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Driving In The USA And Canada - Winter Driving Conditions And Winter Road Closures

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General Comments

I would advise anyone intending to travel in Canada or the northern or mountainous parts of the USA in winter to obtain local information for the area they will be visiting in advance, and to regularly check local weather forecasts while on the road. Conditions are often unpleasant and can be extreme.

Many states have toll-free (800, 877 or 888) numbers with recorded information on road conditions and some also now have web sites with this information. Local radio and television stations also carry warnings of bad weather conditions and road closures.

Much of the interior of the USA and Canada has a "continental climate" which in most years makes for very hot summers and very cold winters. Temperatures can often fall far below freezing for long periods. Snowfalls can be considerable - blizzards and snowdrifts are not uncommon. The climate tends to be less extreme on the coasts, both in summer and winter.

Temperatures naturally tend to be much lower as you go further north or higher in altitude. In January and February the daily maximums in North Dakota and Minnesota might only be in the 10's (Fahrenheit) while at the same time in parts of Florida and the southern tip of Texas they might reach into the 70's and 80's (Fahrenheit).

Winter driving conditions naturally tend to be more extreme in the mountains and on the open expanses of the Great Plains. Some roads over mountain passes are closed throughout the winter, although all the Interstates and major US Highways and even many state highways remain open except when they are blocked by snowfall during periods of extreme weather.

The American and Canadian authorities expect severe winter weather and road crews are well prepared for it. Other than during and immediately after major snow falls all main roads should be passable although problems may persist for some time on backroads.

Studded Tyres and Snow Chains

• Studded tyres are specially designed snow tyres that are fitted with small steel spikes (the studs) that provided greater traction on hard-packed snow and ice. They are banned in some states and provinces due to them damaging the road surface. However, many states and provinces, particularly in the west, permit their use during winter months.

• Tyre chains, or snow chains, are special chains that are wrapped laterally at intervals across the tyre casing, to provide extra traction on ice and snow. They are rarely used, but are required in some mountain regions during the winter. If required, more modern plastic or nylon designs are probably the best choice as they are much lighter than steel chains.

Some roads, especially mountain roads, which generally remain open in winter may be closed for short periods due to extreme weather conditions such as heavy snowfalls. They may also require the use of snow chains or snow tyres at some times.

California: Some Winter Road Closures

• Sections of the Pacific Coast Highway (California State Highway 1 and US101) are liable to closure due to landslides after heavy rain. The El Niño storms of early 1998 caused considerable problems but by Nov-99 the road was fully open again.

• A number of the spur roads in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are closed in winter.

• The Tioga Pass (California State Highway 120) and Glacier Point roads in Yosemite National Park are closed during the winter. Yosemite Valley can still be accessed from the west even when these roads are closed. See the Yosemite National Park page for more details.

• California State Highway 89 through Lassen Volcanic National Park in northern California is closed during the winter. The road normally reopens in mid June.

• I-80 and US50 over the Sierra Nevada Mountains remain open year round and have the highest priority to be kept open during periods of bad weather.

• California State Highway 88 (Carson Pass) across the Sierras remains open in winter but may be temporarily closed due to heavy snowfall.

• Of all the roads over the Sierras, I-80 is probably the most likely to receive the highest priority to be opened after heavy snowfall.

• A report of the current condition of any road in California can be obtained from the excellent official California Department Of Transportation (CalTrans) Current Highway Conditions web site (external link verified Nov-02).

• The following table gives the winter closure dates in recent years of several roads over the Sierra Nevada Mountains:

Road Number	Road Name	Earliest Closure	Latest Closure	Earliest Reopening	Latest Reopening
Ca 4	Ebbetts Pass (from 0.5 miles east of junction with Ca 207 to junction with Ca 4)	4-Nov	11-Dec	18-Apr	15-Jun
Ca 89	Through Lassen Volcanic National Park (from the south park boundary to junction with Ca 44)	6-Oct	21-Dec	10-May	21-Jul
Ca 89	Monitor Pass (from junction with US395 to junction with Ca 4)	15-Nov	20-Jan	16-Mar	15-May
Ca 108	Sonora Pass (from 6 miles east of Strawberry to 7 miles west of junction with US395)	17-Oct	11-Dec	28-Apr	25-May
Ca 120	Tioga Pass through Yosemite National Park (from Crane Flat to 5 miles west of junction with US395; Yosemite Valley is still accessible from the west even when this road is closed)	17-Oct	21-Dec	29-Apr	1-Jul
Ca 158	June Lake Loop (from 2 miles north of June Lake Village to the north junction with US395)	29-Oct	20-Jan	26-Mar	25-Apr
Ca 168	Bishop Creek (from Lake Sabrina to Aspendell)	7-Nov	26-Dec	28-Mar	27-Apr
Ca 180	Deer Coke Creek (from 7.5 miles east of Hume Lake Road to Kings Canyon National Park)	8-Nov	16-Nov	23-Apr	27-May
Ca 203	Mammoth Lakes (from beyond the Mammoth Mountain Inn to the Mono and Madera County Line)	3-Oct	29-Nov	23-Apr	28-Jun
Ca 270	The Bodie Road (from the junction with US395 to Bodie State Historical Park, a ghost town near Bishop)	8-Dec	No closure	No closure	5-May

