Hi Ellie,
From my house it's about 3 or so hours. We go up 88 and take the Markleeville turn of over the pass, which drops you down onto 395. From there its another 30 minutes or so. Its just a few miles outside of Bridgeport. I hope to go when there is a light dusting of snow on the ground.
Also, the park closes at dusk so the don't allow anyone in at night. There were some photographers who tried to come up one of the dirt trails (about 15 miles) in a jeep and got caught....went to jail. There is one weekend a month where they open early so photographers can shoot at sunrise. I think it's the last weekend of the month. However, the "season" just ended for that area so you may want to call ahead before you go.
