https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...tinel_0502.jpg
Photo courtesy of The Yosemite Conservancy -- May 2nd at 6:27 pm PDT
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...tinel_0502.jpg
Photo courtesy of The Yosemite Conservancy -- May 2nd at 6:27 pm PDT
And it is truly, truly gone today!
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...tinel_0507.jpg
Photo courtesy of The Yosemite Conservancy -- May 7th at 5:27 pm PDT
Plows are plowing in 8 feet of snow one mile west of White Wolf (near Siesta Lake). This is a great image showing the work involved. It was taken on May 3rd.
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...05-roads_3.jpg
Dave.
Glacier Point Road opened for the season to vehicles on May 10, 2019.
A huge winter storm is blowing through so they have closed Glacier point road until further notice for safety reasons. This will almost certainly halt the progress of the plow teams on Tioga pass and will more than likely set them back with up to 21 inches of new snow accumulation expected !!
From the National weather service.
Dave.Quote:
...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT WEDNESDAY
NIGHT TO 6 AM PDT FRIDAY ABOVE 5000 FEET...
* WHAT...Heavy snow expected above 5000 feet. Total snow
accumulation of up to 21 inches expected. Winds gusting as
high as 40 mph.
* WHERE...Central Sierra, North Kings River and Sequoia Kings.
* WHEN...From midnight Wednesday night to 6 AM PDT Friday.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Travel could be very difficult to
impossible. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning
or evening commute.
OMG. The hump has returned! Look at the extreme right lower corner.
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...tinel_0519.jpg
(Courtesy of the Yosemite Conservancy) May 19th at 12:20 pm PDT
The crews have reportedly worked through the Olmsted Point avalanche zone and are clearing in the Tenaya lake area. Mono county crews are working there way along the pass from the east and have plowed about 1 mile along Tioga after the entry station. I'd say that puts them about 14 miles apart but there is still a lot of work to be done. In case you are wondering why it takes so long, here is a list of common causes from the Yosemite website that creates slow progress.
As it's a deep snow pack this year all of the above issues are likely to be a factor.Quote:
Additionally, these are common causes for slow progress on the Tioga Road:
Road repairs, ditching, and brushing operations must occur once snow has melted back enough. The roads may also remain very icy even after they're plowed.
Avalanche zones (26 potential areas). The Olmsted Point avalanche zone requires careful work, including application of charcoal over the snow to help with melting and blasting the snow slab to make it safer for personnel.
Heavy snow pack slows the whole operation.
Trees that have fallen across the road and been buried in the snow can cause substantial damage to equipment and result in a stop to all operations until they're cleared.
Rockfalls buried by the snow can cause substantial damage to the equipment and result in a stop to all operations.
Snow storms during the opening require a stop to Tioga Road operations in order to plow and sand park roads that are open.
A happy Californian because it is still raining will try June 13 at 9 am. Will ping poll next.
Another hazardous weather warning from the weather centre causing disruption to travel.
From Yosemite webpage.
Glacier point road has also been temporarily closed due the storm.Quote:
Road closures due to snow
Alert 1 , Severity ,closure ,,Road closures due to snow
Wawona Road (Hwy 41) is closed from Wawona to Yosemite Valley. Big Oak Flat Road (Hwy 120 from the west) is closed from Big Oak Flat Entrance to Foresta. Hetch Hetchy Road is closed. These closures will remain in effect overnight (May 26).
From the National weather service.
Dave.Quote:
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM PDT
MONDAY ABOVE 6000 FEET...
* WHAT...Significant snow accumulations expected above 6000
feet. Total snow accumulations of 6 to 9 inches likely above
7000 feet. Total snow accumulations of 3 to 7 inches expected
from 6000 to 7000 feet. Winds will gust as high as 50 mph on
exposed ridgetops and along the crest.
* WHERE...Elevations above 6000 feet in the southern Sierra
Nevada, including Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National
parks.
* WHEN...Until 5 AM PDT Monday.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Motorists should plan for travel
difficulties, delays, and slick, hazardous road conditions.
Road closures and chain restrictions are possible.
