WSDOT file photos document the challenging task of clearing snow from the North Cascades Highway each spring.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) said this week that crews will begin work clearing the North Cascades Scenic Highway for vehicle traffic on Monday, March 27.
WSDOT urged people with snowmobiles parked behind the berm at Early Winters to move them so they don’t impede the highway clearing crews.
The highway was closed to traffic for the season on Nov. 8, 2022, between milepost 134 and 178 (Ross Dam Trailhead to Early Winters gate).
It typically takes several weeks to clear the highway of snow and make necessary repairs. In the previous winter, clearing began on March 28, 2022, and the highway was reopened on May 10.
WSDOT urged that anyone recreating beyond the road closure points should not do so during the clearing crews’ working hours (Monday through Thursday), and be sure to check the Northwest Avalanche Center for current back country avalanche conditions.
According to WSDOT, the earliest opening date was March 10 in 2005; the latest was June 14 in 1974. The pass did not close during the 1976-77 winter.
Most U.S. Forest Service and National Parks Service facilities will likely remain closed while the highway clearing get underway.
