Carson Pass
title: "Carson Pass" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["mountain-passes-of-the-sierra-nevada-(united-states)", "landforms-of-alpine-county,-california", "eldorado-national-forest", "california-historical-landmarks", "california-gold-rush", "humboldt–toiyabe-national-forest"] topic_path: "technology/web" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carson_Pass" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox mountain pass"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Carson Pass |
| photo | 20050723-1411-0739-CarsonPass-CA.jpg |
| photo_caption | The Carson Pass (foreground) overlooks Red Lake to the east. |
| map | California |
| map_caption | Location in California |
| map_relief | yes |
| elevation_ft | 8574 |
| traversed | |
| location | Sierra Crest, Eldorado National Forest, Alpine County, California, United States |
| range | Sierra Nevada |
| coordinates | |
| embedded | |
| :: |
| name = Carson Pass | photo = 20050723-1411-0739-CarsonPass-CA.jpg | photo_caption = The Carson Pass (foreground) overlooks Red Lake to the east. | map = California | map_caption = Location in California | map_relief = yes | elevation_ft = 8574 | elevation_ref = | traversed = | location = Sierra Crest, Eldorado National Forest, Alpine County, California, United States | range = Sierra Nevada | coordinates = | topo = | embedded = Carson Pass is a mountain pass on the crest of the central Sierra Nevada, in the Eldorado National Forest and Alpine County, eastern California.
The pass is traversed by California State Route 88. It lies on the Great Basin Divide, with the West Fork Carson River on the east and the South Fork American River on the west.
The historic pass was a point on the Carson Trail during the California Gold Rush and was used for American Civil War shipping to California until the completion of the First transcontinental railroad. The Pacific Crest Trail traverses the Carson Pass summit, which has California Historical Landmark #315 at CA 88 postmile 6.09 where Kit Carson carved his name into a tree.
History
The 1844 Frémont Expedition turned south from northern Nevada.
--When encamped at Nevada's Carson Valley on January 31, 1844, Frémont decided to detour west during the winter conditions to Sutter's Fort in California for supplies. Local Washoe Indians told them of a route through the mountains, but warned them not to proceed through the snow. Frémont duly ignored the advice and directed the group westward. The Washoe were right in that they were not able to find food or game, and they ended up resorting to eating dogs, horses, and mules just to survive. On February 14, Frémont and his cartographer Charles Preuss made it up Red Lake Peak and became the first recorded white men to see Lake Tahoe in the distance. On February 21, the expedition made it through the now-named Carson pass west of Red Lake and arrived at Sutter's Fort on March 6 with no fatalities.
In the summer of 1848, Mormons leaving California for Utah built what would become known as the Carson Trail across the Sierra from Sly Park, California, to the Carson Valley via Carson Pass. The Carson Trail became one of the primary routes across the Sierra used by overland immigrants to California in the Gold Rush era. Brigham Young evacuated Mormon settlers around Carson Pass in July 1857, shortly after the breakout of the Utah War.
Maiden's Grave
| name = Maiden's Grave | image = | caption = | location= State Highway 88, Kirkwood, California | coordinates = | locmapin = | built = | architect= | architecture= | added = | designation1 = California | designation1_number = 28 | governing_body = | refnum= In 1850, the young Rachel Melton was buried west of Carson's Pass. Her family was traveling from Iowa when she became ill. The family camped out with a goal to improve Rachel's health, but she died. The site is a California Historical Landmark.
Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Carson Pass has a dry-summer subarctic climate, abbreviated "Dsc" on climate maps.
