US-50 Echo Summit chain control: Twin Bridges to Meyers

US-50 chain control over Echo Summit is in effect whenever Caltrans posts R-1, R-2 or R-3 between Placerville and Meyers, most often starting at Twin Bridges or Strawberry eastbound and at Meyers westbound. Today's US-50 status and the South Lake Tahoe resorts are shown above.

Where the checkpoints are

Caltrans reports US-50 by checkpoint and the US-50 page lists them in order with the level at each. Eastbound from Placerville: the Placerville east city limits, Camino Heights, the Sawmill undercrossing, Pollock Pines at Sly Park Road, Riverton, Fred's Place, Wright's Lake Road, Strawberry, Twin Bridges, Echo Summit and then Meyers on the Tahoe side. Westbound: Meyers, Twin Bridges, Riverton, Fresh Pond, Sawmill and Camino Heights.

The most common control runs from Twin Bridges or Strawberry eastbound over Echo Summit to Meyers, and from Meyers westbound back to Twin Bridges. In a deeper storm the eastbound start point drops to Riverton, Pollock Pines or Camino, and the whole climb from 3,000 feet is under R-2.

Echo Summit and the grade

Echo Summit is the high point of the route at 7,382 feet. On the Tahoe side the highway drops steeply to Meyers and Christmas Valley on a grade cut into the hillside; on the west side it follows the American River canyon through Strawberry and Kyburz, where rock slides and flooding have closed the road in past winters. Caltrans uses Echo Summit and Meyers as holding points: when the grade is blocked, traffic waits at the top or the bottom rather than on the curves. Snowy Roads shows that as "Road closed at pass" or "Traffic is being held" on the US-50 chip.

Westbound, the pull-out at the summit is where most drivers take chains off; eastbound, Twin Bridges and Strawberry are where they go on. Chain installers work the eastbound side during storms.

What a storm usually looks like

1. R-1 goes up at Twin Bridges or Strawberry as snow starts sticking on the summit, and at Meyers for westbound traffic.
2. The level rises to R-2 and the control extends down to Riverton or Pollock Pines as the snow level drops.
3. Spinouts on the grade or avalanche control above it bring a hold at Echo Summit and Meyers, or a full closure, often without R-3 being posted.
4. The control shrinks back to the summit and lifts, usually the morning after the storm once the road has stopped refreezing.

Requirements change without notice, and the level you saw before leaving Sacramento may not be the one at Twin Bridges two hours later.

Resorts on US-50

• Sierra-at-Tahoe sits on Sierra-at-Tahoe Road off US-50 near Twin Bridges, inside the control area on almost every storm day. Expect R-2 on the resort road itself.
• Heavenly is in South Lake Tahoe. Once you are down the grade at Meyers the highway through town is rarely under control, but Ski Run Boulevard and the Nevada-side access from Kingsbury Grade get slick.
• Kirkwood is reached from Meyers by SR-89 over Luther Pass and SR-88 west over Carson Pass, both higher than Echo Summit and both with their own controls. See the Highway 88 guide.

Alternatives when US-50 is closed

There is no quick one. I-80 to Truckee and then SR-89 or SR-267 down the lake adds hours, and SR-89 at Emerald Bay closes in storms; I-80 is usually under its own control anyway (see the Donner Pass guide). SR-88 over Carson Pass reaches Meyers by Luther Pass but is higher and holds controls longer. From Reno or Carson City, US-50 over Spooner Summit and SR-207 over Kingsbury Grade are posted by the Nevada DOT.

Before you go

The US-50 page shows the checkpoint list, the cameras at Twin Bridges, Echo Summit and Meyers and the message boards, refreshed every 3 minutes from Caltrans data. The official sources are QuickMap (quickmap.dot.ca.gov) and 1-800-427-7623. Whatever you drive, always carry chains; R-1 vs R-2 vs R-3 explains what each level means for your car.