Sonora (CA-108) and Ebbetts (CA-4) Passes both opened today. When I have time, I'll have to see how much further behind Tioga usually opens. For some details on the efforts to open Ebbetts, see https://snowbrains.com/ebbetts-pass-...-summer-today/
This week saw the Yosemite and Mono county crews meet as they have plowed the entire pass to at least one lane wide. There remains a high risk avalanche risk at Olmstead point that needs monitoring and there is still a lot of debris to clear as well as preparing the side roads and utility areas. A lot to do still but a step in the right direction.
Dave.
Since both Ebbetts and Sonora Passes opened on 5/30, I compared when they opened vs. Tioga since winter of 2011/11.
For the two most recent winters with high snowfall (2010/11 and 2016/17), Ebbetts and Sonora opened 11 and 22 days before Tioga in 2011 and -1 and 16 days before Tioga in 2017. That gives an average of 12 days which would put Tioga opening at 6/11/2019, exactly between two guesses during that week. If I throw out the -1 (when Tioga opened a day before Ebbetts), that gives an average of 16 and puts the opening at 6/15/2019, a day after my guess made almost two months before.
If I average all 8 years of data from 2011/12 to 2017/18, I show Tioga opened almost 9 1/2 days after Ebbetts and almost 13 1/2 days after Sonora. Still not very helpful since Ebbetts and Sonora opened the same day this year.
If anyone wonders why 8730' elevation Ebbetts opens on average 4 days later than 9620' Sonora, I think it's because Sonora is very steep at the top on both sides so there is not as much road at high elevation. Highway 4 is about 7000' at Lake Alpine, where it closed for winter and goes up to 8730' at Ebbetts. It then drops to 7600' at Pacific Valley before climbing to over 8000' at Pacific Grade Summit. It is also possible the average could be thrown off by the two times Ebbetts in the last 8 years that it opened after Tioga or that Ebbetts is the least heavily used of the Sierra passes so there is not as much effort on it as Sonora. More info at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebbetts_Pass and https://scenic4.org/the-route/points-of-interest/
@tseeb, it is entirely possible that your statistical analysis will give you an inside edge on this year's contest -- but there's nothing like blind luck. (Please see my winning entry for closing last year).
And, the fact that the Sierra's got an incredible amount of snow this year. I actually think the most likely opening this year will be July 2nd at 4 pm.
Mark
As my first prediction passes by I am going to throw another dart myself and predict that the pass will open on June 22nd at 8am.
Dave.
Ebbetts opened late in 2017 because there was severe road damage under all the snow that had to be repaired.
NPS website for Yosemite says that road work will Start on Big Oak Flat road on June 10th and then on Tioga Pass road after it opens. Work will be done on weekdays and expected delays of 15 mins. So it appears they won't hold off on opening road until all of the work is completed on it.
That would appear to throw a possible monkey-wrench into our terms of engagement as to what constitutes the road opening.Quote:
Originally Posted by CAnative
But that's why Sheriff Dave is paid THE BIG BUCKS to make decisions.
Mark
Nothing has changed really. Perhaps they are referring to routine maintenance the same as other roads in the park that need repair after a winter season. Once the road is open to traffic and it's been officially announced we have the date, roadworks or not. It would seem they may keep us in the dark from now to the point of opening though.
From Yosemite website.
Dave.Quote:
Crews are working on side roads and utility areas. Much additional work remains prior to opening. As this work is routine, there may be no further updates until the road is ready to open. There is no estimated date for opening.
While I think it will open earlier, the earliest I can select today is July 1 at 8:30 AM so that is my new guess.
Yosemite have said it will not open this weekend but that does not imply it will open soon after. Work continuing around Olmstead point in particular which suggest an avalanche risk remains. Watch this space.
My guess has already passed, so here's another one:
June 24th, 8 am.
UPDATE: I was reminded that it is has to 15 or more days hence. OK. July 3, 8 am. Sorry about that!
Donna
Does being open two hours a day count? Seems like nobody has the right date and I was week off (guessing two months in advance). I'm blaming it on record snow in May.
"Yosemite’s Tioga Road will open on Friday, the first day of summer, but initially only for two hours a day.
The park announced that motor vehicles and bicycles will be allowed on the trans-Sierra route from 10 to 11 a.m. and 3 to 4 p.m. daily."
