Sonora Pass
The second-highest highway pass in the Sierra, steep and narrow on both sides. Caltrans plows it out each spring alongside Ebbetts and Monitor, and the trio's opening order is an annual Eastern Sierra guessing game.
This year
Live plow-season reports load here. For today's conditions, go straight to Caltrans's status page.
Conditions change by the hour at 9,624 feet — check Caltrans's status page before you drive.
The record
Usually opens in May, a few weeks before Tioga in most years.
We're still putting this road's year-by-year record together from Caltrans archives — it will appear here as it's confirmed. In the meantime, Caltrans's page has current conditions.
When does Sonora Pass close?
Among the first Sierra passes to close, often with the first November storm. The winter closure covers CA-108 over the pass between Kennedy Meadows and Leavitt Lake.
We don't have this road's year-by-year closing dates yet — they'll appear here as Caltrans's notices are worked through. Until then, Caltrans's own page has the state of the gate.
Sonora Pass: opening and closing questions
- When does Sonora Pass close for the winter?
- Among the first Sierra passes to close, often with the first November storm. The winter closure covers CA-108 over the pass between Kennedy Meadows and Leavitt Lake.
- Can you drive Sonora Pass in winter?
- No. CA-108 over the pass between Kennedy Meadows and Leavitt Lake is gated once the season ends, and it stays shut until spring plowing gets through. Caltrans posts the gate's current state.
- Is Sonora Pass open right now?
- This page is the season record, not the road's condition this morning. California Department of Transportation publishes today's state of the road, and that is the one to check before you drive — conditions turn over in hours at this elevation.
- When does Sonora Pass open again?
- Usually opens in May, a few weeks before Tioga in most years.