Sonora, CA – The 67th annual Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Posse Mother Lode Round-Up Parade starts at 10 a.m. tomorrow, bringing thousands of visitors to downtown Sonora, lining Washington Street.
Sonora Police Chief Turu Vanderwiel has provided details regarding parking restrictions, street closures, detours, and the rules for the celebration on Saturday, May 9, 2026:
START TIME FOR THE PARADE is 10:00 am and is expected to last two to three hours.
OPEN CONTAINERS are temporarily allowed within the designated area during the parade, but glass containers are strictly prohibited. Open containers must be removed from public areas immediately after the parade ends.
STREET VENDORS must possess a valid Intermittent Vendor Business License issued by the City of Sonora to operate during the parade. Applications for Intermittent Vendor Business Licenses are available at sonoraca.com or in person at 94 North Washington Street, Sonora. For more information, call 209-532-4541.
Motorists should expect heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic before and after the parade. Please be patient and drive carefully in the area.
SPECTATORS are encouraged to arrive before 9:00 am to find parking.
The Tuolumne County Transit will offer convenient TROLLEY SERVICES from the Junction Shopping Center to downtown Sonora. For more information, visit www.tuolumnecountytransit.com or call 209-532-0404.
Several streets will be closed before and during the parade, so please plan ahead if you need to travel through downtown Sonora. Detour signs will be posted for closed streets. Here are the main street closures:
South Washington Street, between Restano Way and Highway 108, will close at 7:30 am sharp.
Some secondary streets will also begin closing at 7:30 am.
North Washington Street, from Snell/Elkin to South Washington Street at Restano Way, will close at 9:30 am.
DETOURS: For a detailed map of the parade route as pictured, click here.
Westbound Mono Way traffic will be routed onto Stewart Street at Restano Way. If you need to reach Stockton Road, please use Highway 108 from the Mono Way onramp.
Eastbound Stockton Street/SR49 traffic will be detoured at Forest Road to reach SR 49 using Snell Street, Racetrack Road, Jamestown Road, and Shaws Flat Road. Anyone continuing eastbound on Stockton Road will be turned around before the Green Street intersection. Large tractor-trailers that reach this point may need to stay parked until the parade ends. Residents of the West Church Street area with proof of residency will be allowed access to their homes during the closure.
Southbound SR49 traffic will be routed onto Stewart Street via Elkin Street. Large trucks towing trailers will not be allowed to reach this point. A detour from the SR49/Shaws Flat Road intersection is in place. Residents in the Tuolumne Street, Calaveras Street, Nevada Street, and Oregon Street areas can access their neighborhood from Highway 108 through the South Washington Street closure. However, we encourage everyone to plan ahead and avoid this area during the event.
NO PARKING will be allowed on most of Washington Street from Highway 108 through Snell Street, as well as on parts of Stockton Road and secondary streets along the parade route. Special signs will mark “No Parking” zones, and vehicles parked in these areas will be towed at the owner’s expense starting at 6:00 am on May 9.
DISABLED PARKING will be available at the Terzich Parking Structure, level 2, at 97 North Green Street, and at the Fountain Parking Lot at the southeast corner of South Washington Street and East Church Street.
PARADE PARTICIPANT DROP-OFF at the Grocery Outlet Parking Lot can be reached from South Washington Street via westbound Mono Way and Restano Way until 9:00 am. After that, motorists will be turned away, and there will be no stopping on Washington Street, Restano Way, or Mono Way.
