road condition in coming "epic" storm Hwy 88 vs 50

hi, as you might know there is a nice storm hitting the sierra on thursday with forecasts promising up to 30 inches. and we are heading up there! :-)
I am trying to decide where to spend our first day, so I wonder if someone could tell me if there is any difference in snow removal between Hwy 88 and Hwy 50? I believe that Hwy 50 is more important and not as high as Hwy 88 but I am not sure if that makes a difference when it comes to the snow plows.
warm rgds!

ps: our car is a well equipped 4WD.

I usually travel up 80 during storms, but remember guys from work talking about Kirkwood only being accessible from the east during storms. That would mean 50 was open while 88 is closed west of the ski hill.

I'm not sure if that's a common thing, but know it's happened a couple times in the past.

Nope, no snow to be found up here...

I'm sure the 50 is better maintained due to it being the main route for Bay Area and Sac folk get into SLT. But then you'll be dealing with that traffic. If you're going to Kirkwood I'd just go the 88 and call before leaving to check the road conditions...same with the 50. Either way, should be a fun drive if it actually dumps like they say it will, good luck.

Minor hijack: How well maintained is 88 during big(ger) storms? I'm heading to Lee Vining 12/18 and there's supposed to be another storm rolling through that weekend and don't want to be SOL... or worse, have to go 80 to Reno and then down 395.

someone told me via pm (thanks!) that the avi area west of kirkwood often gets closed during storms. and then there is another avi area at carson pass, too, which you obviously need open to make it to 395.

as the forecasts predict high winds I now expect those areas to be loaded and subject to avi control and closure at some point of time during the storms on thursday and saturday.

hwy 50 it is ... thanks everybody!

Aaron.Baumann wrote:Minor hijack: How well maintained is 88 during big(ger) storms? I'm heading to Lee Vining 12/18 and there's supposed to be another storm rolling through that weekend and don't want to be SOL... or worse, have to go 80 to Reno and then down 395.

Barring bad weather or traffic problems, I have not noticed much difference in taking the 50 vs. 88 over to the East side. But yes, there is an avy area up near Kirkwood that will shut down the road during a big storm. You can be trapped on the highway at a stand still for hours! Just call Caltrans before you leave to check road conditions.

Rude Boy wrote: Barring bad weather or traffic problems, I have not noticed much difference in taking the 50 vs. 88 over to the East side. But yes, there is an avy area up near Kirkwood that will shut down the road during a big storm. You can be trapped on the highway at a stand still for hours! Just call Caltrans before you leave to check road conditions.

Cheers! Thanks for the response.

For road conditions in Cali try the CARR app. It gives up to date Caltrans data/chain control plus links to the webcams.

I've driven from Berkeley to Kirkwood chasing snow too many times to count. Here is my beta:

Captain obvious says: If you can drive up ahead of the storm and stay at Kirkwood, that is your best best. But, there is a small but finite risk that, despite forecasts, the storm will bypass the Tahoe area or the timing won't be what you expect. Mountains and clouds don't always play nice. Kirkwood accommodations are relatively pricey, so, as nice as that sounds, I've never done it. Driving up early and staying in South Lake Tahoe is your next option. So far for me, the roads between SLT and Kirkwood have always been open. A solid 4wd setup is highly recommended for early approaches. Be really careful of ice when you crest on Luther Pass - I've seen multiple vehicles slide off the road here!

Both routes to Kirkwood have avalanche danger and require significant clearing after a heavy storm. I don't have any scientific evidence, but my personal experience is that 88 generally is cleared later than the 50/89 combo. Once, we got up super early after a night of heavy snow, I called the DOT hotline and heard that 88 was open, so we tried 88. We got stuck at a locked gate for hours and hours, waiting for 88 to blasted and cleared. The snow walls left by the plows on either side of the road were over 15 feet, so there was no way we could have made it. I personally won't risk 88 again after a night of heavy snow.

Now let's talk about Kirkwood after a heavy snow: After that epic wait on 88, we finally got to Kirkwood only to learn that they couldn't open at all that day! The lifts were buried and the avalanche danger was too high. In general, it takes Kirkwood a good amount of time to open up all their terrain after a Tahoe style heavy snow. Kirkwood gets mobbed on big snow days and they have a fair number of slow, small lifts in key locations. A big snow day on a weekend is a weird combination of amazeballz and frustration. People like me keep going, though, because they have the best snow and cool terrain.

Putting up with all that over the years has gotten me interested in backcountry options. Maybe this year will be the year!

To get from Lee Vining to South Lake Tahoe/Kirkwood, you'll probably want to exit 395 at Gardnerville, NV. Google Maps knows the way.