From https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/06/...o-hours-a-day/
I don't think we've had this issue before.
Going to have to have a ruling from Sheriff Dave, but I would tend to support "not declaring the road open" until it is open all day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=wAjm1usE9oY
But there are some great views of the road in the interview above! -- Thanks to member
tseeb for finding this video!
Mark
In keeping with the rules that state *The official date for this Tioga Pass Prognosticator contest tracks with Pacific Time (USA), so no matter what date it might be in your local neighbourhood, the date used for this contest will be the same one used by the officials at Yosemite National Park for Tioga Pass. and how I interpreted it in **post 58** of this thread stating " Once the road is open to traffic and it's been officially announced we have the date, roadworks or not." I would say that the Tioga Pass was officially opened on June 21st as per the Yosemite web page. This is where it gets tricky, as at the time of deciding this I didn't realise it would make me the Dcttp (Darn close Tioga Pass prognosticator) so any objections, I'm all ears !! (or eyes in this case)
Every other contest matches the official Yosemite opening and closing dates, I don't think this should be any different.
Dave.
Tioga pass is due to open to 'unrestricted traffic' on Monday July 1st at 8am, the date and time (within an hour )as predicted by tseeb. (The official Yosemite page states the road officially opened on June 21st with restrictions in place)
Dave.
Sheriff Dave,
Interesting policy call coming from you?
Since there is $100 to me riding on it, I’ll also have to question when Tioga opened. I guess I have to accept what is posted at https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/seasonal.htm which seems like it should include a note to go with the asterisk.
I hope Tioga is open this afternoon as I plan to use it to return from Mammoth to the Bay Area. I drove over 9600+ foot Sonora Pass in the dark late on June 30 as Tioga Pass was not yet open (except for 2 hrs a day with no stopping allowed).
I would not return that way as going E was scary enough in an 11K+ lb diesel truck camper. I went up the 25% grade near the top without problem, but without a exhaust brake, I would not go down it. Going down the E slope I was in 1st gear (automatic transmission) for a long time and tried to stay off my brakes as much as possible. I did smell brakes once, but I think it was from SUV that I’d let pass.
Will post pictures when I get home.
Just to confirm, the official opening date for 2019 is June 21st as stated by the Officials at Yosemite and listed on their 'Opening and closing dates' page.
Although this year was slightly unusual in the fact that the opening times were limited, it was open. We have had it in the past that the Pass has opened and then closed again due to a late storm, but the Official opening day remained the same.
Looking forward to seeing them ! Hope you have a great trip.Quote:
(Originally posted by tseeb.) Will post pictures when I get home.
Dave.
A correction to my previous post on Sonora Pass is that the grade on the W side at the top is 26 percent. I think you go from 7,000 to 8,000 feet in 3 miles, then from 8,000 to 9,000 in two more miles and go up the last 600+ feet in under a mile.
Attachment 4856
I got to the bottom of Tioga Pass at 1:22 PM, about 30 minutes after leaving Mammoth, and even with a stop at a turnout to take these pictures
Attachment 4857
Attachment 4858
I was at the top in less than 25 minutes.
Attachment 4859
Across the highway from parking area with bathroom at the pass is 13,053' Mt. Dana, the second highest peak in Yosemite and probably the easiest 13K peak to get to the top of in CA.
Attachment 4860
I had a short delay due to about a five car line to get to entrance where I showed my Senior Park Pass and asked the ranger when the pass opened. He said "July 1". When I asked if it was open earlier, he said it was really closed, but they let people use the road two hours a day.
(to be continued with more pictures and sorry no video of the conversation)
I only stopped at the top of the pass for about 10 minutes. While there, I talked to a guy from Sacramento who had ridden his (< $1,000 and without disc brakes) bike up from 395 and was getting his courage up for the ride back down. I also stopped at the end of Tuolumne Meadows and hiked about halfway up Pothole Dome. First picture is Pothole Dome and second is my camper at W end of Tuolumne Meadows.
Attachment 4862
Attachment 4861
Traction on the granite was excellent, but I was expected in San Jose about 7:30 so I did not go to the top or stop at Tenaya Lake or Olmstead Point. In about the middle of the park, there appeared to have been a head-on accident. Someone going the other way signaled me to slow down and it looked like volunteers were flagging cars through as I think only one emergency vehicle was there. I did see more Police, Fire and Ambulance going the other way between the accident and Tuolumne Grove parking where I stopped for a few minutes.
