North Cascades Highway closes for winter, latest time in a decade
The scenic North Cascades Highway, state Route 20, will close for the winter at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, the first December closure since 2008 and three weeks later when comparing to the day the barricades went up last year.
The closure comes as snow is forecast for later this week, with the snow level below both the 4,855-foot Rainy Pass and 5,477-foot Washington Pass. The highway curls through the higher pass beneath two famous North Cascades peaks, Liberty Bell and Early Winters Spire, the former first climbed by famed mountaineer Fred Beckey. Avalanche chutes extend down across the highway.
Washington has three mountain passes that exceed 5,400 feet. The 5,430-foot Chinook Pass was closed on Nov. 21. The highest, 5,587-foot Sherman Pass in the Kettle Range of Northeast Washington between Republic and Kettle Falls, remains open -- the Kettle Range gets less snowfall than the Cascades.
The initial SR-20 closure is from milepost 134, the Ross Lake Trailhead in Whatcom County, to milepost 177 in Okanogan County, the Silver Star Gate (named for an 8,876 foot peak that dominates the upper Methow Valley). Usually in January, the west end closure is moved back to milepost 130, the Colonial Creek Campground, while the end of the highway is shut at milepost 168, Early Winters Campground.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/north-cascades-highway-closes-for-winter-latest-time-in-a-decade/ar-BBY2AP7
