It's dry

The snow survey results are in: The final snow survey of the season was completed in the May 1st window. The Merced drainage is 20% and Tuolumne drainage is 25% of May 1 average.

And that means things are opening up early. Tioga Pass Road is already open phase two: administrative use only.

Avalanche Team, Roads, LE Rangers, approved B&G, and approved division leads with infrastructure in Tuolumne are allowed administrative access. No pass throughs allowed and no personal use. All personnel accessing Tioga Road must call in with dispatch and the roads supervisor when entering Tioga.

It's early May!