Seasonal Change: Snow Closures Moving Higher And Ski Resorts Closing
Sonora, CA — Progress is being made clearing seasonal mountain passes ahead of what is expected to be a busy tourism season.
Caltrans reports the closure gate on Sonora Pass has now moved from Sno-Park to Eagle Meadows. Officials warn that there is very limited parking and opportunities to turn around on that section of the pass. The closure gate on Highway 4 Ebbetts Pass has moved from the west end of Lake Alpine to the east end of the lake.
As temperatures are getting higher, Dodge Ridge announces that this will be the final weekend of its 70th ski season. Meanwhile, Bear Valley will remain open through next weekend.
Early indications are that tourism will come back strong this spring and summer in the Mother Lode.
While the group Visit California earlier estimated that it would take until 2024 for the state’s tourism economy to fully recover, Interim Tuolumne County Health Officer Dr. Eric Sergienko relays that he was on a regional conference call this week that indicated the local industry is returning much quicker, as many people are anxious to move around following a year of coronavirus restrictions. He says, “One of the chats was from the Tuolumne County Lodging Association and they said they were pretty much booked up (over the coming months). Both Sonora and Mariposa this past weekend felt like a summer weekend. People are getting out there.”
The popularity, and long lines, at Yosemite National Park over the past month are among the reasons that park officials have decided to cap attendance at about 70-percent of a typical summer day by again requiring day-use passes.
Governor Gavin Newsom says that California is anticipated to fully reopen on June 15th. The state of California reports that 22-million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have now been administered and 8.3-million Californians are fully vaccinated. At least 3.5 million have contracted the virus in the state, and the goal is to soon have a form of herd immunity. Variants remain a concern that state and local officials say they will continue to monitor.
