Amid Highway 50 snow traffic in Lake Tahoe, CHP says don’t be a ‘chain runner’
Highway closures and chain controls can be a nuisance for people driving into the Sierra Nevada after a heavy snowstorm, but authorities are urging drivers to follow the controls and not forge their own path around them.
On Tuesday, the California Highway Patrol Placerville office posted on X warning drivers along Highway 50 to not attempt to find alternative routes when the road is restricted.
“There are NO secret back roads. From our area, U.S. 50 is the only maintained route,” the post read. “If it’s backed up or under chain control, there is no shortcut. GPS may reroute you onto dangerous forest roads.”
According to Officer Ruth Loehr with the CHP South Lake Tahoe office said people who take back roads to avoid closures or chain controls — or simply blow past chain checkpoints — are known as “chain runners.” And they’re not an uncommon occurrence.
“I would say (it happens) at least once every time we have chain controls,” Loehr said.
Ignoring chain controls can be a costly mistake
On Friday morning, CHP South Lake Tahoe stopped an oversized big rig driving on Highway 88 to avoid chain control, according to a Facebook post.
Loehr said she wasn’t certain what the driver’s motivations were, but said it was possible the truck turned around at the Meyers Highway 50 checkpoint and the driver chose to take Highway 88 — which is not an approved trucking route.
When CHP caught up to it, the massive truck was towed, as it was not in safe condition to continue traveling.
“That never works out, because that is definitely not a road for big rigs at all,” Loehr said.
According to Loehr, a tow bill can be one of the most expensive consequences a driver faces when they circumvent a road closure or chain controls.
During large winter storms like the one seen this week, the California Department of Transportation partners with CHP to conduct chain control enforcement operations.
If a vehicle blows past a Caltrans chain checkpoint and is clearly unsafe to be on restricted roads, or if it is seen taking a side road after turning around, highway officials can pull it over. The highway patrol is not able to levy fines, but it can get a vehicle towed if it does not meet chain control safety requirements.
In the Sierra Nevada, towing costs can be sky-high, Loehr said.
“Tow companies get paid by the hour,” she said. “If they have to go respond out to Alpine County, that’s an hour away ... Give them a good 30–40 minutes on scene to get the car recovered on the flat bed ... and then an hour drive back, they’re getting paid that whole time.”
Loehr said chain runners are often mountain locals or impatient drivers who are confident that their car can make the drive safely, even if it doesn’t have the required all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, or tire chains installed. Often, the drivers do not believe the road is as dangerous as authorities say.
“People don’t understand because chain control is (in one spot), and then maybe 20 yards in front of it, it has black pavement,” Loehr said. “But as soon as you make a turn, like out in Alpine County, as soon as you go around the curve, you’re immediately in nasty weather, nasty road conditions.”
Don’t try to go around highway closures, experts say
With chain controls and road restrictions, traffic on mountain highways tends to stack up. Although a GPS program may suggest rerouting into back roads, Loehr said it’s best to stick to the main road.
Alternative routes usually pass through rural neighborhoods, which can become even more backed up than highways and may be even more dangerous.
According to Loehr, neighborhood roads are not maintained like highways and often have steep, hilly terrain. Additionally, when a program like Apple Maps or Google Maps suggests a new path, it is also suggesting the path to every other driver in the traffic line.
“You’re not the only one who’s smart enough to think that you’re going to bypass either chain control or all the delays, the long queue is that are happening,” Loehr said.
Long lines of cars passing through narrow residential roads can lead to stranded cars, locked-in locals and blocked emergency vehicles during emergency situations.
Loehr said CHP and other highway authorities have tried getting GPS programs to eliminate back road paths from their algorithms during storms, but they have not been cooperative.
The highway patrol legally cannot make public neighborhood roads accessible only to residents, so Loehr strongly urges that drivers stay on the highway through heavy traffic.
“People are not paying attention,” she said. “If they did, they would know (the GPS) is taking you to a neighborhood, and it’s putting you right back onto Highway 50, right back onto Highway 89 or whatever it is, because that’s the only route out of town.”
This story was originally published February 20, 2026 at 4:09 PM.
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