Coast Resorts Open Roads Forum: Beware of Falling Rocks

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Topic: Beware of Falling Rocks - WTH

Posted By: holstein13 on 08/14/16 11:54am

I've traveled quite a bit through the mountains the past few years and often pause to consider exactly what the "Beware of Falling Rocks" actually means.

I assume that rocks occasionally break away from the mountain side and come crashing down or roll onto the road surface. But how often does this happen, how big is the danger, and what, exactly, should we be doing in addition to our normal vigilance to prevent a problem? For the record, I have never seen any large rocks on the road anywhere near the "falling rocks" signs.

Seriously, I am constantly watching the road for any debris. Things fall off of trucks and cars all the time. Things get blown onto the road and I see debris all the time on the road. Aren't we supposed to be watching out for this anyway? Why the special attention to rocks?

If there are so many rocks falling from the mountain that this is a likely event, then I fully expect the entity responsible for the road to mitigate the damage with netting and catchment areas and I see those all the time. If the rocks are less frequent, then why the need for the sign?

Maybe you could shed some light on the dangers here and share your experiences if you've encountered these falling rocks.

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Posted By: csamayfield55x on 08/14/16 12:06pm

If you are traveling through during wet or snowy times you should keep a close eye out. Rocks can and do roll onto road and have been known to hit cars or take out undercarriages. It doesn't happen too often but it does happen.

A few years ago we were in Sacramento Ca. on new years. Theweather got very bad and we heard I80 was closed back to Reno. Turns out the whole side of the mountain let go and the rocks and mud were bad enough that it knocked cars out of there lanes and even trapped someone. I have also had to dodge smaller rocks in the mountains but never as bad as that

Chris

Posted By: eubank on 08/14/16 12:13pm

Step one: Slow down. Step two: If you can't see around a curve, slow some more.

If you come speeding around a curve in the mountains and find a big rock in the middle of the road, you may wind up with a pretty banged up rig. And if it's a big boulder, well, the boulder will win.

The chances of being hit by a rolling rock are pretty small. The chances of seeing a big one in the middle of the road are a good deal better (but still pretty small). The chances of seeing smaller rocks in the road are better still, especially after rains. And even a smaller rock (say, 3 or 4 inches) can do some major damage to your tires if you hit it.

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Posted By: sdianel -acct closed on 08/14/16 12:15pm

Great Smoky Mountains National Park was closed last year due to rock slide. In 2012 a rock slide at Glacier National Park hit a car. In 2014 rocks hit a bridge in Oregon. It happens much more than you think, but the odds are that you will be there at exactly the time it happens is very low. You should watch the road to see if any rocks have fallen into the road. That's about all you can do. Many places have put up barriers that help. There are many more things to worry about on the road than falling rocks.

Posted By: Rangerider on 08/14/16 12:23pm

See post by rv2go titled "House-sized boulder blocks highway in Zion National Park"

Posted By: BB_TX on 08/14/16 12:23pm

Rocks can, and do, fall at any time. I have seen numerous rocks to basketball and larger size along road shoulders in those areas. But never in the roadway itself (yet). But seems once or twice a year there will be a story of a highway somewhere being closed due to a large rock slide. Many areas do use netting and.or concrete barriers to keep the rocks from the roadway.

Posted By: gbopp on 08/14/16 12:29pm

It's a warning sign alerting you to the possibility of falling rocks.
Yes, they are often netted with steel mesh and have 'catch areas' to contain the fallen rock.

It's really no different than 'construction ahead', 'steep grade ahead' or any other warning sign. It just lets you know of a situation on the road ahead.

It does not mean the rocks will fall, just that the possibility exists.
I've seen signs near airports warning of ow flying aircraft. There were no aircraft I could see. The sign just means there could be low flying aircraft.

It's really a simple, self explanatory sign. Don't read too much into its meaning.

Posted By: Johno02 on 08/14/16 12:35pm

Have seen many of the signs, and a lot of fallen rock. Usually road crews get it clear every quickly, But a lot of it does happen. In North Carolina, I-40 slides off down the side of the mountain occasionally, and in Eastern Tennessee, rock slides are common. We were in Arcadia National Park when roads were closed for several days due to an earthquake where fallen rocks closed many of the roads. Alwys wear your hard hats whenever you see one of the signs!!!

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Posted By: Old-Biscuit on 08/14/16 12:58pm

Is it time for your medication or mine?

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Posted By: Homer on 08/14/16 01:02pm

I-40 East out of Asheville N.C. was completely wiped out a few years ago with a huge rock slide. Road was closed until they could rebuild it. I do not remember if any one was hurt in that slide or not. It is populated by a lot of trucks. The signs have always been there, now they have wire netting trying to lessen and control the incidence.

Posted By: NYCgrrl on 08/14/16 01:22pm

gbopp wrote:

This.

I've seen the aftermath of falling rocks in NYC, NYS, and CT. You drive a tad more carefully (and faster) in areas w/ those signs just as you drive more cautiously in areas with "Deer Crossing" signs.

