Winter closures? (San Francisco, Bakersfield, Carson: bars, car, best)

[cjkh]

Hi there

We are planning on driving from Las Vegas to San Francisco in early January.

We would like to go via Sequoia & Yosemite.

I know the main pass thru Yosemite is closed in winter, but can anyone tell me if the road connecting the 395 to 190 (I think it's the J41) in Sequoia is open?

Or, are we better off giving Death Valley a miss and heading SW through Barstow & Bakersfield then North to Sequoia from there?

We have 5 days to get from Vegas to SF, and we don't want to spend too long in the car at any one time as we are travelling with a baby.

Any advice much appreciated...

[BayAreaHillbilly]

I would not cut out Death Valley, but would plan to then dog leg down to Hwy 58 after it, then go up to the parks from the west. Or, if more ambitious, go north via Tahoe then down Hwy 49 to the parks. The latter would likely entail some encounters with serious winter weather, however.

[ferretkona]

58 to hwy 99 then take the north 41 into the park

You might want to continue afterwards to Calaveras Big trees off Hwy 4 not far from Hwy 49. Beautiful grove of redwoods.

Only pass usually open in winter is Hwy 80 Sac to Reno

[Kibbiekat]

I am not aware of any passes in the central sierras that are open in the winter. I'm looking at a map, and don't see a 190. Do you mean 198? That doesn't go through from one side of the Sierras to the other.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

The OP was referring to a small road that is somewhat of a cut off but is definitely not open in the winter. The best pass to cross is Tehachapi, next best Donner and after that Echo, then Carson. All four of those are generally open other then temporary restrictions and closures due to extreme weather in the case of the last three.