Cascade Passes Closed For Winter

Wed., Nov. 25, 1998

From Staff

Chinook and Cayuse passes in the Cascade Range and the North Cascades Highways have been closed for the winter, the state Department of Transportation said Tuesday.

Chinook Pass, elevation 5,440 feet, is closed from the west at the intersection of Washington 123 and 410, near the Mount Rainier National Park boundary, to Morse Creek on the east.

Cayuse Pass, elevation 4,694 feet, is closed from Stevens Canyon Road to just south of the Crystal Mountain Boulevard cutoff on Washington 410.

The North Cascades Highway, Washington 20, is closed from the west gate at Ross Lake Trail Head to the east gate at Early Winters Creek. The highway runs across 4,855-foot Rainy Pass and 5,477-foot Washington Pass.

Snow and avalanche danger closed all three routes. The mountain roads usually close in mid-November and reopen in April or May.

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