Sonora Pass
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| Sonora Pass | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 9,624 ft. / 2,933 m. |
| Location | California,  United States |
| Range | Sierra Nevada |
| Traversed by | California State Route 108 |
Sonora Pass (el. 9,624 ft. / 2,933 m.) is the second-highest pass in the Sierra Nevada. It is about 300 ft. (90 m.) lower than Tioga Pass to the south. California State Highway 108 crosses over the summit, providing an alternate route to motorists seeking to cross the Sierra without paying the substantial fee to pass through Yosemite National Park. However, like most high Sierra passes, the highway is closed in winter due to heavy snowfall and snow accumulation. Usually, the pass opens before the higher and snowier Tioga Pass to the south.
The Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,650 mile (4,240 km) long National Scenic Trail crosses Highway 108 at Sonora Pass.
Adjacent to the Pass is a picnic/parking area, which serves as a day-use rest stop or a trailhead for hikes to nearby Sonora Peak, Wolf Creek Lake, and other spots north or south along the Pacific Crest Trail.
In the 1880(s) the California and Nevada Railroad and its predecessor, the California and Mount Diablo Railroad, proposed to run a narrow gauge railroad over Sonora Pass with a line running from Emeryville - Stockton and then connecting with the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad in Utah. The railroad never built track beyond the San Francisco Bay Area.
