The road to Mount Baldy Mountain Resort reopened Tuesday, hours after snow and ice trapped dozens of motorists the night before.
Drivers were lined up on Mt. Baldy Road near Shinn Road about 7:30 a.m. after being greeted by a “road closed” sign put there by the California Highway Patrol.
The CHP initially closed the road Monday night after dozens of vehicles got stuck in ice and snow from the winter season’s first storm. About 16 to 21 inches of snow fell on the area, according to the Mt. Baldy Resort website.
Video recorded Monday night showed cars spinning out and sliding into other vehicles.
Angie Paulsteiner and her daughter were allowed to get warm in a stranger’s vehicle after spinning out in a dangerous spot.
“He was nice enough to let us into his car until we get help,” Paulsteiner said.
The Mount Baldy Fire Department tweeted Tuesday that some vehicles were still stuck on the road from Monday night.
By 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, the road to Mount Baldy was reopened with tire chains required.
“Please be aware there is an approximately 2 hour line of traffic to reach the chain control checkpoint,” the Fire Department said in announcing the reopening.
The CHP advised visitors to have a full tank of gas, tire chains and to be aware that there is often no cellphone service in the mountains.