Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Tioga Pass Road Update

Tioga Road Plowing Update

There is no estimated opening date for 2005. The road is open only from Crane Flat to Yosemite Creek, however there is still no access to Tuolumne Meadows or US 395.

Note that necessary road work and certain safety considerations usually keep the road closed even after the entire length of the road has been plowed.

Plowing update

Tioga Road report for June 16

Avalanche zones are still active on the Tioga Road. Park staff traveling on the road for administrative purposes are required to have avalanche training and equipment.

Tioga Road Plowing Update

There is no estimated opening date for 2005. The road is open only from Crane Flat to Yosemite Creek, however there is still no access to Tuolumne Meadows or US 395.

Note that necessary road work and certain safety considerations usually keep the road closed even after the entire length of the road has been plowed.

(See a list of opening dates since 1980 and factors affecting plowing operations and opening date.)

Plowing update

Tioga Road report for June 16

Avalanche zones are still active on the Tioga Road. Park staff traveling on the road for administrative purposes are required to have avalanche training and equipment.

Tioga Road Plowing Update

There is no estimated opening date for 2005. The road is open only from Crane Flat to Yosemite Creek, however there is still no access to Tuolumne Meadows or US 395.

Note that necessary road work and certain safety considerations usually keep the road closed even after the entire length of the road has been plowed.

(See a list of opening dates since 1980 and factors affecting plowing operations and opening date.)

Plowing update

Tioga Road report for June 16

Avalanche zones are still active on the Tioga Road. Park staff traveling on the road for administrative purposes are required to have avalanche training and equipment.

On June 16, crews began to remove avalanche debris and snow from potential boulders from a rockslide near Olmsted Point.

Thanks for the news, Paul. On a Yosemite website this past weekend I read that the folks clearing Tioga are hoping for a July 4th weekend opening -- from the looks of some of the photos on that site, though, there's still a considerable amount of work yet to be done.

Unrelated to this, but of interest, the supports/slats at the Half Dome cables have been installed, and have been "open" to the public since June 16th. It's important to note, however, that the last 1/2 mile of the Half Dome Trail will be closed due to trail repair work Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. (7/6/05 - 10/4/05), but will be open without restriction Friday - Sunday.

Here is a post from Yosemite site regarding Tioga:

Tioga Road Plowing Update

There is no estimated opening date for 2005.
However, they are expecting, if all goes well, to have the road opened for the week-end of the Fourth of July. The road is open only from Crane Flat to Yosemite Creek, however there is still no access to Tuolumne Meadows or US 395. Note that necessary road work and certain safety considerations usually keep the road closed even after the entire length of the road has been plowed.

I used the cables Thursday 6/16 to summit Half Dome and had a blast in a 17-mile day hike. Took 12 hrs total with much timeout for photos.

You will not see snow until the shoulder and that's patchy and you don't have to walk through it. There is about a foot of snow on the Half Dome summit drainage but it's slurpee and won't be there long. I chose 6/16 to beat the school's out crowd, most of the people on the trail from mist to JMT and on up were 40-something with most people in their 50s and 60s.

Can't wait for Cottonwood Pass to Whitney next Sunday 6/26. I'm taking only crampons, no snow shoes. If you want a hiking buddy/anchor meet me at the Horseshoe Meadow T/H about 7 a.m.

Hike

http://www.nps.gov/yose/now/tioga.htm

Tioga Road Plowing Update
The Tioga Road will open on Friday, June 24, at 8 am.

<font size="3"> Good News! Here is what the <A href="http://www.nps.gov/yose/now/tioga.htm">web page</A> says:

The Tioga Road will open on Friday, June 24, at 8 am.</font>

This probably relates to Tioga Pass. This report claims campgrounds will probably not be opening this summer due to high snow levels. I think some/all of them are "back country" but I've not had a chance to check:

"THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. -- Heavy snow dumped on the Sierra Nevada this winter will keep some of Yosemite National Park's popular high country campgrounds closed for the summer.

Although crews managed to cut through enough snow to predict a Friday opening of Tioga road - which crosses the Sierra from east to west - officials said the snow is too deep in some spots to allow several high-elevation camps to open at all.

Some of the campgrounds are buried in 12 feet of snow. Glen Aulin, May Lake, Sunrise, Merced Lake and Vogelsang, at elevations ranging from 7,200 to 10,300 feet, will remain buried or too soggy to use all summer long, park officials said.

Fifty-six tent-cabins that accommodate 204 people are also closed for the season.

That means 3,400 people will have their reservations canceled. They will be offered a refund or a chance to transfer their reservation to next summer."

"too soggy to use all summer long"

Time to find out who manufactures DEET and buy some stock.

Per the Yosemite Daily Report from yesterday, the Tioga Road will open tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. The same report relayed the bad news that the High Sierra camps (with the exception of Tuolumne Lodge) will not open this year.

I had reservations for the Yosemite high camps during the second week in July and they let me know over a month ago that they would not open until at least mid July. It was the latest opening that anyone there could remember.

A recent announcement from the Park Service re Tioga and the High Camps:

"Services along the Tioga Road and in Tuolumne Meadows will be limited. Vault toilets will be available at Tenaya Lake, Lembert Dome, and some trailheads. The Tuolumne Meadows Store, Gas Station, and the Tuolumne Lodge are expected to open in early July. All campgrounds along the Tioga Road corridor (including White Wolf, Tamarack Flat, Yosemite Creek, and Porcupine Flat) and the Tuolumne Meadows Campground will remain closed until further notice. There is no anticipated opening date for any of these facilities." Also, "[t]he National Park Service and DNC Parks and Resorts at Yosemite, Inc. jointly announced that five High Sierra Camps (May Lake, Merced Lake, Vogelsang, Sunrise, and Glen Aulin) will not be opened for the 2005 visitor season. The decision to keep the High Sierra Camps closed was based on the unusually heavy winter snowpack and existing snow and water conditions."