees. Flow makes the day. In May and June these are powerful and genuinely dangerous; by late July they are swimmable and pleasant. Never jump into water you have not looked into first, and take the fire restrictions seriously — this canyon burns. ![A clear granite swimming pool below a small waterfall on a Sierra river in summer](/assets/groveland-swimming-hole-DHUqfmxD.jpg) 04 ## The drive and the fire history Highway 120 east of Groveland is a beautiful, exposed mountain road that drops in and out of the Tuolumne canyon with long views and few guardrails. It also runs through country burned by the 2013 Rim Fire, so expect stretches of standing dead timber and young forest alongside old growth — it is part of the story of the corridor now. Winter changes this road. It is plowed as the main west entrance to Yosemite, but chain controls are common and closures happen. Check Caltrans before you commit. ![A two-lane highway curving along a forested ridge high above a deep river canyon at dusk](/assets/groveland-highway-120-B-UkavZK.jpg) 05 ## Where to stay Groveland has a handful of small hotels and inns, all of them priced by their proximity to Yosemite. If the park is one day in a longer mountain week, the cabins in Arnold are cooler, quieter and a good deal cheaper — with sequoias, caverns and lakes on their own doorstep. - [CHALET BRUIN — 12 guests, 5 bedrooms→ ](/cabins/chalet-bruin) - [KODA LOFT — 4 guests, 2 bedrooms→ ](/cabins/koda-loft) ![A clear granite swimming pool below a small waterfall on a Sierra river in summer](/assets/groveland-swimming-hole-DHUqfmxD.jpg) ![A two-lane highway curving along a forested ridge high above a deep river canyon at dusk](/assets/groveland-highway-120-B-UkavZK.jpg) Nearby ## Keep exploring [ ![Yosemite: the Highway 120 entrance](/assets/yosemite-entrance-station-BCpXMfEM.jpg) ### Yosemite: the Highway 120 entrance The honest version of a Yosemite day from here — the drive, the fees and the reservation rules. Discover ↗ ](/explore/yosemite-park-entrance) [ ![Sonora](/assets/sonora-main-street-BaMbrser.jpg) ### Sonora The town on the way over, and the last full-size supermarket before Highway 120. Discover ↗ ](/explore/sonora-ca) [ ![Stanislaus River](/assets/sourgrass-river-meadow--7IbY1iH.jpg) ### Stanislaus River The closer swimming water — granite pools twenty minutes from the cabins instead of ninety. Discover ↗ ](/explore/stanislaus-river) Good to know ## Frequently asked questions How far is Groveland from Arnold? + About 70 miles by road via Highway 4, Highway 49 and Highway 120 — roughly an hour and three quarters. How far is Groveland from the Yosemite entrance? + About half an hour east to the Big Oak Flat entrance, and roughly an hour and a quarter to the Valley floor. Is Rainbow Pool safe to swim? + In late summer, when the flow drops, it is a popular swimming hole. In spring runoff it is dangerous. Look before you enter, never jump blind, and follow posted warnings. ![](/__l5e/assets-v1/84bf9984-9cf8-406b-aaf5-dbde0a9f8c6a/arnold-haven-mark-white.png) Arnold Haven Cabin stays in Arnold, California — minutes from Calaveras Big Trees State Park, White Pines Lake and Bear Valley. [Check availability](/cabins) Cabins - [CHALET BRUIN](/cabins/chalet-bruin) - [KODA LOFT](/cabins/koda-loft) - [All cabins](/cabins) - [Check availability](/availability-search) - [About us](/about) - [Things to do](/things-to-do) - [Support Chalet Bruin](/chalet-bruin-future) - [Merch](/merch) Explore - [Arnold, CA](/explore/arnold-california) - [Big Trees State Park](/explore/big-trees-state-park) - [Murphys, CA](/explore/murphys-california) - [Bear Valley Ski Resort](/explore/bear-valley-ski-resort) - [Dodge Ridge Ski Resort](/explore/dodge-ridge-ski-resort) - [Sonora, CA](/explore/sonora-ca) - [Twain Harte, CA](/explore/twain-harte-ca) - [Strawberry, CA](/explore/strawberry-ca) - [Jackson, CA](/explore/jackson-ca) - [Columbia State Historic Park](/explore/columbia-state-historic-park) - [Black Chasm Cavern](/explore/black-chasm-cavern) - [Moaning Caverns](/explore/moaning-caverns) - [Mercer Caverns](/explore/murphys-california/mercer-caverns) - [Angels Camp, CA](/explore/angels-camp-ca) - [Mokelumne Hill](/explore/mokelumne-hill) - [San Andreas, CA](/explore/san-andreas-ca) - [Lake Alpine](/explore/lake-alpine) - [Spicer Meadow Reservoir](/explore/spicer-meadow-reservoir) - [White Pines Lake](/explore/arnold-california/white-pines-lake) - [Arnold Rim Trail](/explore/arnold-california/arnold-rim-trail) - [Sequoia Woods Country Club](/explore/arnold-california/sequoia-woods-country-club) - [Forest Meadows Golf Course](/explore/forest-meadows-golf-course) - [Highway 4 conditions](/explore/highway-4-conditions) Guides - [The Best Fishing Spots Near Arnold, CA](/guides/fishing/fishing-spots-near-arnold) - [The Best Hiking Trails Near Arnold, CA](/guides/hiking/arnold-hiking-trails) - [Dog-Friendly Hikes Near Arnold, CA](/guides/hiking/dog-friendly-hikes-near-arnold) - [Top Restaurants Near Arnold, CA](/guides/restaurants/arnold-restaurants) - [The Best Restaurants in Sonora, CA](/guides/restaurants/sonora-restaurants) - [Rock Climbing near Arnold, CA](/guides/rock-climbing/rock-climbing-spots-arnold) - [The Top Mountain Bike Trails Near Arnold, CA](/guides/mountain-biking/mountain-bike-trails-near-arnold) - [OHV and Dirt Bike Trails Near Arnold, CA](/guides/ohv/ohv-dirt-bike-trails-near-arnold) - [Rafting near Arnold](/guides/rafting/rafting-near-arnold) - [Highway 49 road trip](/guides/road-trips/highway-49-road-trip) - [Snow play near Arnold](/guides/snow-play/snow-play-near-arnold) Legal - [Privacy Policy](/privacy-policy) - [Terms & Conditions](/terms-conditions) - Cookie preferences © 2026 Arnold Haven. All rights reserved. Arnold Haven only uses cookies that keep the site working. With your permission we also load a few extras — like the Bear Valley mountain cameras — which set cookies of their own. You can decline, and change your mind at any time. [Privacy Policy](/privacy-policy) DeclineAccept All