What would you do if you saw this sign?

[Telstar]

I would never take a trailer bigger than 18’ over that pass.

[hkreck]

Ever see RV with Robin Williams??

[Eddie in vt]

If you are ever in Vermont do not and I repeat, do not go over Smugglers Notch pulling a trailer or driving an RV. Several tractor trailer trucks have gotten stuck and there is a hefty fine if you need to be rescued. There are hairpin turns with boulders on both sides of the road. It is a beautiful drive in a small vehicle.

[aircommuter]

108 Sonora pass is fine in a car, or pickup. Trailer use would be hard to stay on your side of the road not to mention the steep part. Like someone said 88 isn’t that bad. I don’t know if 120 is even plowed this early, but Yosemite is closed anyway, as well as all camping locations in Tuolumne county.

[joeuncool]

Just watched a video of travel over that pass. I didn't see anything that would absolutely stop me from towing our trailer over. It is a very narrow road though so would have to be very careful. Now I noticed it looks like you have a V-Lite. That is a long heavy girl. Pretty much the absolute max I would tow with my Ecoboost. If I was towing yours, I would probably go around.

[moff34]

Isn’t this is the road where they filmed the scenes at the end of the Desi Arnaz, Lucille Ball movie The Long, Long Trailer? I know it was filmed somewhere on the eastern side of Yosemite.

[Qwkynuf]

Originally Posted by joeuncool

Just watched a video of travel over that pass. I didn't see anything that would absolutely stop me from towing our trailer over. It is a very narrow road though so would have to be very careful. Now I noticed it looks like you have a V-Lite. That is a long heavy girl. Pretty much the absolute max I would tow with my Ecoboost. If I was towing yours, I would probably go around.

This is a fun read: https://www.monocounty.ca.gov/sites/...cal_report.pdf

I especially enjoyed this part:

JUSTIFICATION
Trucks have difficulty navigating SR 108 from PM 0.0 to 9.8 due to small radius curves, steep grades, and power loss experienced at high altitude. The warping of the roadway through the superelevation transitions of the reversing curves at PM 4.5 also creates traction problems that compound these factors. Trucks must off-track into the opposing lane and onto the unpaved shoulders to navigate many of the curves between PM 0.0 and 9.8. Trucks blocking the road interrupt the flow of traffic including any potential emergency response vehicles or equipment on SR 108. When trucks get stuck they frequently end up crushing roadside vegetation and risk spilling their load. Traffic can be blocked for several hours while Caltrans, California Highway Patrol (CHP), and tow services attend to the situation. The approximate average per hour cost for delay and response is $1981.00.

Existing Geometrics:
Between the Tuolomne/Mono County line and US 395 there are several grades steeper than 20%, and seven curves with radii less than 100 feet that turn through more than 80 degrees. Of all of the locations on SR 108 in Mono County the curves between PM 4.5 and 4.6, have the most extreme geometrics. This location consists of reversing curves, a 91 foot radius curve to the right followed immediately by an 89 foot radius curve to the left. The superelevation rotation compounded with the steep longitudinal profile results in an instantaneous gradient of 29% at about PM 4.56, the point where the curve reverses. Both of the curves turn over 80 degrees. There are 11 foot wide lanes with no paved shoulders along this section. There is only about 2 feet of dirt shoulder which is restricted by a rock escarpment on one side and a steep embankment on the other.

This is good, too!:

Westbound trucks have no opportunity to turn around once past PM 9.8. Trucks risk getting stuck if they stop; due to insufficient traction, power, or truck turning radius. Stuck trucks often completely block the road; causing major delays and requiring Caltrans and/or CHP personnel to direct traffic. Tow trucks from Lee Vining or Walker often cannot get around the truck trailer to access the cab, and must come from Tuolumne County on the west side of the Sierra. The response time from Tuolumne is usually more than 1 hour.

Advisory signage was installed around the year 2000, however trucks continue to use SR 108 at a rate of about 1.7 trucks/day. About 5% of the trucks that manage to get to PM 4.5 from the east, travelling westbound, get stuck at PM 4.5.

This document is written to address semis, but given that the the restrictions on the road are 30' KPRA (King Pin to Rear Axle), a lot of RVs can fall into that range - and tail swing on longer rigs could be a problem as well.