California

Colorado: Some Winter Road Closures

• Colorado State Highway 82 over Independence Pass between Aspen and US24 is closed in winter.

• Mount Evans Byway is closed in winter.

• The Pikes Peak Toll Road is closed in winter.

• The Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park is closed in winter.

• Information on winter road closures can be obtained from the Colorado Department Of Transportation. Select "Alerts and Restrictions". External link verified May-04.

• The Beartooth Highway, the northeastern approach road to Yellowstone National Park is closed in winter, as are all roads in Yellowstone itself except for the road between the North Entrance (near Gardiner) and the Northeast Entrance (near Cooke City) which remains open year round.

• The Going-to-the-Sun road over Logan Pass in Glacier National Park is closed in winter.

• The road around Crater Lake in Crater Lake National Park is closed in winter and does not usually reopen until late June or early July. For information telephone the park on (US) 1-541-594-2211. Information about the state of this road does not currently appear on TripCheck, the Oregon Highway Conditions web site, but it may well do in the future.

• Utah State Highway 39 in northern Utah over the Wasatch Range between Ogden and Woodruff is closed in Winter.

• Utah State Highway 148 through Cedar Breaks National Monument is closed in winter.

Typical winter weather is cold with some fog from late November to January, with most of the snow falling in December-February. Typical snowfalls range from four to six inches in the valleys to one to two feet in the mountain passes, however most storms last twenty-four hours or less - one seldom sees snowstorms that go on for days like in the Midwest. Icy and snowy roads are the norm especially in smaller towns who can't afford snow removal equipment. Interstates and state highways are USUALLY kept dry. However, it's not unusual for travellers to be stranded in some of the higher elevations during blizzards.

I would recommend those not used to driving in such winter conditions to consider either avoiding the area, or relying on commercial transportation.

January has a short thaw with temperatures rising to the mid-40's (F). Mid-late February usually turns cold with temperatures in the low 20's (F). Snowfall is common but average accumulations are less than in Dec-Jan. March is not unlike Britain, with unsettled weather, although some excellent days are possible around the end of the month. Snow usually ends in the valleys around mid-April, but I remember one summer in which we had snow flurries in June....

• The North Cascades Highway, Washington State Highway 20 over the Washington Pass between Newhalem and Mazama is closed in winter.

• Washington State Highways 123 and 410 over the Cayuse and Chinook Passes on the eastern side of Mount Rainier National Park are closed in winter.

• The Beartooth Highway, the northeastern approach road to Yellowstone National Park is closed in winter.

• All roads through Yellowstone National Park are closed in winter except for the road between the North Entrance (near Gardiner) and the Northeast Entrance (near Cooke City) which remains open year-round.

The ground conditions and the weather conditions are two very different things in Wyoming. In our neck of the woods, you can count on some amount of snow being on the ground from late October through at least April. The amount of snow varies, from a couple inches to a couple of feet. (Again, this is on the ground.) Our road crews here do a VERY good job of keeping the roads clear and open. Last winter [96/97] was the worst anyone around here could remember for years, and the roads were only closed a total of three days. This, out of a snow-on-the-ground winter lasting from the end of September to May.

As far as weather conditions go, it can get bitterly cold here in the winter. Most of the time it is around 10-20 degrees [Fahrenheit], but a couple of times it can dip to 20 below [Fahrenheit]. These cold snaps don't last terribly long (no more than a week). Last year (the bad winter) there were a few days when it got to 35 below [Fahrenheit] --ouch! Most of the bitterly cold weather arrives in late January and February, so right after Christmas should be more moderate. Either way, you should advise folks to dress warmly.

You can definitely visit Devils Tower in the winter; it is open all year. The condition of the trails around the Tower are something else, however. I don't think they clear the trails, but that doesn't stop some hardy souls. Even with that caveat, it is still a great place to visit.

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Most recently modified 1-Sep-08