Caltrans said Highway 108 over Sonora Pass, Highway 4 over Ebbetts Pass and Highway 89 over Monitor Pass will close at noon on May 26 as an unsettled weather system moves through the Sierra.
The eastbound closure on Sonora Pass will be at Kennedy Meadows, while the eastbound closure on Ebbetts Pass will be at Lake Alpine. Highway 89 will also temporarily shut at noon, and the agency said crews will inspect all three routes after the system passes before deciding when it is safe to reopen them.
The National Weather Service office in Sacramento said Northern California is building toward an unsettled stretch that could bring showers and isolated thunderstorms over the next few days. For drivers, that means the region’s higher roads are being treated as active winter-style risk corridors even with spring underway, and the shutdowns come while traffic still depends on those crossings for mountain access and east-west travel.
Yosemite National Park had not announced any planned changes for Highway 120 Tioga Pass as of 11:25 am on May 26, leaving one of the region’s best-known high-country routes open for now while officials watch the weather closely. That split picture is what matters today: three passes are being taken out of service before the first real round of storms arrives, while another major route remains under review.
The decision also shows how quickly the Sierra can shift from passable to dangerous once snow levels and storm bands begin moving through. Caltrans has made clear it will not set a reopening time until crews check the roads after the weather system clears, which means drivers should expect the closures to last until inspectors say the routes are safe again.
For travelers, the answer to the day’s question is simple: the mountain roads are closing before the weather worsens, and they will stay closed until the storm threat is gone and the pavement has been checked. That is the kind of call that keeps a brief weather system from becoming a longer rescue story.
