Still snow in California

Photo: The Canadian Press

Snow-capped mountains are reflected by Ellery Lake near Yosemite National Park, Calif. 

There may be no more potent reminder of California's humongous snowfall than the plows still clearing roads that snake across the state's highest mountains as summer approaches.

Crews have been digging, blowing and blasting for months — and the work is not finished, though an approaching heat wave could speed up the process.

"We're almost at the middle of June and we still have lots of passes that aren't open," said Florene Trainor, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Transportation.

Few roads traverse the Sierra Nevada, the rocky spine running 400 miles up the state that is home to Yosemite National Park. Mountain passes are typically open by Memorial Day.

The only road through Yosemite, Highway 120, remained closed this week as crews dig out from snows that topped 20 feet and drifted well over 50 feet.

On a recent day, the park's entrance station at 9,945-foot high Tioga Pass was buried in snow.

Caltrans had begun inching its way up the road more than two months ago when it seemed more like winter. It snowed on and off throughout the spring, with a late-season storm hitting last weekend.