View source for Carson Pass

{{Infobox mountain pass
| name = Carson Pass<br>Kit Carson Pass
| photo = 20050723-1411-0739-CarsonPass-CA.jpg
| photo_caption = The Carson Pass (foreground) overlooks [[Red Lake (California)|Red Lake]] to the east.
| map               = California
| map_caption       = Location in [[California]]
| map_relief        = yes
| elevation_ft = 8574
| elevation_ref =  
| traversed = {{Jct|state=CA|SR|88}}
| location = [[Sierra Crest]], [[Eldorado National Forest]], [[Alpine County, California]], [[United States]]
| range = [[Sierra Nevada]]
| coordinates = {{coord|38|41|38|N|119|59|15|W|type:pass|display=inline,title}}
| topo = 
| embedded = {{designation list|embed=yes|designation1=California|designation1_offname=Kit Carson Marker|designation1_number=315}}
}}
'''Carson Pass''' is a [[mountain pass]] on the crest of the central [[Sierra Nevada]], in the [[Eldorado National Forest]] and [[Alpine County, California|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 [[California Trail#Carson Trail|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<!--Source: CA 88 article--> where [[Kit Carson]] carved his name into a tree.<ref>{{cite ohp |id=315 |name=Kit Carson Marker |quote=''The original inscription was cut from the tree in 1888 and is now in Sutter's Fort'' |accessdate=2012-03-30}}</ref>

==History==
The [[John C. Frémont#Second expedition|1844 Frémont Expedition]] turned south from northern [[Nevada]].  <!--This 2005 dead link info isn't about Carson Pass:  His stated objective was to find the legendary [[Buenaventura River]], which was said to flow from the Rocky Mountains through the Sierra Nevada to San Francisco Bay. Since [[Jedediah Smith]]'s 1828 explorations had mostly disproven its existence, it is unknown what Frémont's true objective was.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hughey |first=Richard |url=http://www.mtdemocrat.com/columist/hughey30.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010522090200/http://www.mtdemocrat.com/columist/hughey30.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=2001-05-22 |title=Capt. Fremont makes winter crossing of Carson Pass.The carson pass was a very common pass in the 1800s to travel on |date=1999-04-02 |publisher=Mountain Democrat |accessdate=2005-09-23 }}</ref>

-->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 people|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.<ref name="kirkwood">{{cite web | url=http://kirkwood.com/summer/history.html | title=Kirkwood History – The Opening of the Kit Carson Pass | first=Anthony M | last=Belli | year=2004 | publisher=[[Internet Archive]] (originally Kirkwood Mountain Resort) | accessdate=2010-08-05 |quote=Fremont and Jacob Dodson leave Long Camp on the 16th as an advance scouting party to determine their route over the pass then along the descent of the western slope. On the night of the 17th the two men return to Long Camp and are quite surprised to be greeted by Fitzpatrick and his party from Grover's. Fremont noted… "''Here we had the pleasure to find all the remaining animals, 57 in number, safely arrived at the grassy hill near the camp.''" Two days later the entire second expedition had reached Long Camp. On February 21st the expedition passed over the summit of today's Carson Pass at a location just south of present day Highway 88. They began their descent and two days later Fremont wrote from their camp at present day Strawberry… "''Here among the pines, the hill side produces but little grass---barley sufficient to keep life in the animals. We had the pleasure to be rained upon this afternoon; and grass was now are greatest solicitude. Many of the men looked badly, and some this evening were giving out.''" Although they still had some distance to cover the descent was much easier, the worst was behind them. On March 6, 1844 they reached Sutter's Fort without losing a single man. |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20051215030745/http://kirkwood.com/summer/history.html |archivedate = 2005-12-15}}{{Rp|2}} (italic text from expedition reports)</ref>

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==
{{Infobox historic site 
| name =  Maiden's Grave
| image = 
| caption = 
| location= [[California State Highway 88|State Highway 88]], [[Kirkwood, California]]
| coordinates = {{coord|38.6318|-120.171233|region:US-CA_source:gnis-218162_type:landmark|display=inline}}
| 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]].<ref name=amador>{{cite ohp|28|Maiden's Grave|6 October 2012}}</ref>

==Climate==

According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Carson Pass has a [[dry-summer subarctic climate]], abbreviated "Dsc" on climate maps.

{{Weather box
|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<ref name = XMACIS2>
{{cite web
|url = https://xmacis.rcc-acis.org/
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|title = xmACIS2
|access-date = March 7, 2023
}}
</ref>
}}

==See also==
* [[California Historical Landmarks in Alpine County]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{commons and category-inline}}
*{{cite ohp |id=378 |name=Memorial to Pioneer Odd Fellows |accessdate=2012-03-30}}

{{Sierra Nevada}}
[[Category:Mountain passes of the Sierra Nevada (United States)]]
[[Category:Landforms of Alpine County, California]]
[[Category:Eldorado National Forest]]
[[Category:California Historical Landmarks]]
[[Category:California Gold Rush]]
[[Category:Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest]]