Posted By: bukhrn on 08/14/16 01:48pm

It can & does happen more often than we as individuals see, hence the recent problem at Zion, and the I-40 slide,that Homer referenced, but most are much smaller, but a basketball sized rock coming off the side of a mountain will put a hell of a hole in an aluminum or fiberglass skinned RV.
There is really not much you can do, except keep your eyes open, and be aware of the possibility. I have seen Many rocks that have fallen, luckily, they were all on the shoulder.
I agree with others in saying that you have a far better chance of hitting something off another vehicle, like the semi wheel, (tire & Rim) I hit with a company van near Pittsburgh, or the many battery battery box covers i've seen laying in the road, or the entire fiberglass (or plastic} front bumper cover laying in the fast lane on I-95. Just be careful.And let's not forget the multitude of Goodyear Gators out there.

* This post was edited 08/14/16 01:55pm by bukhrn *

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Posted By: bukhrn on 08/14/16 01:50pm

mich800 wrote:

I have never seen a deer cross at the designated crossing area. What's up with that?

The 2 deer that hit my pickup, weren't crossing at a sign either, that's right, They hit me, right in the side. [emoticon]

Posted By: Naio on 08/14/16 02:05pm

:: laughing at the image of a giant class A playing dodgeball with falling rocks ::

I mostly see the more succinct signs that just say 'ROCKS'.

I always want to write 'AC/DC' above.

(Not that I am particularly an AC/DC fan; they just seem to fit.)

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Posted By: Naio on 08/14/16 02:12pm

My grandma likes to tell the story of a family car trip when I was six. We were looking for a turnout to pull over and pee (in the mountains) and I said, 'We can't go here. The sign says 'no dumping'!'

Posted By: Tiger4x4RV on 08/14/16 02:15pm

In the mountains around here (the San Gabriels) there are rock plows which make regular runs on the paved roads. In between plowings, fallen rocks are not uncommon. Even a medium sized rock on the pavement can damage an oil pan.

Basically, just watch out for everything all the time.

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Posted By: southernsky on 08/14/16 03:00pm

eubank wrote:

Lynn

As small as a chance there is, we found one. We were traveling in Wyoming mountains coming down and around a turn and there it was. Being from Louisiana it didn't register seeing a large brown thing in the road. First thought road kill elk, then it dawn on me....Oh Hell a boulder....LARGE....REALLY LARGE...car coming the other way. All I could do is aim for the spot between the boulder and rail hoping to fit. When we got through I looked in my mirrors and it was close...really close. Wife and I looked at each other and said "OHHHH S@%& !!!!! So folks, it does happen.

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Posted By: NYCgrrl on 08/14/16 03:06pm

mich800 wrote:

I have never seen a deer cross at the designated crossing area. What's up with that?

We were traveling along the Sawmill Pkwy in the evening when a deer went suicidal and jumped into the road. I'll never forget the look on the deer's face or how I imagined my face looked. The man swerved appropriately despite the Ford sedan that was tailgating us. We were near the Great Hunger Park and all the "Caution! Deer Crossing" signs [emoticon]

Posted By: Johno02 on 08/14/16 03:13pm

This has been a fun thread, but to get serious for a minute. Our daughter is a OTR truck driver, drives coast-to-coast both north routes and southern routes. According to her, one of the things they fear are people throwing rocks and other things from overpasses, and/or bluffs overlooking the interstates. This has become a serious danger, and is happening more and more. Her advice to me, especially when driving the MH, and also when driving anywhere, is to be careful and very watchful. Her and others visually inspect each and every overpass as they approach, and try to observe vehicles or people standing or not moving on the overpasses. They try to report anything suspicious if possible. If you see anyone standing on a bridge or overpass, be especially watchful and prepared for anything.

Posted By: Gdetrailer on 08/14/16 03:44pm

3oaks wrote:

352 wrote:

I think you have way to much time on your hands.

I agree. And perhaps pretty bored too.

I always believed "Beware of Falling Rocks" was pretty self explanatory. [emoticon]

But then again, if traveling in PA, there is a danger of falling rocks originating from people throwing them from highway overpasses as a poor woman from Ohio tragically was hit by.

That doesn't happen just in PA..

My brother had moved TO Ohio, was there not even a week and lost a windshield due to a rock someone had nicely tossed off the bridge he went under..

But back to the subject at hand, signs like that are often placed in WELL KNOWN areas for rocks coming down hill sides.. Typically places that have had repeated falling rock events..

More than once there HAS been boulders the size of a bus or larger fall on the road on Route 28 between Harmer and Pittsburgh off the bluffs above the road. Makes for a real traffic mess when that happens.

Posted By: spoon059 on 08/14/16 06:38pm

CavemanCharlie wrote:

In MN they are no longer putting up Deer Crossing signs. The ones that are already there will remain but, if they break they will not be replaced. It seems that nobody was teaching the deer to cross at the signs and it was determined that they did not prevent any accidents.

