Chinook Pass
SR 410 crosses the Cascade crest at the eastern edge of Mount Rainier National Park, and WSDOT gates it every winter for avalanche danger and snow storage. The dates WSDOT keeps go back to 1935: openings anywhere from April 2 to July 12, closings from late October into the middle of December. Cayuse Pass on SR 123 almost always opens and closes on the same days.
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 5,430 feet — check WSDOT's status page before you drive.
The record
Usually reopens in the second half of May, most years in time for Memorial Day weekend.
Will it be open for your trip?
| If your dates start… | The road was already open in | That's |
|---|---|---|
| May 1 | 5 of 91 years | 5% |
| May 15 | 17 of 91 years | 19% |
| June 1 | 66 of 91 years | 73% |
| June 15 | 82 of 91 years | 90% |
| July 1 | 90 of 91 years | 99% |
| July 15 | 91 of 91 years | 100% |
Odds come from the full record below — past springs, not a promise about this one.
When does Chinook Pass close?
Closes with the first heavy snow, most often in the middle of November. The winter closure covers SR 410 between Crystal Mountain Boulevard, about 12 miles northwest of the summit, and Morse Creek, five miles east of it.
| If you're driving on… | The road was still open in | That's |
|---|---|---|
| October 22 | 90 of 90 years | 100% |
| November 22 | 26 of 90 years | 29% |
| December 1 | 12 of 90 years | 13% |
| December 8 | 7 of 90 years | 8% |
| December 15 | 1 of 90 years | 1% |
| December 22 | 0 of 90 years | 0% |
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 31 | October 31 | Cayuse Pass on SR 123 opened a week earlier that spring. | — |
| 2023 | May 26 | November 10 | — | |
| 2022 | May 26 | October 27 | — | |
| 2021 | May 28 | November 9 | — | |
| 2020 | June 4 | November 12 | — | |
| 2019 | May 23 | November 21 | Closed temporarily on Oct. 19 and reopened Oct. 25 before the season's final closure. | — |
| 2018 | June 11 | November 20 | — | |
| 2017 | June 9 | November 7 | — | |
| 2016 | May 17 | November 29 | — | |
| 2015 | April 2 | November 16 | Earliest opening in WSDOT's record. | — |
| 2014 | May 23 | November 24 | — | |
| 2013 | May 17 | December 2 | — | |
| 2012 | May 25 | November 12 | — | |
| 2011 | June 23 | November 11 | — | |
| 2010 | May 28 | November 16 | — | |
| 2009 | May 22 | November 8 | — | |
| 2008 | June 5 | December 15 | — | |
| 2007 | May 24 | November 29 | — | |
| 2006 | May 25 | November 12 | — | |
| 2005 | April 28 | October 25 | — | |
| 2004 | May 6 | December 7 | — | |
| 2003 | May 14 | November 17 | — | |
| 2002 | May 31 | December 10 | — | |
| 2001 | May 10 | November 26 | — | |
| 2000 | May 18 | November 27 | — | |
| 1999 | July 1 | November 30 | — | |
| 1998 | May 20 | November 20 | — | |
| 1997 | June 12 | November 19 | — | |
| 1996 | May 23 | November 16 | — | |
| 1995 | June 7 | November 7 | — | |
| 1994 | May 27 | October 31 | WSDOT marks the opening date as construction-related. | — |
| 1993 | May 28 | November 18 | Construction-related opening date; SR 410 north of the pass closed Nov. 1 for construction. | — |
| 1992 | May 8 | November 21 | — | |
| 1991 | May 24 | November 19 | — | |
| 1990 | May 17 | November 21 | — | |
| 1989 | May 26 | November 28 | — | |
| 1988 | May 12 | November 10 | — | |
| 1987 | May 13 | November 23 | — | |
| 1986 | May 22 | November 18 | — | |
| 1985 | May 22 | November 9 | — | |
| 1984 | May 24 | November 5 | — | |
| 1983 | May 25 | November 14 | — | |
| 1982 | June 10 | November 16 | — | |
| 1981 | April 29 | November 20 | — | |
| 1980 | May 21 | November 17 | — | |
| 1979 | May 25 | November 24 | — | |
| 1978 | May 25 | November 18 | — | |
| 1977 | — | November 15 | WSDOT lists no opening date for that spring. | — |
| 1976 | June 11 | — | WSDOT lists no closing date for that winter. | — |
| 1975 | June 13 | October 28 | — | |
| 1974 | July 12 | December 18 | Latest opening in WSDOT's record. | — |
| 1973 | April 5 | November 9 | — | |
| 1972 | June 23 | November 9 | — | |
| 1971 | June 18 | November 1 | — | |
| 1970 | May 29 | November 11 | — | |
| 1969 | May 27 | December 10 | — | |
| 1968 | May 10 | November 22 | — | |
| 1967 | June 3 | November 28 | — | |
| 1966 | May 26 | November 16 | — | |
| 1965 | May 28 | November 24 | — | |
| 1964 | June 20 | November 22 | — | |
| 1963 | May 28 | November 7 | — | |
| 1962 | May 20 | November 25 | — | |
| 1961 | June 6 | November 11 | — | |
| 1960 | May 25 | November 15 | — | |
| 1959 | May 22 | November 19 | — | |
| 1958 | May 24 | November 9 | — | |
| 1957 | May 10 | November 27 | — | |
| 1956 | June 13 | November 16 | — | |
| 1955 | June 6 | November 17 | — | |
| 1954 | June 19 | December 5 | — | |
| 1953 | May 30 | November 21 | — | |
| 1952 | May 16 | December 4 | — | |
| 1951 | May 19 | November 11 | — | |
| 1950 | June 7 | November 15 | — | |
| 1949 | May 27 | December 9 | — | |
| 1948 | June 12 | November 3 | — | |
| 1947 | May 15 | November 5 | — | |
| 1946 | June 27 | November 1 | — | |
| 1945 | June 2 | November 9 | — | |
| 1944 | May 20 | November 23 | — | |
| 1943 | June 18 | November 4 | — | |
| 1942 | May 3 | November 3 | — | |
| 1941 | April 15 | December 15 | — | |
| 1940 | May 15 | November 8 | — | |
| 1939 | May 7 | December 15 | — | |
| 1938 | May 28 | November 16 | — | |
| 1937 | June 1 | November 12 | — | |
| 1936 | May 23 | December 8 | — | |
| 1935 | May 21 | November 15 | The first year in WSDOT's record. | — |
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.
Chinook Pass: opening and closing questions
- When does Chinook Pass close for the winter?
- Closes with the first heavy snow, most often in the middle of November. Across the 90 closings on record the gate has gone shut around November 16 — as early as October 24 in 2025, as late as December 18 in 1974. The winter closure covers SR 410 between Crystal Mountain Boulevard, about 12 miles northwest of the summit, and Morse Creek, five miles east of it.
- When did Chinook 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 Chinook Pass in winter?
- No. SR 410 between Crystal Mountain Boulevard, about 12 miles northwest of the summit, and Morse Creek, five miles east of it is gated once the season ends, and it stays shut until spring plowing gets through. WSDOT posts the gate's current state.
- Is Chinook 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 25 to about November 16.
- When does Chinook Pass open again?
- Usually reopens in the second half of May, most years in time for Memorial Day weekend. The median of the 91 openings on record is May 25; the earliest was April 2 in 2015 and the latest July 12 in 1974.