Throughout the year, the Nevada Highway Patrol sees countless cars parked illegally on mountain highways.
This is especially an issue where Highway 50 meets Highway 28, close to the Tahoe area.
Another recreation where they've seen the issue is off of Mt. Rose Highway.
Mt. Rose Highway is where we caught up with Carson City resident Brynn Nelson and asked her about her own experiences when recreating in the area.
"It's been, you know, a lot of turning around, a lot of traffic, and people running across the road, which makes it very dangerous when they're parking where they're not supposed to be," she said. "So it is very scary. And you have to keep your eyes peeled at all times when you're driving during those times."
Nelson even offered up some tips if you're planning to visit the area.
"Usually, you want to get there very early or later in the afternoon. So you could do like a 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 2 to 6 p.m., but any time after that 8 o'clock time, it's very difficult in the later afternoon to get a spot."
Sergeant Chris Brown, the Public Information Officer with the Nevada Highway Patrol, tells us that parking illegally can cause disruptions in many ways.
"As a driver, you really need to pay attention," he said. "If I'm going to park here, our vehicle is going to be able to navigate around me, and then I'll think about our emergency vehicles around me. If you're calling 911 because you get hurt sledding or you're out snowshoeing across plains, you're going to want those first responders to quickly get down to you. And if you've parked so tightly that you can barely drive through in an SUV or a sedan, just think of trying to get a fire engine or an ambulance in there."
He adds that if you park on the highway along the shoulder, you're going to impact oncoming traffic as well.
"Now you're looking at vehicles potentially getting hit, causing crashes," he said. "People can't safely come around the corner, and now you have the speed too. That is a factor because you have traffic that's coming around some of these corners at 45, 50-plus miles per hour."
Even if it looks like a safe place to park, if it says no parking, there's a good reason for it… Especially if it's snowing, because those who work on the roads to keep them open during the winter will be affected by people parking in the wrong places as well.
But there are things you can do if you're looking for safe parking in these areas.
Sgt. Brown explains, "So, always be looking for areas, whether there's a state park or a parking area, or planning ahead and making sure that you know that this typically fills up. So let's get up there early and try and get a parking spot. Unfortunately, don't be afraid to say, 'You know what, the spots don't work. Let's go find a different spot, or we'll come back a different day."
During our ride-along with Sgt. Brown, he pointed out that today was a better day for parking, but there are other safety issues to pay attention to.
Sgt. Brown says, "You can see there is a ton of traffic. A lot of folks up here. Luckily for us right now, we're not seeing too many of the parking issues, though. People are actually blocking travel lanes or out in the travel lanes. But what we are seeing is folks walking very close to the active travel lanes or even out into the travel lanes and crossing the street. So it's really important for drivers to be prepared for the traffic up here, prepared for slowing or stopping traffic, as folks may be crossing the street or maneuvering in or out of a parking spot."
He also adds that if you're driving up to recreate, you should also have a designated sober driver.
"One thing that we do see a lot in the winter months is folks that come up to either go sledding or go skiing, and they end up having a few drinks during the day or partaking in recreational marijuana or other substances,
and then head back down the mountain in the afternoon. So make sure if you are going to be enjoying yourselves out in the backcountry or at local ski resorts and having a couple of cocktails or a couple of items that may impact your driving, that you have a safe and sober ride home so you can get back down the mountain safely."
Sgt. Brown also mentioned to pay attention to signage.
"So these folks, even though they're not authorized vehicles, right. When we talk about authorized vehicles, we're usually talking about NDOT-type vehicles and emergency vehicles. But they're with their vehicles or enjoying the view, and they're maintaining that time frame of that, that no more than 20 minutes. So really paying attention to signage is extremely important."
He also reminds everyone to watch out for pedestrians: "However, as the day progresses, we'll start to see folks come in and start parking in spots where they're out in the travel lane and blocking the travel lane. But what we do see right now as you come through this area is a lot of pedestrian traffic, a lot of young kids right up against the travel lane, and folks walking out into the travel lanes. And so it's really important to pay attention and really slow down. If you are coming through this specific area, be ready for children walking out in the travel lane or potentially even falling and ending up in the travel lane, and people just not paying attention in general."
