Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

Plowing of Tioga Pass set to begin April 15, 2014

Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

It’s officially the I-wonder-when-Tioga-Pass-is-going-to-open time of year.

Rocks on the Tioga Pass road on March 30, 2014. Photo by Elin Ljung.

Here at the Mono Lake Committee we’re keeping our eyes and ears out for any information on Tioga Pass too, so bookmark our Tioga Pass Watch and we’ll keep it updated with the best, real information we’ve got. We also post it all on Facebook and Twitter with #tiogapass. So … here’s what we know right now:

Yosemite National Park will begin snow removal on the Tioga Pass Road on April 15. What does that mean for an opening date? It’s nearly impossible to say at this point, but if you’re interested in the opening dates in past years, you can see them here.

It won’t tell you anything in advance, but for checking to see if the road is open or closed (which is helpful to check before you start driving), you can call: (209) 372-0200 (press 1 then 1). This is also a good official spot to check. And Facebookers may enjoy this official Yosemite page that has a variety of different updates.

Please note: We don’t mess around with rumors—it’s accurate info, period. So feel free to give us an old fashioned phone call at our headquarters: (760) 647-6595 and we’ll tell you the most honest thing we know. Travel safely!

Currently, on the east side, the pass is closed at the lower gate, above, about 4 miles up from Lee Vining. Note: this photograph was taken in March, 2013. Photo by Arya Degenhardt.