Here at Duck Creek Village Inn it’s a calm, grey morning and the drive up is in good shape. We checked the cameras at 8:30. The pavement is damp at Milepost 16.58 and at the summit, then dry from Milepost 20.6 past the Navajo Lake turnoff and into the village. There’s old snow on the shoulders and meadows east of the summit, none on the travel lanes.
It’s about 33 degrees now and should reach around 42 by late morning, so those damp spots should stay wet rather than freeze. Take the shaded curves below the summit easy for the next hour anyway. The summit sensor isn’t reporting and our lower Cedar Canyon camera is down, so we can’t vouch for the first 10 miles ourselves.
The weather turns this afternoon. The Weather Service has a Winter Weather Advisory until 11 AM Saturday. Rain and snow showers start mid afternoon, go to all snow this evening, and the heaviest falls after midnight, with 4 to 6 inches by Saturday morning. If you’re driving up today, try to be over the summit before 2 PM. With snow on the way, 4WD or AWD with good tires is the right call.
The SNOTEL site above the village still shows 9 inches on the ground. Saturday morning’s drive will be snow covered until the plows get through, so a late morning start is the smart move.
