WSDOT has begun clearing North Cascades Highway; weather has helped so far
Even with a low snowpack this winter season, it might be several weeks before we’ll be cruising the North Cascades Highway with the windows down and the sunroof open, headed for the sun and warmer climes of Eastern Washington.
Road damage and rockslides caused by heavy rain in the passes along Highway 20 will take time to remove and repair, even though the snowpack in the North Cascades is about 75% of normal, according to the Washington State Climate Office.
Snow-removal crews with the Washington State Department of Transportation started clearing the road near Early Winters on Monday, and they reported lower-than-average snow depth.
“Crews were met with fair weather all week and reached CR-10 at Cutthroat Ridge (milepost 165). There’s one more avalanche chute in the Cutthroat Ridge section, and many more to go,” WSDOT’s. Lauren Loebsack said in an emailed statement Friday. “The report from the crew supervisor is ‘36 inches of flat snow’ on the road.”
Highway 20, also called State Route 20 or the North Cascades Highway, is the northernmost pass across the Cascades range in Washington and one of the nation’s most scenic byways. It closes every winter season because of avalanche danger from the Ross Dam trailhead to Early Winters — milepost 134 to 178. Spring clearing began usually takes six to eight weeks.
Complicating efforts to open the road this spring is a landslide near Diablo at milepost 130, about 4 miles west of the seasonal closure. There’s also a washout in the closure zone, between mileposts 142 and 143.
“The plan is to also fix this washout under an emergency contract once the rockslide at milepost 130 has been cleared and the site is accessible by our crews and contractors. More will be shared when the project schedule is confirmed. We understand the importance of the route to the communities on both sides of the North Cascades Highway and will keep you updated,” Loebsack said.
This story was originally published March 30, 2026 at 5:20 AM.
