North Cascades Highway
Washington's long wait. WSDOT gates 37 miles of SR 20 every winter, then spends the spring digging Rainy and Washington passes back out. WSDOT's record starts with the highway's September 1972 debut; every spring reopening since has landed somewhere between March 10 and the middle of June.
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 5,477 feet — check WSDOT's status page before you drive.
The record
Usually reopens in the second half of April; a heavy winter pushes it into May.
Will it be open for your trip?
| If your dates start… | The road was already open in | That's |
|---|---|---|
| July 1 | 53 of 54 years | 98% |
| July 15 | 53 of 54 years | 98% |
| August 1 | 53 of 54 years | 98% |
| August 15 | 53 of 54 years | 98% |
| September 1 | 53 of 54 years | 98% |
| September 15 | 54 of 54 years | 100% |
Odds come from the full record below — past springs, not a promise about this one.
When does North Cascades Highway close?
Closes with the first storm that sticks, most often in the second half of November. The winter closure covers the 37 miles over Rainy and Washington passes, between the Ross Dam trailhead at milepost 134 and the Silver Star gate at milepost 171.
| If you're driving on… | The road was still open in | That's |
|---|---|---|
| October 15 | 53 of 53 years | 100% |
| December 1 | 15 of 53 years | 28% |
| December 8 | 8 of 53 years | 15% |
| December 15 | 3 of 53 years | 6% |
| December 22 | 1 of 53 years | 2% |
| January 1 | 1 of 53 years | 2% |
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 | June 14 | — | Winter storm damage and a March rockslide held the full opening to June 14; the east side had reopened as far as Porcupine Creek on April 30. | wsdot.wa.gov |
| 2025 | April 22 | December 4 | — | |
| 2024 | April 19 | November 18 | — | |
| 2023 | May 11 | November 30 | — | |
| 2022 | May 10 | November 3 | — | |
| 2021 | May 5 | November 15 | — | |
| 2020 | May 12 | November 16 | — | |
| 2019 | April 18 | December 11 | — | |
| 2018 | May 11 | November 28 | — | |
| 2017 | May 16 | November 10 | — | |
| 2016 | April 22 | November 18 | — | |
| 2015 | April 3 | November 12 | — | |
| 2014 | May 8 | November 24 | — | |
| 2013 | April 16 | December 3 | — | |
| 2012 | May 10 | November 20 | — | |
| 2011 | May 25 | November 21 | — | |
| 2010 | April 16 | December 1 | — | |
| 2009 | April 24 | November 17 | — | |
| 2008 | May 1 | December 15 | — | |
| 2007 | April 26 | December 4 | — | |
| 2006 | May 1 | November 13 | — | |
| 2005 | March 10 | November 3 | Earliest opening in WSDOT's record. | — |
| 2004 | April 8 | December 13 | — | |
| 2003 | April 14 | October 17 | — | |
| 2002 | May 7 | December 17 | — | |
| 2001 | March 22 | November 19 | — | |
| 2000 | March 30 | November 28 | — | |
| 1999 | May 5 | December 6 | — | |
| 1998 | April 2 | November 20 | — | |
| 1997 | May 7 | December 16 | — | |
| 1996 | April 24 | November 19 | — | |
| 1995 | April 28 | November 5 | — | |
| 1994 | April 7 | October 31 | — | |
| 1993 | March 24 | December 8 | — | |
| 1992 | April 9 | December 8 | — | |
| 1991 | May 2 | November 17 | — | |
| 1990 | April 18 | November 12 | — | |
| 1989 | April 21 | January 3, 1990 | Stayed open into the new year before closing Jan. 3, 1990. | — |
| 1988 | April 20 | November 19 | — | |
| 1987 | April 15 | December 1 | — | |
| 1986 | April 11 | November 26 | — | |
| 1985 | April 12 | November 15 | — | |
| 1984 | April 4 | November 2 | — | |
| 1983 | April 20 | November 24 | — | |
| 1982 | May 6 | December 2 | — | |
| 1981 | April 24 | November 30 | — | |
| 1980 | April 18 | November 27 | — | |
| 1979 | April 10 | December 15 | — | |
| 1978 | April 21 | December 11 | — | |
| 1977 | — | November 23 | WSDOT lists no opening date for that spring. | — |
| 1976 | May 21 | — | WSDOT lists no closing date for that winter. | — |
| 1975 | May 16 | November 24 | — | |
| 1974 | June 14 | November 21 | Latest spring opening in WSDOT's record. | — |
| 1973 | April 27 | November 21 | — | |
| 1972 | September 2 | November 26 | The first year WSDOT lists, and the only one where the road opened in September. | — |
Record drawn from WSDOT: Mountain pass closure and opening dates · WSDOT project page: SR 20/North Cascades Highway emergency repairs, completed June 2026 · WSDOT news release: SR 20 closes for the season Dec. 4, 2025. Years with their own link were taken from that record. Last checked August 14, 2026.
North Cascades Highway: opening and closing questions
- When does North Cascades Highway close for the winter?
- Closes with the first storm that sticks, most often in the second half of November. Across the 53 closings on record the gate has gone shut around November 24 — as early as October 17 in 2003, as late as January 3 in 1989. The winter closure covers the 37 miles over Rainy and Washington passes, between the Ross Dam trailhead at milepost 134 and the Silver Star gate at milepost 171.
- When did North Cascades Highway close last?
- The most recent closing on the record is December 4, 2025. Every other season we can source is in the table on this page.
- Can you drive North Cascades Highway in winter?
- No. The 37 miles over Rainy and Washington passes, between the Ross Dam trailhead at milepost 134 and the Silver Star gate at milepost 171 is gated once the season ends, and it stays shut until spring plowing gets through. WSDOT posts the gate's current state.
- Is North Cascades Highway 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 April 23 to about November 24.
- When does North Cascades Highway open again?
- Usually reopens in the second half of April; a heavy winter pushes it into May. The median of the 54 openings on record is April 23; the earliest was March 10 in 2005 and the latest September 2 in 1972.