The Wawona Tunnel is a highway tunnel

Tunnel

A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...

 in Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...

, which carries Wawona Road (which becomes California State Route 41

California State Route 41

State Route 41 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California, connecting the Cabrillo Highway in Morro Bay with Fresno and Yosemite National Park via the San Joaquin Valley. Except between US 101 in Atascadero and SR 46 near Shandon, SR 41 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway...

 outside of the park) through a mountain on the south side of the Merced River

Merced River

The Merced River , in the central part of the U.S. state of California, is a -long tributary of the San Joaquin River flowing from the Sierra Nevada into the Central Valley. It is most well known for its swift and steep course through the southern part of Yosemite National Park, and the...

. It is located on one of the three main roads providing access to Yosemite Valley

Yosemite Valley

Yosemite Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of California, carved out by the Merced River. The valley is about long and up to a mile deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, and densely forested with pines...

, the most visited section of the park.

After passing through the tunnel, Highway 41 then goes to Chinqualpin Junction where Badger Pass / Glacier Point Road is, at an elevation of 6,039 feet (1,841 m) above sea level. The Wawona Tunnel is 4,233 feet (1,290 m) long, and as such, is actually the longest highway tunnel in California at this time. (The proposed Devil's Slide tunnel in Pacifica, California

Pacifica, California

Pacifica is a city in San Mateo County, California, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean between San Francisco and Half Moon Bay.-Overview:The City of Pacifica is spread along a six mile stretch of the north central California coastal beach and hills, nestled in several small valleys spanning between...

, will be 4585 feet (1,397.5 m) long when it is completed in 2011, and the Caldecott Tunnel

Caldecott Tunnel

The Caldecott Tunnel is a three bore highway tunnel between Oakland, California and Contra Costa County, California. The east-west tunnel is signed as a part of State Route 24, which is also known as the William Byron Rumford...

 in Oakland, California

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

 is 3771 feet (1,149.4 m) long in its longest bore). When the Devil's Slide in
Pacifica, California

Pacifica, California

Pacifica is a city in San Mateo County, California, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean between San Francisco and Half Moon Bay.-Overview:The City of Pacifica is spread along a six mile stretch of the north central California coastal beach and hills, nestled in several small valleys spanning between...

 is completed, it will become the longest road tunnel in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, overtaking the length of the Wawona Tunnel. The northbound
tube of the Devil's Slide tunnel will be 4342 feet (1,323.4 m) in length, and the southbound bore will be 4585 feet (1,397.5 m) long.