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.

Early May Tioga Pass update

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.
The gate on Highway 120 west, three miles west of Highway 395.

This post was written by Julia Runcie, 2011 Project Specialist.

According to Luke Summerfield of Yosemite National Park, the work of clearing Highway 120 West through the park is well under way. He was unable to provide an estimated opening date, but indicated that this was the fifth snowiest winter since they’ve been keeping records. The late snowfall and chilly spring weather have also contributed to the difficulties faced by work crews on the road. Mariposa Grove is now open and charcoal is being spread at Olmstead Point, but in certain areas the crews will have to wait for some snow to slide before they can proceed. Hopefully the warm weather predicted for this week will help things along. We’ll keep you posted!