A snow plow clears snow near the Devastated Area. Annual spring road clearing operations began on March 6 and concluded on April 30, 2020. Road crews have completed the initial snow removal on the 30-mile park highway and will continue with additional spring road maintenance including sweeping, cleaning culverts, installing signs, and clearing rockfall.



Current road status | Routes around the park On This Page Navigation A rotary plow on the park highway in the Northwest Area of the park on April 3, 2019. Road Clearing Process Clearing the park highway is no quick or easy undertaking! Snow accumulates on the 30-mile park highway throughout the winter season (typically November through April). Snow depth can reach up to 30 feet at the highest elevations, with drifts occasionally reach as high as 40 feet. The highway may open in sections as conditions allow and as clearing operations continue. It will open to through traffic once it is safe for vehicles, not just only when it is cleared of snow. The road clearing process can take up to three months due to numerous factors including: Heavy snowpack with deeper snowdrifts in some areas

Trees and boulders that have fallen across the road and been buried in the snow

Rockslides over the highway when the snow begins to melt

Snow avalanches over cleared sections of the highway

Snow storms (and additional accumulation) during the operations

Snow removal in parking areas

Road and road shoulder repairs

Lingering ice once snow is cleared

Equipment repair How Park Road Crews Clear Snow From Lassen Volcanic National Park Highway See how park road crews clear snow from the park highway in a two-month long process each spring. Duration: 4 minutes, 27 seconds Snow plowing below Emerald Lake NPS Photo When Will the Highway Open to Through Traffic? Snow removal from the park highway usually begins in April and continues for about two months before the road opens to through traffic. Predicting when the road will open is not possible, even in late spring, because weather in April and May can affect plowing progress significantly. See the chart below for opening and closing dates since 1980. The park highway encompasses 30 miles of stunning views through twisty hair pin corners, high elevations, and steep grades. The park highway traverses avalanche prone slopes with up to 2,000 foot drops and can hold a snowpack up to 40 feet deep. 2020 Road Clearing Operator Log Log updates are posted when reports are received from operators in the field. The latest update may not reflect the current status. The road crew works Monday through Thursday, 10 hours per day.



April 30 - Road crew has completed the initial snow removal from the park highway.



March 6 - The park highway is plowed between Loomis Plaza and Devastated Area (10 miles). There is still a thin layer of snow/ice on this cleared section, which should melt out in the next week or so depending on weather conditions. Road crew is clearing snow from the Manzanita Boat Launch parking area. Road crew is moving equipment to the Southwest Area today and will begin clearing at Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center next week. Spring Road Opening Dates - 1980 to Present Year Date plowing began from southwest Date road opened April 1 Snow Depth at Lake Helen (8,000' elevation) Date road closed 1980 April 20 May 29 231" / 19.3' November 21 1981 April 20 May 21 149" / 12.5' November 3 1982 April 19 June 18 266" / 22.2' October 25 1983 April 18 July 2 331" / 27.6' November 10 1984 April 23 June 4 175" / 14.6' October 28 1985 April 14 May 18 163" / 13.6' October 21 1986 April 7 June 7 195" / 16.3' November 24 1987 April 20 May 15 138" / 11.6' November 13 1988 April 2 May 20 98" / 8.2' November 7 1989 April 3 June 6 223" / 18.6' October 23 1990 April 1 April 28 106" / 8.9' November 14 1991 April 7 May 24 151" / 12.6' October 22 1992 April 6 May 14 127" / 10.6' October 29 1993 April 12 June 28 225" / 18.8' November 10 1994 April 3 May 20 101" / 8.4' November 7 1995 March 19 July 21 287" / 23.9' November 21 1996 April 1 June 12 171" / 14.3' October 18 1997 April 7 June 5 135" / 11.3' November 14 1998 April 5 July 12 250" / 20.9' November 10 1999 April 12 June 11 194" / 16.2' November 19 2000 April 3 June 2 178" / 14.9' November 17 2001 April 2 May 10 109" / 9.1' November 15 2002 April 1 May 22 166" / 13.9' November 13 2003 March 26 May 23 185" / 15.5' November 7 2004 March 11 May 27 187" / 15.6' October 28 2005 April 4 June 2 173" / 14.5' November 8 2006 April 3 July 6 266" / 22.2' November 11 2007 April 2 May 18 112" / 9.3' December 6 2008 March 31 May 18 132" / 11' December 12 2009 April 13 June 4 146" / 12.2' November 18 2010 April 19 July 8 169" / 14.1' October 23 2011 April 19 July 16 242" / 20.2' November 22 2012 April 21 June 1 145" / 12.1' November 19 2013 March 21 May 24 140" / 11.7' December 18 2014 April 3 May 19 122" / 10.2' December 1 2015 March 31 May 3 91" / 7.6' November 8 2016 April 18 June 12 199" / 16.6' October 30 2017 April 4 July 26 243" / 20.3' November 10 2018 March 30 May 27 131" / 11' November 20 2019 April 18 June 22 238" / 19.8' November 29 2020 March 19 119" / 10'