[formerFR]

the original sign posted looks like the one right here in Georgia, at Amicalola falls, up to the campground, of all places!

[itat]

My Honda GoldWing can pull its little pup trailer anywhere riding two-up (except a dirt road - gotta draw the line there).

[Qwkynuf]

Originally Posted by itat

My Honda GoldWing can pull its little pup trailer anywhere riding two-up (except a dirt road - gotta draw the line there).

Mine is a 1982 GL1100 Interstate. It's a great bike, but it's geared for gas mileage and cruising at 55mph, vs torque. It gets pretty wheezy when the altimeter starts approaching 10,000 feet.

[aircommuter]

Originally Posted by itat

My Honda GoldWing can pull its little pup trailer anywhere riding two-up (except a dirt road - gotta draw the line there).

Even at 8000’ with ice on the asphalt?

[itat]

Originally Posted by Qwkynuf

Mine is a 1982 GL1100 Interstate. It's a great bike, but it's geared for gas mileage and cruising at 55mph, vs torque. It gets pretty wheezy when the altimeter starts approaching 10,000 feet.

Mine’s also an ‘82 but its the standard model with no big fairing or hard bags.

I have ridden it on icy roads, just not in the western mountains.

Picture is with my son, as a teenager, on the back seat.

[dahagen]

Originally Posted by bikendan

That's why we Westerners kinda roll our eyes, when Easterners call something a mountain. Kinda of like the Great Smokey "Hills".[emoji1787]

One time I ran across a tour bus in the Black Hills of South Dakota. One of the group exiting the bus said "Oh, look at the mountains." I asked him where he was from and said Chicago. I told him that the Black Hills were only hills. He needed to go further west to see mountains.

[flyfisher54]

I would pull over, unload the motorcycle and have at it!

[Portagie1968]

That is a short cut for Hay trailers. It would work but it would be slow. The worst is not there but the other side with the steep downhill.

[Chuckinca]

Originally Posted by aircommuter

108 Sonora pass is fine in a car, or pickup. Trailer use would be hard to stay on your side of the road not to mention the steep part. Like someone said 88 isn’t that bad. I don’t know if 120 is even plowed this early, but Yosemite is closed anyway, as well as all camping locations in Tuolumne county.

Been there, done that


In a car


We used to go skiing at Dodge Ridge on the west side of the pass.


.

[Qwkynuf]

Originally Posted by itat

Mine’s also an ‘82 but its the standard model with no big fairing or hard bags.

I have ridden it on icy roads, just not in the western mountains.

Picture is with my son, as a teenager, on the back seat.

Beautiful! Here is a picture of mine (from some years ago) the morning that I took off with my then 11-year-old son for 11 days and 4400 miles, criss-crossing Oregon in every direction and venturing into Washington, Idaho, Nevada, and California.

[timurray2000]

Originally Posted by joeuncool

Just watched a video of travel over that pass. I didn't see anything that would absolutely stop me from towing our trailer over. It is a very narrow road though so would have to be very careful. Now I noticed it looks like you have a V-Lite. That is a long heavy girl. Pretty much the absolute max I would tow with my Ecoboost. If I was towing yours, I would probably go around.

You are correct. We are pretty much maxed out on the Ecoboost. After the high winds in TX and NM, the heat in Death Valley, and now the mountains...real mountains...my wife insisted we upgrade. Bought a F-450 today. We want up upgrade to a toy hauler anyway and ya kinda have to do the truck first.

[A2pfunk]

Originally Posted by Eddie in vt

If you are ever in Vermont do not and I repeat, do not go over Smugglers Notch pulling a trailer or driving an RV. Several tractor trailer trucks have gotten stuck and there is a hefty fine if you need to be rescued. There are hairpin turns with boulders on both sides of the road. It is a beautiful drive in a small vehicle.

In high school and college, I had been to Stowe and Smuggler's many times. And I knew that the pass between was closed in winter. Imagine my surprise years later when I decided to take my new wife and young St. Bernard on a trip to Stowe, only to have the GPS navigate me to the foot of that pass late at night. We stopped long enough to walk the dog in the waist-deep snow. Then had to backtrack to the much longer way around.

[BillD]

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