Tioga Road to Open June 18

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Electra
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Tioga Road to Open June 18

Post by Electra »

Here is the official Report:
http://www.nps.gov/yose/parknews/tiogaopens611.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Should be some good skiing to be had for many weeks around Ellery and Dana.
Dan Braun
Camp Navarro, Evergreen Lodge & SYMG
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rlown
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Re: Tioga Road to Open June 18

Post by rlown »

you should probably look around more on the forums.. we've been tracking this on viewtopic.php?f=16&t=6062" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for months.

as a suggestion, make use of the "view active topics" feature..
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whrdafamI?
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Re: Tioga Road to Open June 18

Post by whrdafamI? »

Well we all can't be perfect like you Russ. Maybe he thought he was doing someone a favor by posting that. Maybe someone else who's not perfect like you will read it and be happy that he posted it.
Better to have it and not need it than it is to need it and not have it!

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rlown
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Re: Tioga Road to Open June 18

Post by rlown »

never said I was perfect.. Just cross-connecting the dots, and trying to tie it all together, from time to time.. :)

Still, the "view active topics" suggestion stands. You can see what is going on all around and not just in one forum.
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jessegooddog
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Re: Tioga Road to Open June 18

Post by jessegooddog »

I would have put money on July 1st, I hope everyone takes extra precautions with all the snow.
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Re: Tioga Road to Open June 18

Post by SSSdave »

For a midday break after some photography in the valley spent a couple hours driving up the road to look at conditions. Scenery looks like driving up to a Tahoe ski resort mid April after a couple weeks of sun. Limited contrasty mix of bright snow, rock, wet, green conifers, blue sky. Didn't see a single wildflower roadside above Crane Flat where there were a few small stream violets. Normally mid June, mountain pride penstemmon are peaking all the way to Olmsted. Not too interesting for this photographer until most of it melts and then greens up. Not that I don't like snow imagery, just prefer mine fresh and powdery like when I'm skiing.

Last weekend heavily forested Crane Flat at 6.2k had about 60% snow coverage but this weekend after a warm week that has dropped to less than 5%.

Further up the road, Gin Flat at 7k looked much like Crane Flat last weekend with more snow than ground though not deep. Much snow along the road in forest areas above that elevation.

Siesta Lake at 7950 was 80% iced over.

Before entering the Yosemite Creek basin, the road climbs through deep forests then a saddle at 8300 feet. For a few mile s before the saddle, there were considerable areas of snow at car height and a few spots roadside with at least 10 foot deep snow depths. Some granite slab areas on the sunny side of the road were fully melted out.

Likewise in the very glaciated Yosemite Creek canyon, sunny south facing slopes are mostly melted out while north facing slopes have a mix of rock and snow, often rather extensive and deep. In the distance Mount Clark and 10850 foot Mount Hoffman (pic below)

Image

had deep snowpacks and in fact the latter still has a large cornice at ridgeline. That lower frame level ridge is at only 8.0k. A great time to be a backcountry skier. I turned around at a pullout just beyond Olmsted Point (a mobbed zoo) where in the distance I could see iced over Tenaya Lake at 8.1k a white snowfield. Even sunny areas above 9k are all snow. Afterwards climbed up the Rockslides to work the Bridalveil rainbow.

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Re: Tioga Road to Open June 18

Post by Wandering Daisy »

I was camping at the top of the Snow Creek Trail switchbacks Friday and twice heard "boom" noises that sounded like avalanches. The noise was coming down Tenaya Canyon. Do you think they were natural avalanches (snow sluffing off slabs) or is active avalanche control still being done on Tioga Road?
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Re: Tioga Road to Open June 18

Post by SSSdave »

Wandering Daisy wrote:I was camping at the top of the Snow Creek Trail switchbacks Friday and twice heard "boom" noises that sounded like avalanches. The noise was coming down Tenaya Canyon. Do you think they were natural avalanches (snow sluffing off slabs) or is active avalanche control still being done on Tioga Road?
Yes may well have been because there was quite alot of snow in areas on the monster upper Clouds Rest slabs.

Of nearby interest... Considering the snow, where it is, and the ridgeline probably minimal snow cross country route required, Mount Watkins is likely an excellent choice currently for a 2 day backpack. The sunny south facing slope that has a sparse forest of gnarly juniper below the main barren gruss plateau, likely still has areas of snow. Thus one could camp on a bench on that slope among the junipers and have flowing water, all with a great view of Half Dome and Clouds Rest etc.
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