Monitor Pass is Open

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

• Highway 89 over Monitor Pass opened today, March 5, 2026 after being closed for the winter since December 26, 2025.
• Sonora Pass, Ebbetts Pass, and Tioga Pass remain closed.
• Late-season storms sometimes close the pass temporarily.
• Check the Caltrans Quickmap for the latest road conditions.

Monitor Pass, like several other High Sierra mountain pass roads, is subject to regular seasonal winter closures. The passes typically close sometime between mid-November and mid-December. Most of the seasonal Sierra Passes stay closed until May or early June.

But Monitor Pass seems to open and close on its own, special schedule.

If winter weather is extremely mild, the pass might be open for most of the winter, with just temporary closures during storms. This was the case during the winters of 2017/18 and 2014/15. Since 2010, Monitor Pass has usually closed for the winter sometime between the last week of November and the last week of December. Since 2010, the pass has usually reopened in the spring sometime between the first week of April and the first week of May. In 2014 the pass was reopened in mid-January.

Monitor Pass open and close dates

These are the dates that Monitor Pass closed for the winter and then opened up again in the spring, going back to 2010.

Stay informed

For the most current road conditions in California, use the Caltrans QuickMap at quickmap.dot.ca.gov. You can use it to see road closures, read highway information signs, view traffic cameras, and even see exactly where Caltrans snow plows are operating.

Read our Road Closures page to learn more about temporary and seasonal road closures on the Sierra passes.

See our Guide to Traveling Monitor Pass.

Read How to Have a Great Day of Motorcycling on Monitor Pass.