Ha, State highway department failure... they didn't properly educate the wildlife! Technically there aren't any designated crosswalks anyways, so I think you could argue that education wasn't the only mistake they made, proper roadway signage rules weren't followed.

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Posted By: camperforlife on 08/14/16 09:03pm

We were in Colorado when a fallen rock took out a Honda directly in front of us. The three older people in the car were unhurt but the Honda had to be towed. We cleared out space in the backseat of the truck and took them to the next town where they could call for help.

They were from NJ and all the gentleman could think about was his car would be stripped if he left it behind. All I could do was chuckle to myself thinking if he was lucky someone would strip it pushing the damage to total it.

Posted By: 2gypsies on 08/14/16 09:19pm

If it's been raining hard or for days that's when you'll watch for falling rocks.

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Posted By: free radical on 08/14/16 09:30pm

Gdetrailer wrote:

3oaks wrote:

352 wrote:

I think you have way to much time on your hands.

I agree. And perhaps pretty bored too.

I always believed "Beware of Falling Rocks" was pretty self explanatory. [emoticon]

But then again, if traveling in PA, there is a danger of falling rocks originating from people throwing them from highway overpasses as a poor woman from Ohio tragically was hit by.

It was even worse while back in Edmonton when some punks tossed heavy rock from overpass at night and killed a bus driver,,
Took the cops a long while but they did catch the culprits eventualy,,some young school kids stupid prank..

Posted By: mockturtle on 08/14/16 09:39pm

In 2005, three women were killed by a rock falling on their car near Snoqualmie Pass on I-90 in WA. If a rock is 'falling', it's probably too late. Maybe the signs should say, 'Watch out for Fallen Rocks'.

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Posted By: Durb on 08/14/16 09:39pm

I had to stop short for bounding rocks coming over the road while descending the cliff at Lake Billy Chinook in Oregon. They were tumbling and bouncing with such force that many would have been lethal if they struck a vehicle even though none was bigger than a basketball.

Had a friend that drove over a fallen rock on the Kalama River Road. It didn't look too big but was enough to roll under her oil pan and transmission and total a late model Jaguar sedan.

Posted By: wnjj on 08/14/16 11:37pm

Naio wrote:

Years ago a local radio station had a slogan, "KGON rocks". More than once I saw a KGON bumper sticker stuck on the 'rocks' warning sign alongside a highway in the coast range.

Posted By: dodge guy on 08/15/16 05:36am

A thread from a few days ago!

Zion NP road closed!

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Posted By: holstein13 on 08/15/16 09:15am

dodge guy wrote:

A thread from a few days ago!

Zion NP road closed!

That's a great example of what I'm talking about. The park was closed during the thunderstorm that caused this boulder to fall. Hence, no need for the signs.

Posted By: eieioh on 08/15/16 11:24am

I'm a little sad that the true story of the Snoqualmie Brave Falling Rock has been deleted. I feel the members of this forum deserve to know the story and thus be able to act appropriatly when encountering Falling Rock.

Posted By: beemerphile1 on 08/15/16 11:58am

You all don't know what you are talking about, I learned as a Boy Scout the reason for the falling rocks signs.

Cliff notes version;

A tribe of native Americans sent out a messenger to gather all the bands for a great war with the white man. The chosen messenger was the son of Rising Sun.

In the spring none of the other bands arrived as requested because the messenger had disappeared in the mountains. A deal was struck between Rising Son and the white soldiers.

Rising Sun and his people would surrender and go peacefully to the reservation if the white man would agree to help find his son. That is why, now you see signs "Watch for Falling Rocks" as that was the name of the son of Rising Sun.

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Posted By: bpounds on 08/15/16 08:49pm

Warning signs about falling rocks are not only about boulders. A tennis ball sized rock on the road is all it takes to take out a tire and cause a catastrophe.

There is a mountain road that we frequent where the hillside above the cut is simply unstable. They plow the road twice a day, all year long. Same plow they use for snow, but this plow is just clearing any rocks that have rolled onto the roadway. You best keep a sharp eye out on that road.

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Posted By: slickest1 on 08/16/16 06:34pm

If they didn't post these areas with signs then they are liable. It is one of the hazards of driving on mountainous roads and the signs have no more or less significance than the lines on the the road. They are there to let you know that there is a danger.

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Posted By: Allworth on 08/16/16 08:06pm

Or maybe the crew gets paid by the sign. More signs = more pay!

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Posted By: Dutch_12078 on 08/16/16 08:47pm

I've stopped a couple of times over the years to help clear rocks up to basketball size from a roadway. I've also helped clear downed trees off of roads a few times, but there weren't any signs warning of those...

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Posted By: tatest on 08/17/16 03:38pm

Traveling through a falling rocks zone during a thunderstorm, a three foot boulder missed me by about 15 feet, a smaller rock punched a hole through a front panel.

Falling rocks warning means watch for falling rocks, be prepared to dodge them, watch for rocks already in the roadbed.

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