Yosemite Opens Tioga Pass Entrance On Latest Date In History

Last weekend, on July 22nd, National Park officials opened Yosemite's Tioga Pass Entrance -- the latest seasonal opening for Tioga Pass since the route's birth in 1915.

The previous latest opening date for Tioga Pass was July 19th, 1917.

Due to record snowfall last winter, California has seen several historic firsts this year. Several resorts throughout the state, like Mammoth Mountain, saw more snowfall than ever before.

While a boon to powder hounds, the piles of snow created infrastructure challenges along the Tioga Pass corridor. During an interview with KQED, a San Franciso-based news outlet, park ranger Steve Lyon explained that 62% of the structures in the area were damaged or destroyed as of July 13th. "I wish I had something good to tell you, but it’s a mess up there," Lyon said.

Due to ongoing repair efforts, only vault and portable toilets are available throughout Tioga Pass. Other amenities, like fuel, water, or stores, are not yet open.

Similarly, park officials warned travellers that multiple strecthes of the road traversing Tioga Pass can only accomodate one-way traffic.

This development once again raises what might be the defining question of last winter: "Is there such a thing as too much snow?" To rangers like Lyon, I imagine the answer is a resounding yes.

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