Road Clearing Operator Log 2023
Road clearing operations for 2024 to begin in March or April.
Log updates are posted when reports are received from road crew members during active road clearing operations. The latest update may not reflect the current status. The road crew works Monday through Thursday, 10 hours per day.
7/1/2023 - The road and parking areas are now all cleared and ready for vehicles. We want to give a shout out to Cal Trans for their assistance in helping with clearing again this year! There was a very large amount of snow to clear this year!
6/22/2023 - The connection between south and north is almost made! Cal- Trans asisted us and continued from Summit Lake this week, clearing to Kings Creek Meadow. We marched forward from Lassen Peak Parking lot and cleared another 1.5 miles to the Lake Almanor Overlook.
Between those locations are only about 4 miles remaining to punch through the entire road. Parking lots and other road preparations will still need to be completed prior to complete opening. There will be no additional road sections open until this happens.
6/19/2023 - Road crews have made it to Lassen Peak Trailhead from the SW entrance allowing for around 7 miles of pavement for hike and bike accessibility. There is still around 8ft of snow on average at this elevation currently and the Bumpass Hell Trail remains closed until devoid of snow.
6/13/2023 - Road crews have nearly made it to Lake Helen from the SW entrance allowing for around 6 miles of pavement for hike and bike accessibility. There is still around 9ft of snow on average at this elevation currently and the Bumpass Hell Trail remains closed until devoid of snow.
Sulphur Works is now open to vehicles from the SW entrance which is 1 mile beyond the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center.
From the NW entrance crews have made it to Summit Lake for hike and bike accessibility. Vehicle access is still limited to Devastated Area from the NW entrance.
6/9/2023 - Road crews have made it past Emerald Lake from the SW entrance! That is around 6 miles of pavement for hike and bike accessibility. No vehicle access beyond the Kohm Yah-mah-nee visitor center from the SW entrance or Devastated Area from the NW entrance.
6/2/2023 - Good progress has been made! The road is now cleared about 4 miles from the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center to a place we call "Chicken Shack". Chicken Shack is just above the first hairpin switchback and used to be a place where fried chicken was served for lunch, no joke. The road reamins closed for vehicle access at the Visitor Center.
CalTrans has assisted with progress from the north, clearing to just below Summit Lake, roughly 3 miles from the Devastated Area. Clearing will not continue from here until snow melts a bit more. The road remains closed at Devastated Area.
5/30/2023 - The road has been cleared about 2.5 miles from the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center to Diamond Point (1.5 miles beyond Sulphur Works). HWY 89 remains closed to vehicles at the Visitor Center parking lot from the Southwest.
Butte Lake Road is now open to vehicles for access to Butte Lake Day-use Area, Butte Lake Campground remains closed until 6/16/2023.
5/26/2023 - The road has been cleared about 2 miles from the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center (1 mile beyond Sulphur Works). It remains closed to vehicles at the Visitor Center parking area. We will continue progress on Monday.
Manzanita Lake day-use and boat launch area open to vehicles.
5/18/2023 - The road has been cleared about .75 miles from the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center. It remains closed to vehicles at the Visitor Center parking area. We will continue progress on Monday.
On a side note, clearing the Juniper Lake road is suspended due to washouts on the country section of the road. It will likely need to melt, rather than be cleared.
5/12/2023 - The road is now open to vehicle traffic from the northwest entrance to the Devastated Area. Several feet of snow is in the immediate Devastated Area.
5/11/2023 - We cleared the county portion of the Warner Valley Road from Chester to the park boundary (10 miles). The final three miles are still under snow. Equipment is staged at the southwest entrance at the Kohm yah-mah-nee Visitor Center ready to begin clearing Monday morning.
5/4/2023 - We finished clearing the bulk of the snow to the end of the Butte Lake Road. The road will need to dry out substantially before it opens to vehicles in order to preserve the gravel surface. Butte Lake area is no exception to the snow coverage there are up to 8 foot drifts in places! With more snow on the way, instead of proceeding from the southwest entrance, we will clear the Warner Valley Road starting Monday, May 8. This road needs to be accesible sooner than later for fire rehabilitation. Then hopefully, by the end of the week, we will begin on the southwest entrance where snow is still very deep at around 10 feet!
4/27/2023 - The road is cleared 10 miles beyond the Loomis Plaza to the Devastated Area parking lot. The road will open to here once restrooms are uncovered from surrounding snow. For now, the road remains closed to vehicles at the Loomis Plaza. Walkers and bicycles are permitted however. Road clearing will not continue from the Devastated Area.
Equipment is now staged at the southwest entrance with road clearing scheduled to begin there on Monday, May 8. As of this report, there is still 13 feet of snow on the road at the southwest entrance. With all of the winter snow pack and late-season storms, this is the latest date road clearing has ever begun from the southwest entrance! We have a long road ahead of us, literally and figuratively. 20 miles of road to go.
4/20/2023 - The road is cleared roughly 7.5 miles beyond Loomis Plaza towards Devastated Area. Vehicle access still remains at the Loomis Plaza. Walkers and bicycles are permitted on roads closed to vehicles. Road clearing will continue to the Devastated Area parking lot next week.
4/15/2023 - Manzanita Lake Campground and Park Road from Loomis Plaza to Lost Creek Group Campground Cleared of snow. No vehicle access beyond Loomis Plaza.
3/23/2023 - Road clearing equipment has been staged at Manzanita Lake. Clearing operations wil begin once conditions allow.
