Chinook and Cayuse passes temporarily closing Wednesday

YAKIMA – With storms expected in the Cascades today and Thursday, the state Department of Transportation will temporarily close Chinook and Cayuse passes at 10 a.m. today in a precautionary measure.

The agency will close Chinook Pass – the mountain pass at State Route 410 – between Crystal Mountain Boulevard, about 12 miles northwest of the 5,430-foot summit and Morse Creek, about 5 miles east of the summit. Cayuse Pass, located at State Road 123, will close within Mount Rainier National Park from Crystal Mountain Boulevard to Stevens Canyon Road.

DOT officials will re-evaluate conditions next week. Both passes are usually closed starting in late November due to hazardous weather conditions in the winter months.

Ongoing updates about the two passes are at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes/chinook-cayuse.