Re: Tioga Road

How easy is it to get updates on how the snow plowing is going? Have they started plowing?

Very easy.
Yes.

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snorkus
Very easy.
Yes.

jerk

http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,34290

I put pictures of Olmsted area here:
http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,34481

There's a LOT of snow. Gonna be a long time a plowing...

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oh, BTW, that Jerk is my brother.

I was going to say....

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Old Dude

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mrcondron
I was going to say....

... and after he took the time to (correctly) answer the posed questions!!!
(Succinctly Yours)
The Marmots



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/2011 07:29PM by szalkowski.

Hahahaha ... !!!!

You guys are cracking me up!

" ... ... very easy ... ... "

ba-da-BOOM

Ha! Sounds like Q&A at my house.

Him: Can you tell me where the tape is?
Me: Yes.
Him: Will you tell me where the tape is?
Me: Yes.
Him: Where is the tape?
Me: In the office.

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telfair ave
How easy is it to get updates on how the snow plowing is going? Have they started plowing?

We'll post what we know when we know it.

The NPS has a page. Tioga and Glacier Point Roads Plowing Update

It's a bit early to be asking much about it since the road won't be open for more than a month. Some of us are getting tired of the repetitive questions about it.

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qumqats
the road won't be open for more than a month

Probably more like two months.

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eeek

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qumqats
the road won't be open for more than a month

Probably more like two months.

SR180 down to Cedar Grove in Kings Canyon is claimed to be opening this Friday (29 April, 2011):
http://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/road-conditions.htm

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qumqats
The NPS has a page. Tioga and Glacier Point Roads Plowing Update

It's a bit early to be asking much about it since the road won't be open for more than a month. Some of us are getting tired of the repetitive questions about it.

Was it really that much of a bother to post that link? Did you really need to add the snotty ending? If you didn't want to bothered, just ignore the thread. Why do so many online forums seem to lack basic civility.

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LVRAY
Was it really that much of a bother to post that link? Did you really need to add the snotty ending? If you didn't want to bothered, just ignore the thread. Why do so many online forums seem to lack basic civility.

Please read again in entirety. Actually it was pretty funny (and in jest)

If you think telfair ave and I lack civility, you should have seen us when we were kids. Fights every day.

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snorkus
If you think telfair ave and I lack civility, you should have seen us when we were kids. Fights every day.

My comment was directed at qumqats, not at you.

I hope they start plowing. I would love to be able to drive through it in June.

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katie
I hope they start plowing. I would love to be able to drive through it in June.

They've started.

Does that mean it is open already to?

No, it does not. It just means that they started plowing the road.

Don't expect Tioga Road to be open until around Memorial Day (at the very earliest — if the weather warms up).

More likely, it won't open up until sometime in June if not early July this year.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/2011 02:53PM by plawrence.

I guess I was being too coy or something.... but I posted photos of Olmsted Pt. taken
on Saturday, April 23rd, 2011. I thought perhaps that would give an indication of
the condition of the plowing.

Those photos are linked to and/or posted here:
http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,34481

My apologies and I understand if people do not know where Olmsted Pt. is.

Anywho, it's gonna be awhile before they have the road open.

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Why are they plowing it now then if it won't be opened till then? Does it take that long?

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GreatRafter
Why are they plowing it now then if it won't be opened till then? Does it take that long?

Yes, it takes that long.

It's more than just plowing. It's literally snow throwing at first, interspersed with downed tree removal, landslide removal, repetitive plowing, road repair, equipment repairs, etc. It's an expensive and timestaking effort.

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tomdisco
It's more than just plowing. It's literally snow throwing at first, interspersed with downed tree removal, landslide removal, repetitive plowing, road repair, equipment repairs, etc. It's an expensive and timestaking effort.

Not to mention that the first several feet of snow have to be bulldozed off so it's not so deep that the rotary blower can't get working.

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Old Dude

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GreatRafter
Why are they plowing it now then if it won't be opened till then? Does it take that long?

What everyone else said, and then some. There's always downed rock that's covered up by snow, and they have to be careful when they sense that they've come across some. The more snow there is, the more time they take to make sure they don't come across all the debris that could destroy the snow-clearing equipment. They also have to be careful since the equipment could easily fall off the side of a cliff. It's risky work, and I applaud the personnel who are willing to do this.

I guess they could theoretically plow all winter (like on roads to Tahoe or US-395) but I doubt they get enough traffic to justify the expense.

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GreatRafter
Why are they plowing it now then if it won't be opened till then? Does it take that long?

They are plowing it now so it will be open BY then. Waiting til the snow melts and THEN clearing deadfall, land/rockslides and whatnot will make it a very, very short summer season.

soo the fees for my TH permit for Cathedral for Sun 6/19 are basically a donation...

"...will make it a very, very short summer season."

Not necessarily at all. I have seen previous epic snowfall years where Tioga opened the first week in June. I have seen dry years where there happened to be a fairly large snowstorm in May which delayed the opening till late June. Assuming there is no additional snow, I see no reason why Tioga wouldn't open mid-June by the latest. Now, hiking conditions in the high country may be pretty dicey, Last year on the opening weekend, I tried to do Youngs Lake and got sick of postholing to my waist after Dog Lake.

Ulysses61 (or any other Yose hi-country expert)

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but given your best guess, how would the snow conditions on the Pohono trail compare to what you found on the trip to Dog Lake? If I were to say, attempt to hike the Pohono the 2nd week of June this year, should I expect 1 foot of snow or 3 feet or what?

Thanks!

It's really too early to tell. It all depends how warm or cool May is. This week, there will be a bit of a warm spell that should start to melt a good bit of snow. But next week, or the week after? Who knows?

Just sit back and watch Spring unfold. Ask your question again about a week before your trip, and everyone will have a lot better idea of what the answer should be.

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Ulysses61
"...will make it a very, very short summer season."

Not necessarily at all. I have seen previous epic snowfall years where Tioga opened the first week in June. I have seen dry years where there happened to be a fairly large snowstorm in May which delayed the opening till late June. Assuming there is no additional snow, I see no reason why Tioga wouldn't open mid-June by the latest. Now, hiking conditions in the high country may be pretty dicey, Last year on the opening weekend, I tried to do Youngs Lake and got sick of postholing to my waist after Dog Lake.

It opens because they always plow it!

It might open earlier or later in any given year, but the summer season would be shorter if they did not start to clear the road when they do - shorter by how much would be determined by the amount of snow.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/02/2011 07:51PM by AlmostThere.

Why can't they completely plow it now and open up the roads?

They are plowing it now, but it takes time. It's over 40 miles of road to plow.

But a bigger reason for the slow nature or the plowing is that there are many avalanche zones Tioga Road passes through. Through these zones, they have to be extra careful and frankly won't plow through these zone until the avalanche danger is mitigated by some means. And then there are the fallen rocks and trees they need to remove before a snow plow can remove all the remaining snow from the road itself.

Plow plow plow... clear my June please.

Obviously I know they always plow the road, they've been plowing it for 100 years.

My point stands, if there is no more snowfall in May, the road should open in early to mid June. Epic snowfalls don't necessarily determine the opening date, LATE snow more determines that.

Mark, I can't answer your question. I have never hiked Pohono in June, always wait till October.