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Chinook, Cayuse Pass expected to open May 23

Published 12:45 pm Friday, May 16, 2025

By Ray Miller-Still Editor

Chinook and Cayuse Pass through Mount Rainier National Park are expected to open May 23. Photo courtesy Washington State Department of Transportation
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Chinook and Cayuse Pass through Mount Rainier National Park are expected to open May 23. Photo courtesy Washington State Department of Transportation
Chinook and Cayuse Pass through Mount Rainier National Park are expected to open May 23. Photo courtesy Washington State Department of Transportation
This is how much snow was on Chinook Pass around the beginning of May. Photo courtesy Washington State Department of Transportation

The Washington State Department of Transportation is hoping to open Chinook and Cayuse Pass next Friday.

The announcement of the tentative opening was made on May 15.

“Hey, Chinook and Cayuse pass fans! You’ve asked. And you’ve asked. And then you asked some more. And we finally have an answer,” the department wrote on its Facebook page the next day.

WSDOT hopes for the passes to open around Memorial Day every year, and the May 23 opening puts it right on par with that goal, which the department has hit since 2021.

The latest Chinook Pass has opened in recent years was June 11, back in 2018.

The pass closed Oct. 31 this year after it was forecasted that 20 inches of snow was going to come down.

WSDOT reevaluated the pass’ conditions and fully closed it for the year on Nov. 4.

The department also noted in the Facebook post that SR 123 is being repaired through October, which adds about 30 minutes of travel.

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