Tioga Pass Prognosticator #5

This is our fifth attempt at predicting future road conditions on one of our favorite mountain crossings in the American West.

Tioga Pass which is found on California State Route 120 provides the eastern access to Yosemite National Park and is usually the last pass opened to the roadtripping public each Spring. As such, it has become the RTA harbinger for the start of the summer road trip season in the west.

Official Tioga Pass openings in recent years:
2008: May 21st (8:00 am) It is now official!
2007: May 11th (this was an early one!)
2006: June 17th
2005: June 24th
2004: May 14th
2003: May 31st
2002: May 22nd
2001: May 12th

The "Contest"
You are welcome to use your predictive talents and if you manage to hit the correct date -- the RTA Editorial group will pay for a tank of roadtrip fuel in your personal roadtrip ride. Legal has suggested that we identify what this means.... So, for the record, the prize will be limited to $75.00 USD To win this prize, the date must be posted** on this Forum more than or equal to fifteen (15) days prior to the official opening date. (**Your "date" must be identified in a post on this thread...**)

Last Spring, RTA Forum member, Kinless used his highly honed prognosticator skills and predicted that Tioga Pass would open for the summer, 2007 road trip season, on May 10th. Unfortunately, it actually opened at Noon on May 11th, so for the want of this 24 hour period, he missed the grand prize but earned the equally coveted title of dcTPP… (Which is also known as the official Darn Close -- Tioga Pass Prognosticator). Maybe you will be our official first TPP (no one has yet claimed that title...)

Previous Predictive Efforts:
Spring Opening 2006
Winter Closing 2006
Spring Opening 2007
Winter Closing 2007

And here are the Official Closing and Opening Dates for last several years!

The Official Closing Date for 2007 was December 6th!

Happy Predicting!

Great American RoadTrip Forum Staff

Current Record Holders:
Prognosticators Extraordinaire To-Date:
Tioga Pass Prognosticator Winners:
Phil Boardman, (PhilB) Spring 2009 (Click here for news about this achievement)
weirj Winter 2008
******dcTPP (Darn Close -- Tioga Pass Prognosticator)
*************Don Casey (CalOldBlue) Winter 2009 Click here for the declaration of dcTPP winner!
*************Lynn & Victor (Hotel Charlotte) Spring 2008
*************Joey (Kinless) Spring 2007

So, I am looking for a repeat of the 2001 opening date in 2008.

Mark

May 17th. That's my guess. I'm beginning to think though that this dart is not working though.

Look at the nordic ski tracks in today's photo at the Tioga Pass Entrance Station!

Mark

I think I'll throw in my guess at June 11th, but the way this winter is going, a date in April or July wouldn't shock me.

oh well why not?
i predict the tioga pass will open on may 23rd

May 8th :D

Let's go with June 3rd. No reason.

Here in Brazil a Macumbeira, a "voodoo lady", told me May 13th...

How about 1 June.

“……..at Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park, the realities this winter………….

…………….Kathi Younger, 51, and Jeff Kamps, 47, are park rangers who live about 15 miles from the nearest plowed road from roughly mid-October through mid-May…………..

……….At Lembert Dome near Tioga Pass and Snow Flat below Mount Hoffman, there is still 7 1/2 feet…………

……….snowplow operations will start clearing 50 miles of Tioga Pass Road on April 16. With avalanche debris in several spots and typical equipment breakdowns, that means Younger and Kamps face another 45 days in remote captivity.……….”

So 45 days from 16 April looks like an opening day of 1 June 2008. We’ll no doubt see in due course :- )

Well, I'll give a shot for 2 years in a row and go with Friday, May 30th.

I'm not doing any major roadtripping until the Fall, so I don't have a personal agenda to see the road open so early this time.

Since I plan on driving the pass on May 16th, that's the date I'll go with ;-)

My guess will be June 2, 2008

I think the pass will open on May 24th so it will be passable for Memorial Day weekend and the hordes of "trippers" that are so antsy to be out and about.

Scotishbob

Can we get so specific as to suggest a time? 10:30 am on May 23rd.

If that is not possible, how about May 22nd since nobody has chosen that.

By the way, your forum made tripadvisor.com today, you might well see more votes coming in.

Nice site, I can't wait to get out on a "see America" trip via RV, but that is still a few years away.

Lynn

June 5.

There's a lot of snow left. I've been there when they didn't open until July!

i heard they started plowing monday but looks like a big job ahead
3.7 miles in a day. theres a short vid in the link that shows what there up against.
WOW! what a job,although tough i think i'd be in my element up there!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HotelCharlotte

Can we get so specific as to suggest a time? 10:30 am on May 23rd.

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Um.... This is the national park service you are referring to -- Last year, we tried to make it more specific -- but the NPS was reluctant to provide that level of data.... Thanks for the notice about Trip Advisor. Have you looked at the Tioga Gate cam today? Lots of snow covering the lens! It was clear and sunny a few days ago....

Mark

i'm the only one who voted after June 12th :)

Kirby, there is fresh snow up there this week....
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/images/tioga1.jpg
(NPS: I believe this is from the 2006 plowing effort)

Mark

The gate at Tioga is plowed! Looks like three feet or so on the ground at the kiosk?

Yesterday's report:
Tioga Road progress for May 1, 2008
Starting Location: 32 miles from Crane Flat
Ending Location: 34.5 miles from Crane Flat (Ghost Forest)
Distance plowed today: 2.5 miles
Average Snow depth: 5 feet
Here's the link for this year's plowing reports.

Mark

I have been checking in on this photo this week and I am amazed at how fast the snow is shedding from the mountains in the background! It is almost alarming to see it disappear that fast!

Here is the latest official report:
Tioga Road progress for May 8, 2008
Ending Location: Tioga Pass
Average Snow depth: 6 feet (8 to 9 feet at Tioga Pass parking lots)

Snow removal operations continue, including widening Tioga Road and working on utility roads and spur roads. Four avalanche zones remain.

The Glacier Point Road opened on May 2. (I bet it is gorgeous there today!)

I don't remember operations getting to the pass this fast in past years....

I bet someone wins the prize this year....

Mark

Plowing Report:
However, the portion of the Tioga Road between Crane Flat and Yosemite Creek is open, but there is no access through the park, to US 395/Lee Vining, or to Tuolumne Meadows. The entire road is open to bicycles (watch for road and tree crews working along the road).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mark Sedenquist

Plowing Report:
However, the portion of the Tioga Road between Crane Flat and Yosemite Creek is open, but there is no access through the park, to US 395/Lee Vining, or to Tuolumne Meadows. The entire road is open to bicycles (watch for road and tree crews working along the road).

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sounds like it could be open in a week to the day,ohhh that would make it the 23rd lol!

I bet the pass will open on June 18th. I am coming through about the 19th and I am an optimist. Here's hoping!!

From the NPS website:

Quote:

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The Tioga Road will open on Wednesday, May 21 at 8 am.

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Looks like opening day eluded us all. HotelCharlotte however may have qualified for dcTPP.

That's not to say that unforeseen circumstances will push the date back, but it looks to be pretty certain. We'll find out in a few days time.

Joey, I think you are correct, this post, looks like our second dcTPP winner.... So much snow this year and iit is already melting so fast....

Mark

not 100% sure it's open but they have now listed it in there open and closing dates page as opened so i guess thats pretty conclusive.
21st may
well done to hotel charlotte :)

Yes, the road opened this morning. At 8:00 am. But they haven't updated the photo and so the flag is not visible.

Mark

It is snowing pretty hard on top today -- I wonder if the road is really open?

Mark