Howdy,

I'm planning on driving from either Tahoe or Reno down to Mammoth Lakes via the 395. I was just wondering if anyone can tell me how conditions on the 395 usually are? I know that any road can shut down in a storm, but in general is the 395 suspect to road closures or anything?

Thanks for any info.

 

The part of 395 from Reno to the California border can get a little windy and snow does fall on it, but its usually manageable. It can storm pretty bad though, and it's pretty desolate if you get stranded.

Once you start getting closer to California again, you'll start climbing into the mountains again, which can bring worse conditions, potentially.

I'd be sure to check Nevada DOT, Caltrans for road information, as well as some forecasting site like Weather.com for information about potential storms when you plan on traveling.

NDOT: http://www.nevadadot.com/
CALTRANS: http://www.dot.ca.gov/

 

it's actually a LOT better than 50 or 80 as it is on the eastern slope...and in a way it can be more dangerous. Cause sometimes, it looks like it's all clear with no snow so people drive pretty frickin' fast...but you still gotta watch for the black ice in the shadows.

 

How long does it take to get to mammouth from san jose?

 

I'll actually be coming from San Jose. Planning to board in Tahoe, stay in either Reno or South Tahoe, then do a day trip to Mammoth.

I'm figuring on the drive from Reno/Tahoe to Mammoth to be around 3.5 hours each way. Does that sound about right to you folks who have done it before? I've driven to Mammoth via the 120 during summer but never down the 395 during winter.

 

In the summer, yeah its about 3 hours each way between Reno and Mammoth (add an extra half-hour or hour depending on which part of Tahoe you are talking about.

I don't know what its like in the winter though, and could easily be much longer.

 

I've had it take anywhere from 3 to 5 hours, its only about 170 miles, but there is a lot of high elevations, and along the walker river it can be very icy.

And it sometimes gets closed, but not as often as the other Sierra passes

 

i drove from the bay to tahoe to mammoth a couple years ago. from tahoe to mammoth it was really nice. very few cars. there were some points where it snowed lightly. but nothing major. It took about 3-3.5 hours from tahoe to mammoth. Its a pretty scenic drive.

mammoth >>> tahoe when it comes to snowboarding/skiing. just skip tahoe and head straight to mammoth!

 

Sweet, thanks for the replies, guys.

 

FWI, Caltrans has a 1-800 hotline for highway conditions (i.e. road closures and road construction). My dad's been driving an auto transporter for 30+ years; I got the number from him.

1-800-427-7623

Just say the highway number and the automated voice will tell ya whatcha need!