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Re: Best guess for Tioga Pass opening?

Posted: Mon May 20, 2019 5:18 pm
by Hillbasher
May 29

Re: Best guess for Tioga Pass opening?

Posted: Tue May 21, 2019 3:38 pm
by el marinero
I’ll say June 19th

Re: Best guess for Tioga Pass opening?

Posted: Wed May 22, 2019 2:25 pm
by Mike M.
Update from the park service yesterday:
May 21, 2019

Crews have plowed through the Olmsted Point avalanche zone and are working in the Tenaya Lake area. Crews will continue to monitor the avalanche zones as weather warms. Mono County crews have plowed one mile west from Tioga Pass.
Despite the recent snowy weather, crews are making substantial progress.

Mike M.

Re: Best guess for Tioga Pass opening?

Posted: Fri May 24, 2019 11:22 am
by markskor

Re: Best guess for Tioga Pass opening?

Posted: Thu May 30, 2019 10:43 pm
by Mike M.
Latest update from the park service website, as of May 30th:
Tioga Road

May 30, 2019

With some assistance from Mono County, the length of the road is plowed (at least one lane wide), although there is a high-risk avalanche zone at Olmsted Point. Crews are working on side rouds and utility areas. Much additional work remains prior to opening.
Mike M.

Re: Best guess for Tioga Pass opening?

Posted: Fri May 31, 2019 7:18 pm
by c9h13no3
Road is open up to Ellery Lake on the East side. Won’t be long now.

Re: Best guess for Tioga Pass opening?

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2019 5:47 pm
by Mike M.
Latest update from the park service, posted today (6/12/2019):
Tioga Road

June 12, 2019

Tioga Road will not be opening this weekend (June 15–16). Opening work continues, especially near Olmsted Point. There is no estimated date for opening. The road is closed to all entry, including vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians.
Oh so close!

Mike M.

Re: Best guess for Tioga Pass opening?

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2019 7:27 pm
by rightstar76
Oh shucks. I guess (no pun intended) I won't be getting one of Mark's sketches this year. :(

That leaves seven HSTrs in the running who put their specific dates after this weekend for when the road opens.

Which one will be the winner? The suspense builds...

Re: Best guess for Tioga Pass opening?

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2019 7:36 pm
by rlown
The Avalanche zones and side roads are still to be done.
Mark has been known to paint when at TM, and post his paintings on the bulletin board. Basically, they're free, and he said some were taken.
No harm, no foul.
He does have some I want, but I'm waiting until he's close to death so they become worth $$$ :)

I would like the crab original though. Loved that.

Re: Best guess for Tioga Pass opening?

Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2019 8:53 am
by markskor
Tioga pass road update, 6/17/19

Road crews are patching potholes, cleaning ditches and road side debris and forestry is wrapping up immediate hazard tree work that needs to be done. The Avalanche Team performed one final blast on Olmsted to primarily charcoal the upper section.
Yesterday we were able to work each end of Olmsted to narrow this area down to about 100 yards wide and you can now see each vehicle pass through the zone from each end. The west bound lane is still acting as the toe of the snow remaining on the slope so we are not able to remove at this time. The area is finally beginning to melt out but it needs to reduce in volume/depth before we can change to just a no stopping zone. We are hoping that by early next week we will see dramatic difference in snow levels with the water running off the slope.
Though it has been reduced in size it is still unstable due to the heat and water running under the snowpack and could result in a wet slab release that will impact the road.
Tony with Mono County will be coming up tomorrow afternoon and Bob Brantley will be showing him Olmsted and what efforts we have been doing to reduce snow in this area.
B&G and Utilities has been working daily this week in TM and sounds like they are making good progress.
We are hoping next week is the big push of melt and we can get the avalanche areas safe to get full opening crews up there to push facilities open. I also have a draft of a vehicle access-shuttle plan in the Supt office in case we can get the road safe but the snow is preventing us from stationing our emergency services people or getting water or services turned on…we could try to use this to at least let cars through on a limited hours basis if possible.
I would guess we are still looking at melting out all next week but the warmer temps are improving things.

Michael Reynolds
Superintendent
Yosemite National Park