Mountain Road Conditions

As the weather warms and snow melts, hikers are beginning to think about getting out on the trails. Each year, some mountain roads experience washouts, and many roads remain closed until snow melts in late spring or early summer.

Before heading out, always check the weather forecast, search WTA trip reports, and call ahead to ranger stations for current conditions. Always pack the ten essentials on a hike of any length, and let someone know where you are going and when you plan to return.

Also, remember that in late spring many roads and trails are still under snow. Some popular hikes typically have dangerous avalanche conditions this time of year, including Granite Mountain and McClelland Butte in the I-90 corridor and Mount Dickerman and Mount Pilchuck in the Mountain Loop area.

Here's a selection of updates on road closures and other conditions of note as of June 5, 2009. Check land agency websites or call ranger stations for current conditions

Olympic National Park current road/trail conditions

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  Visitors at Shine Tidelands State Park watch work progress on the Hood Canal Bridge. Crews hope to have the bridge open by June 5. Photo courtesy WSDOT.

  UPDATE, 6/5/09: The Hood Canal Bridge has reopened after major repair work was completed June 3.
• The Dosewallips Road is washed out 5.5 miles from the Dosewallips trailhead.
• The Graves Creek Road is closed at Howe Creek, 4.5 miles from the Graves Creek Campground due to major damage from winter storms.

• The Dosewallips Road is washed out 5.5 miles from the Dosewallips trailhead.
• No vehicle access to Mildred Lakes trailhead, due to slide at MP 10.
• Road to Putvin Trail (Lake of the Angels) has a washout on road about 2.5 miles before trailhead.
• FS 2918 (South Fork Sol Duc) is closed at MP 19 due to washout.

• Chinook Pass, which connects Mount Rainier National Park with the eastern Cascades, is now open. Cayuse Pass, the main north-south route through the park, opened in mid-May.
• The Stevens Canyon Road from the Paradise area is open to the Snow Lake Trailhead as of May 22.
• The Carbon River Road remains closed indefinitely to vehicles .

• UPDATE, 6/5/09: The Mountain Loop Highway is open and snow-free over Barlow Pass.
  
• FS Road 55 (Tinkham) from MP 0.5 just past Spur-Road 101 to the intersection with Interstate 90 at Exit 47.
• FS Road 56 (Middle Fork Snoqualmie Road) is closed at MP 8.2.
• Glacier Creek Road (FS Road 39) is closed due to storm damage washouts. The road is closed at the Thompson Creek Bridge crossing, eliminating access to the Heliotrope Ridge trailhead and the Mount Baker Vista Viewpoint. Engineers estimate the road will not be open until October or November.
• The Mount Dickerman trailhead parking area is closed for improvements.
• FS Road 15 (Cascade River Road) is closed to vehicular traffic for the season at the El Dorado Creek parking area (MP 20) for bridge and road repair.

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  Crews work to clear a landslide on FS 25 in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Photo courtesy U.S. Forest Service.

  FS 25 (Randle) is closed by large slide at Benham Creek.  From the south end: open to Forest Road 93, then gated beyond.  Forest Road 25 connecting Randle to the Lewis River Highway (Forest Road 90 east of Cougar) is expected to open by mid-June. A one lane bridge at Benham Creek will help visitors around a slide which occurred this past winter.
• FS 54 (Bare Mountain) is closed by a debris slide at mile post 31, approx. 5 miles east of Chelatchie Prairie
• FS 21 (Johnson Creek) is closed by slide at milepost 4.2 south of US Hwy 12.  Open from the junction with Forest Road 23 north to the junction with Forest Road 78.
• FS 42 (Cougar Rock) has significant damage at some water crossings in the first 5 miles.
• FS 99 (Windy Ridge) in Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument is gated west of Wakepish Sno-Park. This road should be open by late-June pending snowmelt and reconstruction.

• Cascade River Road is open to mile 20 (Eldorado Creek). Repair work at mile 12.7 (USFS) will not take place until spring or summer 2009. Bridge repair work is ongoing at mile 20.5--watch for large trucks and other heavy equipment on the road. Narrow road, muddy or snowy conditions--DRIVE SLOWLY. At MP 20 - 23, hikers must ford the north fork until the road bridge is completed (easy at low levels, bridge should be completed soon). Very large avalanche debris (snow and logs) covers road between Boston and Midas creeks--use caution as this melts out.

• The upper portion of Icicle Road (FS 7600) remains closed to all motorized vehicles. Three developed campgrounds (Blackpine, Chatter Creek and Rock Island) will remain closed in 2009. Five other developed campgrounds in the lower Icicle Valley are open to use and the road is accessible by vehicle to Ida Creek campground. A parking area was developed for vehicles and is located just beyond Ida Creek campground for those who want to access the upper Icicle trails by foot, mountain bike, or with stock animals. Because of the severity of damage and Icicle Creek now occupying the old road alignment, Wenatchee River Ranger District will examine a proposal to move the road to higher ground, out of the flood plain and riparian areas, and safe from future flooding. The present projection is that Road surveying, planning and design could occur as early as summer of 2009, with construction in 2010. The road is projected to be open fall- 2010.