Cayuse Pass
Cayuse Pass is the quieter half of a pair. SR 123 climbs the east side of Mount Rainier National Park to the junction with SR 410 below Chinook Pass, and WSDOT gates and reopens the two together in most years. The dates WSDOT keeps start in 1973, and the openings run from March 18 to the end of June — and once, after a winter that wrecked the road, not until September.
This year
Live plow-season reports load here. For today's conditions, go straight to WSDOT's status page.
Conditions change by the hour at 4,675 feet — check WSDOT's status page before you drive.
The record
Usually reopens in May, on the same morning as Chinook Pass; the older years in the record open as early as March.
Will it be open for your trip?
| If your dates start… | The road was already open in | That's |
|---|---|---|
| July 1 | 51 of 52 years | 98% |
| July 15 | 51 of 52 years | 98% |
| August 1 | 51 of 52 years | 98% |
| August 15 | 51 of 52 years | 98% |
| September 1 | 51 of 52 years | 98% |
| September 15 | 51 of 52 years | 98% |
Odds come from the full record below — past springs, not a promise about this one.
When does Cayuse Pass close?
Closes with the first heavy snow, most often in the second half of November. The winter closure covers SR 123 from the Cayuse Pass junction with SR 410 south to Stevens Canyon Road.
| If you're driving on… | The road was still open in | That's |
|---|---|---|
| October 1 | 52 of 52 years | 100% |
| December 1 | 13 of 52 years | 25% |
| December 8 | 7 of 52 years | 13% |
| December 15 | 3 of 52 years | 6% |
| December 22 | 3 of 52 years | 6% |
| January 1 | 2 of 52 years | 4% |
Closing dates come from the same record as the openings — the year-by-year table below. Past autumns, not a promise about this one: a single storm can end the season a fortnight early.
Every year on record
| Year | Opened | Closed | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | May 22 | — | WSDOT reopened both passes by 8 a.m. that Friday, ahead of Memorial Day weekend. | wsdot.wa.gov |
| 2025 | May 23 | October 24 | — | |
| 2024 | May 24 | October 31 | Opened a week ahead of Chinook Pass that spring. | — |
| 2023 | May 26 | November 10 | — | |
| 2022 | May 27 | October 25 | — | |
| 2021 | May 28 | November 9 | — | |
| 2020 | June 4 | November 12 | — | |
| 2019 | May 23 | November 21 | Closed temporarily on Oct. 19 and reopened the next day before the season's final closure. | — |
| 2018 | June 11 | November 20 | — | |
| 2017 | May 19 | November 7 | — | |
| 2016 | April 29 | November 29 | — | |
| 2015 | April 2 | November 16 | — | |
| 2014 | May 16 | November 24 | — | |
| 2013 | May 3 | November 20 | — | |
| 2012 | May 8 | November 12 | — | |
| 2011 | May 26 | November 11 | — | |
| 2010 | April 30 | November 16 | — | |
| 2009 | May 15 | November 8 | — | |
| 2008 | May 23 | December 15 | — | |
| 2007 | September 29 | November 29 | Winter storm damage kept the road shut all summer; it reopened Sept. 29 for two months. | — |
| 2006 | June 30 | November 12 | Latest spring opening in WSDOT's record. | — |
| 2005 | April 21 | November 4 | — | |
| 2004 | April 30 | December 6 | — | |
| 2003 | April 18 | November 18 | — | |
| 2002 | May 6 | December 12 | — | |
| 2001 | April 20 | November 26 | — | |
| 2000 | April 20 | November 28 | — | |
| 1999 | June 3 | November 30 | — | |
| 1998 | April 25 | November 23 | — | |
| 1997 | May 23 | November 20 | — | |
| 1996 | June 21 | October 7 | Winter storm damage delayed the opening, and the road shut early in October so crews could repair it. | — |
| 1995 | May 24 | December 4 | — | |
| 1994 | May 23 | October 31 | WSDOT marks the opening date as construction-related. | — |
| 1993 | May 28 | November 18 | WSDOT marks the opening date as construction-related. | — |
| 1992 | March 30 | November 30 | — | |
| 1991 | May 3 | December 7 | — | |
| 1990 | May 17 | November 24 | — | |
| 1989 | May 1 | January 4, 1990 | Stayed open into the new year before closing Jan. 4, 1990. | — |
| 1988 | April 15 | November 17 | — | |
| 1987 | April 3 | November 30 | — | |
| 1986 | April 10 | November 28 | — | |
| 1985 | April 19 | November 17 | — | |
| 1984 | April 6 | November 16 | — | |
| 1983 | April 7 | November 24 | — | |
| 1982 | April 30 | December 2 | — | |
| 1981 | March 18 | November 30 | Earliest opening in WSDOT's record. | — |
| 1980 | April 21 | December 4 | — | |
| 1979 | April 23 | January 8, 1980 | Stayed open into the new year before closing Jan. 8, 1980. | — |
| 1978 | April 3 | December 10 | — | |
| 1977 | — | December 2 | WSDOT lists no opening date for that spring. | — |
| 1976 | May 14 | — | WSDOT lists no closing date for that winter. | — |
| 1975 | April 29 | November 30 | — | |
| 1974 | May 29 | December 30 | — | |
| 1973 | — | December 12 | The first year in WSDOT's record; no opening date is listed for it. | — |
Record drawn from WSDOT: Mountain pass closure and opening dates · WSDOT news release: Chinook and Cayuse passes reopen May 22, 2026 · WSDOT news release: Chinook and Cayuse passes close Oct. 24, 2025. Years with their own link were taken from that record. Last checked August 14, 2026.
Cayuse Pass: opening and closing questions
- When does Cayuse Pass close for the winter?
- Closes with the first heavy snow, most often in the second half of November. Across the 52 closings on record the gate has gone shut around November 24 — as early as October 7 in 1996, as late as January 8 in 1979. The winter closure covers SR 123 from the Cayuse Pass junction with SR 410 south to Stevens Canyon Road.
- When did Cayuse Pass close last?
- The most recent closing on the record is October 24, 2025. Every other season we can source is in the table on this page.
- Can you drive Cayuse Pass in winter?
- No. SR 123 from the Cayuse Pass junction with SR 410 south to Stevens Canyon Road is gated once the season ends, and it stays shut until spring plowing gets through. WSDOT posts the gate's current state.
- Is Cayuse Pass open right now?
- This page is the season record, not the road's condition this morning. Washington State Department of Transportation publishes today's state of the road, and that is the one to check before you drive — conditions turn over in hours at this elevation. For planning: the usual season runs from about May 7 to about November 24.
- When does Cayuse Pass open again?
- Usually reopens in May, on the same morning as Chinook Pass; the older years in the record open as early as March. The median of the 52 openings on record is May 7; the earliest was March 18 in 1981 and the latest September 29 in 2007.