While I have never seen the Giant Sequoias at Tuolumne Grove, I did short hike to nearby Merced Grove in the last 10 years. I also was at Calaveras Big Trees twice in the last 13 months and went to Sequoia National Park for the first time less than 10 years ago when my wife was working at the gateway city of Visalia. The hike to Tuolumne Grove is only 2 miles, but sign said it's strenuous and to allow 2-3 hours. Picture is a replica of a Giant Sequoia.
Attachment 4863
On my exit from the park where they ask you to stop and show pass to make sure you didn't go through without paying $35 (good for 7 days, but motorcycles are only $30), I asked the ranger when Tioga Road opened and she said July 1st. When I asked if it was open earlier, she said it was, but only 2 hours per day. So both rangers I asked said Tioga Rd opened July 1, but they disagreed on whether is was open earlier. If Tioga was open, why did I cross much steeper Sonora Pass at 10:45 PM on June 30?
Attachment 4865
I've learned not to arrive San Jose between 4 and 7 pm on weekdays as I-680 S usually is slow due to traffic for most of my last 10 freeway miles. This time the slowdown was shorter than normal as schools are out for summer and a lot of people may have taken the week off with the 4th falling on a Thursday. But there was a slowdown and an off-ramp was closed by a brushfire, possibly caused by homeless who have many camps on the W side of freeway between Milpitas and San Jose.
Attachment 4864
Lovely pictures and I like your truck camper !
Dave.
Do I still win anything if I get NPS to change the Spring (really was Summer) 2019 opening date when it closes in Fall/Winter?
I contacted NPS to ask them to add something to go with the asterisk for 2019, to correct a spelling error and to consider removing a link to a page that did not have Tioga opening info and required another click. They added following note: "2019: Tioga Road opened on June 21 with access to entry only from 10 am to 11 am and 3 pm to 4 pm daily. It opened without restriction on July 1."
They also said among other things when I asked them to consider changing the opening date to July 1: "So, I think I will change it. Updating this table is a little more complicated since it involves importing data (vs. just typing in the change). I've updated the source file and will upload it no later than when the road closes for the season, if not sooner. (Unless I change my mind again!)"
@tseeb:
I don't think we've ever had a member lobby a NPS staffer to change the opening date before.
It is an interesting approach.
But the ruling of the Sheriff is based on the following documentation (found on the first post of each new contest):
************Forum Moderator, Dave Gomm, (Southwest Dave) is the official Sheriff and Chief Wrangler for this contest and his rulings as to the naming of the winner are final, (& they can also be arbitrary & capricious)
Mark
@tseeb:
I would be happy to send you an official RTA cap. Please provide us with your ship-to address. My email address is on the Contact page.
Thanks,
Mark
Thanks for the hat. I wore it today (and other days).
It may be time to open the Fall/Winter 2019 closing contest as it snowed at about 6000' around Truckee on Monday 9/16 and may have snowed on Tioga then and today. I went over Donner Pass on Monday in early PM and there was snow at the top. On the way to Auburn where I was trying to do three things, I suffered through an hour and 20 minute delay while they returned a couple of semis to the highway. That meant I only had time for the most important task, visiting family who we don't see often enough. First picture is W side of Mt Rose when leaving Truckee @1230.
Attachment 4929
Attachment 4930
It was posted on the 14th.
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/foru...r-closing-2019
Am I the only one who noticed that 2019 Spring/Summer opening date at https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/seasonal.htm now says July 1. That was the WAG I entered when original date I entered on 6/15 after my original guess of 6/14 had passed. The asterisk now says "2019: Tioga Road opened on June 21 with access to entry only from 10 am to 11 am and 3 pm to 4 pm daily. It opened without restriction on July 1." I did not hack it, but did lobby NPS to add an asterisk to their June 21 date and to consider changing date.
Well fair play to them for keeping their word and altering the way around they have written the closing date information as you requested.
Keep an eye out for the new Spring 2020 opening competition coming soon !
Dave.