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Sierra Passes?

Not really the area the OP is referring too but I rode up to La Porte yesterday. Had to turn around due to snow in the road. Big 20 foot long patches of ice, was fine for cars. I turned around. Gate was open at La Porte but I didn't make it the 2 miles past to my goal of little Grass Valley lake.

Guess this has nothing to do with the OP but I liked the pic and wanted to share. :) Saw a BEAR CUB in the road!!!! (pic from lower altitude with a LOT LESS snow)


IMG_6826 by Norcalkid, on Flickr
 
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norcalkid said:
Not really the area the OP is referring too but I rode up to La Porte yesterday. Had to turn around due to snow in the road. Big 20 foot long patches of ice, was fine for cars. I turned around. Gate was open at La Porte but I didn't make it the 2 miles past to my goal of little Grass Valley lake.

Guess this has nothing to do with the OP but I liked the pic and wanted to share. :) Saw a BEAR CUB in the road!!!! (pic from lower altitude with a LOT LESS snow)


IMG_6826 by Norcalkid, on Flickr
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You went up toward Quincy, or toward Little Grass Valley?
 
Eric B said:
88 (Carson Pass) is usually always open.
And Highway 26 is a really fun way to get to 88.
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Any idea whether 88 is open now? Riding east to 395 on Thursday - was gonna take 50, but if 88 is open and basically snow-free, then that's a whole 'nother thing....
 
senpai71 said:
Any idea whether 88 is open now? Riding east to 395 on Thursday - was gonna take 50, but if 88 is open and basically snow-free, then that's a whole 'nother thing....
Click to expand...

88 is always open, unless an active storm makes conditions unsafe; in other words is not seasonally closed.

As always, you can check road restrictions here http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi

We are still in the spring freeze/thaw cycle, so just watch for ice patches on the road if its early in the morning.
 
I rode 88 today. Open, clean and dry. 89, Monitor pass was a little sandy at the top and has some soft tar snakes on the east side.
 
Plus Ultra said:
I rode 88 today. Open, clean and dry. 89, Monitor pass was a little sandy at the top and has some soft tar snakes on the east side.
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I did the same on Thursday (4/26). 88 was fantastic - very little traffic at this time of year. Nice going past Caples Lake (next to Kirkwood) and seeing that it's still mostly frozen... Monitor was great, as always. I didn't notice the tar snakes too badly, but I wasn't going crazy down there towards 395.
 
Anyone been over 108 and/or 4 recently?

I've had some neck injuries that have kept me off the bike, but just ran a cortisone shot and I'm going to do a 2 day loop over the passes Fri/Saturday.

108 East, a night in Bridgeport and 4 West back home to the bay.

However, CalTrans is saying 108 is closed with a detour here., https://roads.dot.ca.gov/

SR 108

[IN THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA AREA & SIERRA NEVADA]
IS CLOSED FROM 13.5 MI EAST OF LONGBARN /AT HERRING CREEK RD/ TO 15 MI EAST OF LONG BARN /AT BEARDSLEY RESERVOIR RD/ (TUOLUMNE CO) FROM 1000 HRS TO 1530 HRS MONDAY THRU FRIDAY THRU 11/8/19 - DUE TO CONSTRUCTION - A DETOUR IS AVAILABLE

And on Twitter, they're saying it's a full closure 10:00-15:00

https://twitter.com/CaltransDist10/status/1190411965954318336

REMINDER: FULL HIGHWAY CLOSURE STARTS TODAY
Tuolumne County Route 108 Will Be Closed 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. starting today for slope work. Conditions may change depending on how the work is progressing each day, so check Caltrans Quickmap for real-time road info: http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/


The quickmap, http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/, they refer to in the tweet shows NO closures on 108.
 
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I was thinking of doing the 108 - 4 loop on Friday may put that off now thanks. I also says there is a detour so it probably isn't that much of a inconvenience. If your not sure why not just take Ebbits Pass on Friday and Sonora back instead.
 
It looks like the detour connects via back roads north of 108 a bit. It might be worth a call to the Strawberry Lodge or one of the other businesses in Strawberry to see if you can get through.

The road a few miles past Strawberry to the summit of Sonora Pass is recently repaved and very much worth doing if you can.
 
thepretender said:
I was thinking of doing the 108 - 4 loop on Friday may put that off now thanks. I also says there is a detour so it probably isn't that much of a inconvenience. If your not sure why not just take Ebbits Pass on Friday and Sonora back instead.
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Please bring me a breakfast burrito from Happy Burger and we can meet at Starbucks near Kohls in Sonora.

As for switching days/routes, totally possible I'll do that. I just like Sonora East and Ebbetts West better.

tzrider said:
It looks like the detour connects via back roads north of 108 a bit. It might be worth a call to the Strawberry Lodge or one of the other businesses in Strawberry to see if you can get through.

The road a few miles past Strawberry to the summit of Sonora Pass is recently repaved and very much worth doing if you can.
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I put a call into District 10 to get some clarity about the status of 108 and the detour.
 
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"breakfast burrito from Happy Burger" huh sounds like being a drug mule to me. :laughing

Come take a couple of laps on 49 through the Little Dragon and earn one the fun way. :ride
 
thepretender said:
"breakfast burrito from Happy Burger" huh sounds like being a drug mule to me. :laughing

Come take a couple of laps on 49 through the Little Dragon and earn one the fun way. :ride
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I've got a buddy who lives in Mariposa, might stop by on my way back home and snag me one of those burritos.

49 is certainly worth the detour, with a burrito reward at the end.
 
I did a southern Sierra pass last weekend. Excellent conditions.
 
So what are folks predictions for the passes opening this spring/summer? I'm already getting the itch to do some weekend trips and want to start booking camp sites in the eastern sierras.
 
GetOuttaMyWay said:
So what are folks predictions for the passes opening this spring/summer? I'm already getting the itch to do some weekend trips and want to start booking camp sites in the eastern sierras.
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It's very random. I have seen heavy snow in late June and early September as well as very dry years here in the eastern part.

I do not ever recall seeing any snow in July and August. The only two months you can really count on being okay every year.

Last year it snowed during Street Vibrations here in Reno.

-Don- Reno, NV
 
GetOuttaMyWay said:
So what are folks predictions for the passes opening this spring/summer? I'm already getting the itch to do some weekend trips and want to start booking camp sites in the eastern sierras.
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Hwy 120 May 4th
Hwy 108 April 30th
Hwy 4 May 7th

Predictions are not determined scientifically.
 
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