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.

Tioga Pass opening estimate: Memorial Day weekend

Tioga Pass opening date rumors begin swirling in March every year, but we have some concrete information about Tioga Pass to pass along!

A photo from a bike ride up Tioga Pass on March 25, 2013 shows the snowbank at the eastern entrance to Yosemite National Park. Photo courtesy of a local rider from Mammoth Lakes.

Yesterday, Yosemite National Park posted an update that reports crews will begin assessing the road on Monday, April 15, but will not begin plowing until May 15.

The National Park Service estimates that Tioga Pass will open just before Memorial Day weekend this year.

Over here on the east side, Highway 120 is clear of snow and ice from the junction with Highway 395 near Lee Vining all the way to the park entrance, 13 miles to the west and 3,000 feet higher in elevation. However, the bottom gate is still closed, just three miles west of Highway 395.

At Wednesday night’s monthly Regional Planning Advisory Committee meeting in Lee Vining, Caltrans and Mono County staff reported that road crews hope to have the bottom gate open by fishing season opener, which is Saturday, April 27. Opening the bottom gate allows access to Ellery Lake, Tioga Lake, Saddlebag Lake (for intrepid hikers; the dirt road will still be closed), and the general Tioga Pass region for fisherman and visitors, bringing a crucial boost to Lee Vining’s springtime economy.

We will keep you posted with any updates we get here on the Mono-logue. In the meantime, for a look at the bare slopes and scant snowpack along the Tioga Pass road, check out this album from March 25, 2013.