"Monitor Pass (el. 8,314 ft. / 2,534 m) is a high mountain pass in California in the Sierra Nevada southeast of Lake Tahoe. It connects the basins of the West Walker River and Carson River, and is traversed by State Route 89 near that highway's southern terminus at U.S. Route 395 near the community of Topaz.
The highway through the pass was completed in the early 1950s, making it one of the most recent Sierra Nevada passes to be opened by a paved road. The highway project was promoted by Robert M. Jackson of nearby Markleeville, California, who worked for the Alpine County Public Works Department for more than 30 years.
State Route 89 over Monitor Pass is subject to winter closure due to snow accumulation. Dates of closure vary depending on the weather, but Monitor Pass is generally not open to vehicular traffic between late November and early April." (
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