With reports of 50-foot drifts, there's still a lot of snow to remove before Tioga Pass can open.

Florene Trainor |

Crews clearing snow and debris from the Sierra passes between Gardnerville and Yosemite have a long way to go before they open.

As of Friday, crews reached the Blue Slide section of Highway 120 on the way to Tioga Pass. There is an estimated 8-15 feet of snow on the highway leading to the eastern entrance to Yosemite National Park, officials said. There are 50-foot snow drifts in some locations.

Snow removal on Sonora Pass is in progress, and crews have reached the 8,500 elevation mark. At this point there is still 8 feet of snow on the highway.

Crews have cleared Highway 89 from Highway 395 to the Alpine County line, and are now working on repairing road damage due to winter conditions. Snow removal operations are progressing in Alpine County to Monitor Pass.

No estimated date has been issued for reopening any of the passes at this time, officials said.

Highway 4 over Ebbetts Pass also remains closed due to snow.

While snow has been cleared from the Bodie Road, the road remains closed at the request of Bodie State Park personnel. The famous ghost town suffered some damage in last winter’s earthquakes.

California transportation officials asked that pedestrians, bicyclists, skiers, and others looking to recreate stay out of these areas.

For the latest highway information, visit the Caltrans QuickMap site at quickmap.dot.ca.gov or call the Road Condition Hotline at 1-800-427-ROAD (7623).