DOT Conquers Thompson Pass, The "Snowiest Place In America"

Thompson Pass In The Springtime Sun. (Photo, Gary Minish) 

Gary Minish, the Valdez photographer who took this photo told the Country Journal:

There isn't any tale to tell about this photo other than an explanation that the depth of snow in this area is caused by drifting so it doesn't represent the total accumulated snow fall.  

That area of Thompson Pass gets the full brunt of the winds pouring down hill from the interior.  Another thing some people may ask about is the interesting sculpting of the face of the drift. 

The only way they can keep the snow off the road when it gets that deep is by using a very large snow blower attachment on a very large loader.  The loader can raise the blower up pretty high and cut the upper part back so that there isn't any dangerous overhang above the road.

The photo was taken on March 20, 2022.