Bodie, CA

[Slamson00]

Hello everyone.

I was thinking of heading over to Bodie State Park here in California next week but not sure if the park will be open with all the snow that has been coming down these past few weeks. Is there anyone in the know over there or passing through that area that can speak to the amount of snow on the ground over there in the Bodie Hills?

The State Website just says currently the highway into Bodie is closed due to snow but doesn't give any indication of when it will be open. I know conditions can change and will always dictate the road conditions but was just wondering if someone could lend some info on what things look like over there right now.

Thanks in advance to anyone that can chime in with any conditions information.

 

[msskaggs]

I can't imagine there being too much snow on the ground there. I checked the web cam at Bridgeport Reservoir and our own web cams at our place in June Lake. It's raining, not snowing. There was still about 6 inches on the ground in June Lake and there was no snow on the ground at the reservoir. If you want to do it a little different, take Masonic Road on the north side of Bridgeport into the hills. You'll go by the Chemung Mine and what's left of the Masonic Mining Camp (requires a slight detour). Then follow the Bodie Masonic Road and it will take you into the north side of the Bodie State Park. Parking lot. It's all maintained fire roads.

 

[Superduty]

I'm not familiar with that area, but cal trans shows hwy 270 closed due to snow. It doesn't say closed for the winter due to snow (the verbiage used for those higher elevation roads that are not plowed after the first significant snowfall). My guess is it will likely open back up as soon as it's plowed.

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[dobiemeadows]

It's reasonable to believe that 270 will be shut down for an extended period. If you want updates, check here before setting out:

http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi?roadnumber=270&submit=Search

I'd be very surprised if there was overland access via Bodie-Masonic. It peaks around 9000+ feet, and recent storms likely have the road drifted pretty deeply -- there's been over 3 feet of snow at that elevation over the past 48 hours.

Last month I was staying near the south entrance to Cottonwood Canyon and I didn't try to get to Bodie from there, but someone stopped me on the road back to 167 and said k-rail cement barricades had been set up to block access from the south. I have a feeling Bodie may be inaccessible to anyone driving anything other than a Sno-Cat for the next month or so.

 

[msskaggs]

Shoot, I didn't consider the elevation gain going up toward Bodie. You're certainly right about more snow on the ground up there.

 

[James Feldermann]

You definitely aren't getting in via Masonic. I went through yesterday and didn't see any snow in Bridgeport, but I didn't go to Bodie.

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[dobiemeadows]

Just for comparison, winter 2016/17 was especially snowy. This was Bodie-Masonic near its highest point in June 2017 -- Bodie's probably about 2 miles to the other side of that mini-glacier. There were some frozen-over tire tracks across it, but I was solo that day and didn't want to risk getting stuck. I turned around and headed back to Bridgeport.

 

[James Feldermann]

Those might've been my tracks. I was the first tracks on Masonic almost all the way to Bodie at the end of March. It was frozen so I was able to cross.

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[Kent R]

Just for comparison, winter 2016/17 was especially snowy. This was Bodie-Masonic near its highest point in June 2017 -- Bodie's probably about 2 miles to the other side of that mini-glacier. There were some frozen-over tire tracks across it, but I was solo that day and didn't want to risk getting stuck. I turned around and headed back to Bridgeport. View attachment 51841

Funny we tried this exact spot last spring.

 

[dobiemeadows]

Current webcam from Lee Vining looking northeast towards the Bodie hills. Pretty snow-capped right now!

http://www.monolake.org/today/lvcam

 

[Slamson00]

Wow thanks to everyone for all the information and pictures. I really appreciate it!

Just tried calling the info # for Bodie on their State Park Website and I keep getting a busy signal. There is a lot of snow out there in those mountain (from the last picture), I am thinking there is no way I am going to get into Bodie about a week from today. Website for Bodie now actually has a gap showing in the days the park is open. They show their hours as:

Winter hours 9am to 4pm (November 1st to March 17th)

Summer hours 9am-6pm (April 1st to October 31st)

All this is leading to tell me they will be closed till April 1 due to weather. Guess it just wasn't meant to be for me this year.

I have been on the Masonic road to Bodie a number of times and ran across that very snow drift pictured above last summer. I hit it in July though and enough of it had melted that the bypass to the bottom of the drift was barely useable so we got around it that way.

Looks like I will have to make plans to try Bodie in late winter/early Spring next year. Was hoping to go there and avoid the heat of the summer.

Thanks again to everyone's input....I will look to make some alternative plans for my kids spring break.

 

[dobiemeadows]

I love wandering around Bodie in the winter. The place is nearly always deserted (but make sure you pay the fee because the state park personnel will chase you down if you don't). But when you're at 8400 feet and it's 20 degrees with a 40mph wind coming between the buildings from the northwest, it's good to be able to run back to the truck every 20 minutes or so so you can feel your face again.

 

[Overland California]

I'd be interested in a companion to Bodie. The snow looks fun but not when you're solo.