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Sierra Passes Reopening Watch 2026

This weekend’s forecast for Sonora Pass. Heated and/or waterproof gear recommended.
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Sonora Pass was beautiful today. So much so that I forgot to take the obligatory picture. After lunch at Walker Burger, we hit Monitor Pass then 88 home before peeling off to hit Railroad Flat and Jesus Maria. There were definitely building clouds to the south, looking like thunderheads like you'd see in the summer.
 
Only Tioga through the park still closed. Snow removed so should not be to long. Note date of the notice is April 24, 2026

From the Yosemite park site.

Tioga Road​

April 24, 2026

There is no estimated opening date for Tioga Road.

Initial clearing of Tioga Road is complete, however, the road has repeatedly needed to be plowed again due to new storms (with more snow in the forecast). Additional work in progress includes:

  • Plowing turnouts, secondary roads, campgrounds, and parking areas.
  • Clearing trees that pose a safety hazard along roads and in administrative and visitor areas.
  • Repairing and setting up the potable water system, sewer system, and wastewater treatment plant.
  • Clearing culverts and ditches and repairing potholes and other damage to road.
  • Fabricating and replacing signs, as needed.
Tioga Road is typically open to vehicles from late May or June until sometime in November. Plowing typically begins around April 15.
 

Tioga Pass Reopens Friday!​

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Big news for the Eastern Sierra: Tioga Pass* (Hwy 120) will reopen Friday, May 15 at 8:00 am, restoring access between Yosemite National Park and Mono County just in time for Memorial Day weekend. With Tioga, Sonora, and Monitor Passes all open, the Sierra is coming back to life in a big way!

Even better, Tioga Road will be open to bikes only on Thursday, May 14, offering the rare opportunity to ride through Yosemite car-free and pedal to iconic spots like Tuolumne Meadows, Tenaya Lake, and Olmsted Point without vehicle traffic.
​

Summer is here all passes open on Friday.
 
Took a trip around 108→395→89→4 yesterday
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Red Hills Recreation Management Area wildflowers
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Middle Fork Stanislaus River along CA-108
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Emigrant Wilderness, Stanislaus National Forest
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Sonora Pass
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Monitor Pass
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Ebbetts Pass
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Mosquito Lake at 8,050 feet
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Lake Alpine at 7,303 feet
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nice trip - was it an overnighter?
I am so jealous looking at those photos

btw, what app/software did you use to map the trip (first image in your posts)
 
I need to hit the passes soon. Since I have Monday and Tuesday off I figure I can make a nice run of it, leave Sunday night, camp or stay somewhere cheap, ride, stay somewhere Monday night, ride again and then hump it home. Maybe next week of the weather cooperates.
 
Welcome back to winter for a day or two.

Caltrans, District 10​

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#TavelAlert Caltrans will have temporary highway closures in place on SR-4 (Ebbetts Pass), SR-89 (Monitor Pass), & SR-108 (Sonora Pass) due to incoming weather conditions. The temporary closures will begin today (Tuesday, May 26, 2026) at 12PM w. no current ETO.
Caltrans maintenance crews will assess road conditions after the storm to deem safe for re-opening the highways for motorists.
•The SR-4 #EbbettsPass closures will be in place EB @ Lake Alpine and WB @ the SR-4/89 Junction.
•The SR-89 #MonitorPass closures will be in place EB @ the SR-4/89 Junction and WB @ US-395.
•The SR-108 #SonoraPass closures will be in place EB @ Kennedy Meadows and WB @ Leavitt Meadows.
For real-time highway conditions & updates #KnowBeforeYouGo w. Caltrans QuickMap app on mobile devices!
 
I rode from SF towards Tahoe over Hwy 88 on Thursday late afternoon (May 28th 2026), and the temps dropped from mid-50's to 29 degrees! After riding for a while in freezing rain/light snow starting at Ham's Station, the snow got heavy and by Caples Lake (just past Kirkwood) there was chain control. Of course CHP/CalTrans turned me round, so I had to ride back through the shitty weather to Jackson Rancheria for the night. Guess I should have paid attention to the "CHAIN CONTROL" warning signs. And the weather, of course. It was a bit stupid of me to go that far...

Set off again on Friday morning and got stuck at the exact same place due to a couple of cars sliding off the road. Luckily, the CHP vehicle blocking the road to let the tow trucks do their work was Officer Bacon (yes, seriously, that is his name) who is a fellow rider, so he let me ride my bike past all the stopped cars to park in behind him and invited me to sit in the passenger seat of his vehicle to warm up (it was about 35 degrees) so we could just shoot the shit about bikes and politics and people and being a CHP officer and when the road was clear he held back all the stopped cars to give me a few minutes head start. A big YAY! to Officer Bacon :D

Riding back yesterday (Sunday) it was about 50 degrees in the same place.

Anyway, very-late-season storms can strike!
 
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