Where is Chinook Pass?
Usa, north-america
N/A
1,655 m
easy
Year-round
Okay, adventure seekers, listen up! You HAVE to add Chinook Pass to your bucket list. This stunning mountain pass, perched at 5,430 feet in Washington's Yakima County, is calling your name!
Find it nestled between Enumclaw and Naches, in the southern part of the state, and get ready for a treat. This fully paved beauty, officially known as SR 410, Chinook Scenic Byway, and Stephen Mather Memorial Parkway, was completed back in 1931. Get ready to wind around Mount Rainier's northeastern side on this incredible two-lane road. (Sorry truckers, no commercial vehicles allowed!)
Seriously, folks, this drive is a MUST. Just five miles east of the summit, you'll be grinning ear-to-ear as you tackle every twist and turn. Picture this: Mount Rainier views that will knock your socks off, dense forests, jagged peaks, rugged ridges, and deep river canyons – pure magic!
Chinook Pass also gives you access to the eastern entrance of Mount Rainier National Park. Summer road trippers adore this route because it's free of big rigs within the park's section of the highway.
A heads up though: Chinook Pass is usually closed mid-November. They aim to reopen around Memorial Day weekend, but it all depends on how much snow falls and what spring throws at them. Avalanches, dicey road conditions, lack of snow storage, and limited emergency services force the annual closure.
Road Details
- Country
- Usa
- Continent
- north-america
- Max Elevation
- 1,655 m
- Difficulty
- easy
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