|location = Carson Pass, California, 2006–2020 normals, extremes 2004–present |single line = Yes
|Jan record high F = 61 |Feb record high F = 60 |Mar record high F = 64 |Apr record high F = 68 |May record high F = 71 |Jun record high F = 79 |Jul record high F = 81 |Aug record high F = 82 |Sep record high F = 82 |Oct record high F = 72 |Nov record high F = 65 |Dec record high F = 60
|Jan avg record high F = 52.1 |Feb avg record high F = 52.9 |Mar avg record high F = 56.0 |Apr avg record high F = 61.5 |May avg record high F = 66.0 |Jun avg record high F = 73.4 |Jul avg record high F = 77.0 |Aug avg record high F = 76.3 |Sep avg record high F = 74.0 |Oct avg record high F = 66.6 |Nov avg record high F = 59.5 |Dec avg record high F = 51.4 |year avg record high F = 78.1
|Jan high F = 38.7 |Feb high F = 39.0 |Mar high F = 41.8 |Apr high F = 46.9 |May high F = 52.7 |Jun high F = 62.1 |Jul high F = 69.8 |Aug high F = 69.0 |Sep high F = 64.7 |Oct high F = 53.5 |Nov high F = 44.4 |Dec high F = 36.9 |year high F =
|Jan mean F = 30.3 |Feb mean F = 29.8 |Mar mean F = 32.2 |Apr mean F = 36.7 |May mean F = 42.7 |Jun mean F = 51.2 |Jul mean F = 58.6 |Aug mean F = 58.1 |Sep mean F = 53.1 |Oct mean F = 43.8 |Nov mean F = 35.8 |Dec mean F = 28.8 |year mean F =
|Jan low F = 22.0 |Feb low F = 20.6 |Mar low F = 22.6 |Apr low F = 26.4 |May low F = 32.8 |Jun low F = 40.3 |Jul low F = 47.4 |Aug low F = 47.0 |Sep low F = 42.5 |Oct low F = 34.1 |Nov low F = 27.2 |Dec low F = 20.8 |year low F =
|Jan avg record low F = 5.5 |Feb avg record low F = 3.5 |Mar avg record low F = 8.2 |Apr avg record low F = 12.0 |May avg record low F = 22.2 |Jun avg record low F = 29.1 |Jul avg record low F = 40.3 |Aug avg record low F = 38.3 |Sep avg record low F = 30.7 |Oct avg record low F = 21.3 |Nov avg record low F = 11.5 |Dec avg record low F = 3.7 |year avg record low F = -1.4
|Jan record low F = -5 |Feb record low F = -4 |Mar record low F = -3 |Apr record low F = 2 |May record low F = 10 |Jun record low F = 19 |Jul record low F = 34 |Aug record low F = 30 |Sep record low F = 23 |Oct record low F = 13 |Nov record low F = -2 |Dec record low F = -4
|precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation inch = 6.41 |Feb precipitation inch = 6.64 |Mar precipitation inch = 6.91 |Apr precipitation inch = 3.55 |May precipitation inch = 2.13 |Jun precipitation inch = 0.59 |Jul precipitation inch = 0.39 |Aug precipitation inch = 0.47 |Sep precipitation inch = 0.67 |Oct precipitation inch = 3.07 |Nov precipitation inch = 4.13 |Dec precipitation inch = 5.57 |year precipitation inch =
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in |Jan precipitation days = 9.7 |Feb precipitation days = 8.8 |Mar precipitation days = 11.2 |Apr precipitation days = 8.3 |May precipitation days = 6.1 |Jun precipitation days = 2.1 |Jul precipitation days = 1.7 |Aug precipitation days = 1.7 |Sep precipitation days = 2.9 |Oct precipitation days = 5.5 |Nov precipitation days = 8.1 |Dec precipitation days = 10.1
|Jan snow depth inch = 62.1 |Feb snow depth inch = 81.1 |Mar snow depth inch = 97.0 |Apr snow depth inch = 81.8 |May snow depth inch = 53.1 |Jun snow depth inch = 18.1 |Jul snow depth inch = 0.9 |Aug snow depth inch = 0.0 |Sep snow depth inch = 0.5 |Oct snow depth inch = 3.1 |Nov snow depth inch = 19.0 |Dec snow depth inch = 40.2 |year snow depth inch = 102.4
|source 1 = XMACIS2 |url = https://xmacis.rcc-acis.org/ |publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |title = xmACIS2 |access-date = March 7, 2023
References
References
- {{cite ohp
- Hughey, Richard. (1999-04-02). "Capt. Fremont makes winter crossing of Carson Pass.The carson pass was a very common pass in the 1800s to travel on". Mountain Democrat.
- Belli, Anthony M. (2004). "Kirkwood History – The Opening of the Kit Carson Pass". [[Internet Archive]] (originally Kirkwood Mountain Resort).
- {{cite ohp. 28. Maiden's Grave. 6 October 2012
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