WSDOT reopens North Cascades Highway

State Highway 20, which connects Whatcom and Skagit counties with eastern Washington, reopened May 10 after Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) crews worked for six weeks to clear the road of snow.

WSDOT announced on Twitter May 9 that North Cascades Highway would open at 10 a.m. May 10. The highway is Washington’s northernmost mountain pass and connects the Skagit Valley with Methow Valley through North Cascades National Park. 

Every year WSDOT closes SR 20 around mid-November for the winter and typically reopens the mountain pass in early May. Last year, the road closed November 10. 

Winter recreationists can still access the closed portion of the highway during winter. WSDOT asks hikers, skier and snowmobilers to park in designated parking areas to allow plow drivers space to clear snow around the closed road’s access gates.

WSDOT crews began clearing the road March 28, which consists of clearing some eight feet of snow and repairing damaged portions of the road. 

“It was a weird season with more snow at the end than we had in the beginning, but the clearing team stayed persistent,” a WSDOT spokesperson wrote on Twitter. “How about some applause for the hard working crew!”