NORTH SOUND, APRIL 24: On Tuesday, Earth Day, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) reopened the stretch of the North Cascades Highway (SR-20) between Nehalem and the Methow Valley in Okanogan County.
The highway closed in mid-November as heavy amounts of snow accumulated, and the threat of avalanches increased. It took about seven weeks to clear all the winter season snow off the North Cascades Highway and stabilize the common avalanche shoots.
The highway usually opens sometime between mid-April and mid-May, depending on the amount of snow to clear. Last year, the highway reopened on April 19.
With the highway back open, motorists should be aware of ongoing roadwork given the limited time of year to complete needed maintenance.
“Our crews clear the road and shoulder and any pullout areas needed for our maintenance work, but otherwise, it is still wintry up in the mountains and there are few rest stops and no cell service. Please plan accordingly,” WSDOT said.
Now you can drive across the North Cascades highway as another alternate way to and from Eastern Washington. WSDOT reminds drivers that most North Cascades National Park and U.S. Forest Service facilities along the highway remain closed at this time.
Chuckanut Drive Rockslide
State Route 11, Chuckanut Drive, suffered a large rockslide just north of Chuckanut Manor (milepost 9.5) Tuesday, closing the highway until further notice.
Washington State Patrol Trooper Kelsey Harding posted on X that the rockslide was about 30 feet deep and 150 feet long and that the rocks did not reach the nearby train tracks below the roadway. The cause of the rockslide is unknown.
Response crews are working to clear the debris from the roadway and stabilize the hillside where the slide originated. The highway is currently expected to remain closed through Friday, April 25, with the possibility of an even longer closure depending on how the response process proceeds.
While this stretch of the scenic highway is closed, drivers from Bellingham can still reach Larrabee State Park and trailheads north of the slide area. Motorists from the Skagit Valley can still drive to several restaurants south of the slide.
Chuckanut Drive has a long history. The highway began as a rough logging road in the 1890s. The corridor was later improved to become a roadway, opening in 1916.
As the U.S. West Coast Pacific Highway was created in the 1920s, Chuckanut Drive became U.S. Highway 99 in 1926. In the early 1930s, a more modern U.S. Highway 99 was built further inland that Interstate 5 parallels today.
Chuckanut Drive then became the scenic drive envisioned early in the 20th century. Drivers only had to worry about the occasional landslides and rockslides, such as the one that occurred this past Earth Day, April 22, 2025.
