Chain control guides
Plain-language answers before you drive: what R-1, R-2 and R-3 mean for your car, whether AWD gets you out of chains, and what to expect on each Sierra corridor. Every guide shows today's live Caltrans and NDOT chain control for the roads it covers.
Basics
- Do I need chains to drive to Tahoe?Whether chains are required to drive to Lake Tahoe right now, what R-1, R-2 and R-3 mean for your car, and where I-80 and US-50 chain controls usually start.
- How do I know if I need chains? Where to check chain controlThe four places that tell you whether chains are required in California right now: highway signs, Caltrans QuickMap, 1-800-427-7623 and Snowy Roads' live pages.
- R-1 vs R-2 vs R-3: California chain control levels explainedWhat each Caltrans chain control level means for 2WD cars, AWD and 4WD with snow tires, and trucks, plus every restriction code you will see on a sign.
Corridors
- Big Bear chain requirements: SR-18, SR-330, SR-38 and Mountain HighHow to know if you need chains for Big Bear today on Highways 18, 330 and 38, and for Mountain High via SR-2 and SR-138, with live Caltrans chain control.
- Highway 88 Carson Pass chain control: Jackson to KirkwoodWhere SR-88 chain controls start on the way to Kirkwood (Cook's Station, Peddler Hill, Silver Lake), what a Carson Spur closure means, and the route from Tahoe.
- I-80 Donner Pass chain control: checkpoints, truck codes and closuresWhere I-80 chain controls start and end over Donner Pass (Kingvale, Castle Peak, Truckee, Colfax), what the TS, TTA and TH truck codes mean, and when it closes.
- Mammoth chain control: US-395 and SR-203 requirements todayWhere chains are required on the way to Mammoth and June Mountain: US-395 over the Sherwin grade, Deadman and Conway summits, and SR-203 up to Main Lodge.
- US-50 Echo Summit chain control: Twin Bridges to MeyersWhere US-50 chain controls start on the way to South Lake Tahoe (Twin Bridges, Strawberry, Pollock Pines) and what happens at Echo Summit and Meyers.
- Yosemite chain requirements: SR-120, SR-140, SR-41 and Badger PassWhether chains are required to drive into Yosemite today on Highways 120, 140 and 41, what the park's R1, R2 and R3 levels mean, and how to reach Badger Pass.
Vehicles
Driving
- How to put on tire chains, and how chain installers workStep-by-step chain installation at a Caltrans checkpoint, the 25 to 30 mph rule, where to take chains off, and what chain installers may and may not do.
- Winter driving tips for the Sierra NevadaPractical winter driving tips for Tahoe, Mammoth and the Sierra passes: speed, following distance, braking, black ice, snow tires and chains, and what to carry.