Reading the live feed from Caltrans...
Reading the live feed from Caltrans...
California does not use stages or percentages. When snow reaches the road, Caltrans posts one of three numbered levels, R-1, R-2, or R-3, at checkpoints on the grade. The level is a legal requirement, not a suggestion, and on this corridor the checkpoints sit where the weather is: Bridgeport to Lee Vining for Conway Summit, and around Crestview for Deadman Summit.
US-395: Carson City to Bishop is open. No chain controls are in effect on this stretch right now.
R-1
Chains or snow tires required
Chains, or snow tread tires on the drive wheels, are required. Passenger vehicles with proper snow tires showing the mountain snowflake symbol usually pass at R-1, but you must still carry chains in the vehicle. Trucks and towing combinations need chains available and often fitted. If you do not own chains, R-1 is your last easy chance to turn around or wait it out in Bridgeport, Lee Vining, or Bishop.
R-2
Chains required, except four wheel drive with snow tires
Chains are required on all vehicles except four wheel or all wheel drive vehicles with snow tread tires on all four wheels. Even then, four wheel drive vehicles must carry chains. This is the level that catches people out: all season tires on an all wheel drive SUV do not count as snow tires, and officers at the checkpoint will check. On this corridor R-2 is the working level for most real storms at Conway and Deadman.
R-3
Chains required on all vehicles, no exceptions
Every vehicle chains up, including four wheel drive. R-3 is rare and short lived; it usually means the road is close to closing, and Caltrans often shuts the corridor entirely instead of holding traffic at R-3 for long. If you see R-3 posted for your stretch, the honest advice is to wait in town. The next step after R-3 is a closure, and there is no alternate route around either summit.
When no control is in effect, the checkpoint posts R-0 in the Caltrans feed, and this site reads that as no chain controls. Carry chains in winter regardless: a storm can put controls up between the time you check this page and the time you reach the summit, and California law expects you to be able to comply when it does.
Bridgeport and the Walker River is open. No chain controls are in effect on this stretch right now.
Conway Summit and Lee Vining is open. No chain controls are in effect on this stretch right now.
Bishop and the Sherwin Grade is open. No chain controls are in effect on this stretch right now.
Conway Summit collects controls first and keeps them longest. The checkpoints around Bridgeport, Virginia Creek, and Lee Vining carry its postings, and queues form in both towns when a level goes up. Deadman Summit, above the June Lake junctions, posts its own controls around Crestview, and in a real storm both summits can be controlled at different levels at the same time. The checkpoint list on the corridor page shows the level at every checkpoint in driving order, which is the only honest way to answer "do I need chains today": it depends where on the drive you are asking about.
The southern stretch into Bishop posts controls rarely, but the top of the Sherwin Grade around Tom's Place sits above 7,000 feet and can collect them in a strong storm even while Bishop itself is dry. Check the Bishop stretch page before assuming the desert end of the drive is clear.
Do I need chains on US-395 today?
Check the live banners on this page before you drive. Each stretch shows its own posted level, read from the Caltrans checkpoint postings themselves. If your stretch shows R-1, R-2, or R-3, that level is the legal requirement for your vehicle, and the guide above explains what it asks of you.
What is the difference between R-1, R-2, and R-3?
R-1 lets most passenger vehicles use snow tread tires instead of chains. R-2 requires chains on everything except four wheel or all wheel drive vehicles with snow tires on all four wheels, and even those must carry chains. R-3 requires chains on every vehicle with no exceptions, and it usually means a closure is close behind.
Do all season tires count as snow tires?
No. California counts snow tread tires, the ones marked with the mountain snowflake symbol. All season tires on an all wheel drive vehicle do not satisfy R-2, and the officers at the checkpoint check. Whatever the posted level, carrying chains in winter on this corridor is the safe default.
Where do chain controls usually go up on US-395?
Conway Summit collects them first and keeps them longest, with checkpoints around Bridgeport, Virginia Creek, and Lee Vining. Deadman Summit posts its own controls around Crestview. The two summits can sit at different levels in the same storm, which is why this page shows the level stretch by stretch.
What happens if I reach a checkpoint without chains?
You are turned around or held until the control lifts. There is no alternate route around Conway Summit or Deadman Summit, so the practical choices are waiting it out in Bridgeport, Lee Vining, or Bishop, or turning back. Chains bought in the valley before you climb are always cheaper than chains bought in a storm queue.
Road, weather, and camera data: Caltrans District 9, the California Department of Transportation's Eastern Sierra district.