I drive a fair amount between Berkeley and Bishop (sometimes with a stop at Kirkwood on the way) and this is the standard winter driving route. Don't confuse this route with with Monitor Pass. Monitor Pass is in the general vicinity, but it is more of a summertime tourist thing. I assume the Gardnerville / Luther Pass route could theoretically get closed, but I've driven it on my way to Bishop through some howling snowstorms. If the DOT got serious about closing roads in the middle of the night, I would think they might end up closing 395, anyway.

excellent beta! thanks for sharing!

P.J. Tezza wrote:To get from Lee Vining to South Lake Tahoe/Kirkwood, you'll probably want to exit 395 at Gardnerville, NV. Google Maps knows the way. I drive a fair amount between Berkeley and Bishop (sometimes with a stop at Kirkwood on the way) and this is the standard winter driving route. Don't confuse this route with with Monitor Pass. Monitor Pass is in the general vicinity, but it is more of a summertime tourist thing. I assume the Gardnerville / Luther Pass route could theoretically get closed, but I've driven it on my way to Bishop through some howling snowstorms. If the DOT got serious about closing roads in the middle of the night, I would think they might end up closing 395, anyway.

Hey man thanks for the killer beta!

When you say take the Gardnerville route, do you still recommend 50->89->88->Gardnerville->395? Or just risk it with 88 all the way to Gardnerville?

Route in blue. Don't miss the 756 shortcut in Nevada. It will eventually take you through a residential area and hit 395 but is still faster than going all the way up to 88 to Gardernville proper and back down. 89 between 4 and 395 is closed for the winter. It sux you have to go north and then back south but that is the only way. Alternatively you can take 88 all the way to 756 if weather is not bad.

Rude Boy wrote: Route in blue. Don't miss the 756 shortcut in Nevada. It will eventually take you through a residential area and hit 395 but is still faster than going all the way up to 88 to Gardernville proper and back down. 89 between 4 and 395 is closed for the winter. It sux you have to go north and then back south but that is the only way. Alternatively you can take 88 all the way to 756 if weather is not bad.

Yeah - those are the two options I'm looking at. Seems like it'll be a day-of call. I "save" about 20mins going 88 all the way - but if weather could be potentially bad it'd be safer to just go 50->89->88->395.

From the junction of 88 and 89, Google maps will always route me via 88/89/50, so I assume that is the fastest route back from that point to Berkeley. From Kirkwood, it can be faster to take 88 all the way. They always plow 88 open West of Kirkwood, some days it just takes a while.

i also drive the berkeley/eastside route frequently and second 50>89>88>756(centerville)>dresslerville>riverview>395 as the best winter route, although 50 can be a nightmare with returning traffic on sundays.

just to take this a bit further OT and put in some plugs (no affiliation): depending on if they're open, i usually try to stop by at the store in strawberry (lover's leap) to support squirrel (climber). he's had a some tough (dry) winters. coffee and pie in hope valley. cheapest gas anywhere on the route is to be had at 7-eleven (riverview/395).

Heading to Bishop this weekend as well, anyone ever gone 5 South to Bakersville then up North on 395?

really depends on where you're coming from and what the conditions are, but in my experience going over 50/395 from berkeley is a quite a bit faster. of course if you're crawling at <30mph because of serious snow/ice/chains/slow traffic, that scenario changes pretty quickly.

Hello.jthomas wrote:Heading to Bishop this weekend as well, anyone ever gone 5 South to Bakersville then up North on 395?

Yeah, when i got shut down, with 4wd and chains, leaving Bishop for Norcal. The Tehachape (sp) summit gets shut down, snow, ice etc.
Depending on where you are coming from...a loooooong drive, just as fast to drive to J-tree, or even closer to J-tree(?)
Checked the weather?
climbingweather.com/Califor…
?

On a side note, this storm had not been epic by any means just a heads up.

old5ten wrote:i also drive the berkeley/eastside route frequently and second 50>89>88>756(centerville)>dresslerville>riverview>395 as the best winter route, although 50 can be a nightmare with returning traffic on sundays. just to take this a bit further OT and put in some plugs (no affiliation): depending on if they're open, i usually try to stop by at the store in strawberry (lover's leap) to support squirrel (climber). he's had a some tough (dry) winters. coffee and pie in hope valley. cheapest gas anywhere on the route is to be had at 7-eleven (riverview/395).

Hey, why aren't we riding together? First time I passed that 7-Eleven, I was sure I misread the sign because gas was over $1/gal cheaper than in Berkeley. Eventually, I looked at the map and noticed that corner of the route was in NV. Later, I figured out that probably 1/2 the reason for the cheap gas is that there is a Walmart that sells gas a couple of blocks north on 395 and an Arco a couple of blocks north of that. So, to hijack this thread a little further into Bishop driving beta... Unless you like paying $1/gal extra, try to avoid getting gas between Gardnerville, NV and Bishop CA on 395. When I'm leaving Bishop, I try to make sure I have just enough gas to make it to Gardnerville so I can fill up with the cheap stuff, oh yeah.