Carson Pass, California State Route 88Carson Pass:
- 8,573 feet (2,613 meters) above sea level
- California State Route 88
- Between Pine Grove, California and CA 89, in Hope Valley, near Woodfords
- 38° 41′ 38″ N, 119° 59′ 15″ W
- Alpine and Amador counties, California
- Central Sierra
- Mostly open in winter
What to expect:
- Breathtaking scenery
- Light traffic
- Better riding
Carson Pass on CA 88 is one of our favorite passes. It is a much more pleasant way to get over the mountains than US 50 over Echo Summit or I-80 over Donner Summit. Highway 88 has a lot less traffic than either of those two roads. The scenery is breathtaking. You’ll see massive ridges of exposed granite, huge, rugged valleys, and high-elevation lakes that freeze over in winter. The road is mostly open in winter, though it is often temporarily closed for avalanche control during and right after a storm.
South of Carson Pass, much of the Sierra is wilderness. There isn’t another highway over the mountains that is reliably open in winter until you get to Walker Pass, about 250 miles (400 kilometers) away, via southbound US 395.
Carson Pass Map
More Carson Pass Photos
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