The Halloween Deadline Held: The Sierra Closed November 1
Snow hit the Sierra on Halloween and both main stations closed November 1, right on their averages. Here's what it means for American Discovery Trail hikers.
Westbound hikers on the American Discovery Trail have one date to beat in the Sierra: Halloween. This year the snow showed up on Halloween itself. ⛰️
Palisades Tahoe read 0 inches early on Halloween afternoon and 4 inches by dinnertime. By early Sunday morning it held 8 inches, and Mount Rose Ski Area held 9. Both stations closed for the season on November 1, and on November 4 they still held 6 and 7 inches.
The 3-Inch Rule
We call the Sierra closed when a station holds 3 inches of snow or more for more than a day: three straight daily readings, with the close date on the first of the three. Below 3 inches the crossing is cold walking. Above it, it's snow travel, with harder navigation and gear you may not be carrying.
Mount Rose read exactly 3 inches on October 23 and 24, then melted to 0 by October 28, so that storm doesn't count. From November 1 through 4, Palisades read 5, 5, 5 and 6 inches, and Mount Rose read 8, 8, 6 and 7.
| Station | 2026 close | 15-yr average (through 2025) | Last 5 yrs (through 2025) | Earliest on record | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palisades Tahoe, 8,013 ft | Nov 1 | Nov 2 | Oct 28 | Oct 4 (2011) | Oct 14 |
| Mount Rose Ski Area, 8,801 ft | Nov 1 | Oct 30 | Oct 29 | Oct 5 (2010, 2011) | Oct 13 |
| Tahoe City Cross, 6,797 ft | Not yet (0 in on Nov 4) | Nov 24 | Nov 30 | Oct 22 (2012) | Dec 23 |
This year landed right on the averages, 1 day ahead at Palisades and 2 days behind at Mount Rose. Last year came 18 days sooner at Palisades and 19 at Mount Rose.
Halloween Is the Last Call
Anyone crossing on October 30 this year found 1 inch at the Mount Rose station. On the same date last year, that station had been closed for 17 days.
Mount Rose has closed before Halloween in 7 of the 18 years we've tracked, and 4 of those came by October 15. The earliest was October 5, in both 2010 and 2011. Beat Halloween if you can, and earlier is safer.
Rhiis Lopez topped out above 10,000 feet in the Mount Rose Wilderness on October 3, on bare ground, about 1,200 feet above the Mount Rose station. Tahoe City Cross still reads 0 inches at 6,797 feet, but the trail doesn't stay down there.
If you're westbound and still east of the Sierra, the crossing is snow travel now. Don't push through without winter skills and gear. Coming back in June beats forcing it, and check current weather and local regulations before you go high either way.
A Long Season in 2026
Palisades dropped below 3 inches on May 10, 13 days ahead of its average, and stayed open 175 days. That's the fourth-longest season in our 18 years of records, against a 15-year average of 159 days. Mount Rose opened May 23, 12 days early, and stayed open 162 days, the fifth-longest, against an average of 145.
Spring Melt-Off: Planning an Eastbound 2027
Eastbound, Memorial Day only clears the first gate. Palisades Tahoe drops below 3 inches around May 23 in an average year, and Mount Rose follows around June 4, 12 days later.
Palisades has opened as early as May 4 and as late as July 7, and Mount Rose as early as May 11 and as late as July 10. This year's May 10 and May 23 came early, and 2023 held Mount Rose until July 9.
The California guide page carries the snow tables for all three stations, season by season back to 2009. If you're working out a 2027 start, Best Time to Start the American Discovery Trail shows which month your start date puts you at the Sierra.
Hike Your Hike - John. 🥾