Crater Lake National Park · seasonal road
North Entrance Road and West Rim Drive: when it opens, year by year
Last verified Official record 2004–2023NPS page updated October 3, 2026 (source page); history table page: July 9, 2023
North Entrance Road: nine miles from OR Hwy 138 to North Junction; West Rim Drive: between Rim Village and North Junction (the two share one column in the park's tables) Typically opens: No set dates; plowing typically begins on West Rim Drive in mid-April and all roads are ready to open by mid-July; reopens in stages beginning in May with West Rim Drive, then North Entrance Road, finally East Rim Drive. Closes: With the first big snowstorm or on November 1, whichever comes first.
- 2026 opening
- —
- not yet posted
- Median opening
- Jun 11
- 20 years
- Earliest opening
- May 14
- 2015
- Latest opening
- Jun 30
- 2023
- Median closing
- Oct 29
- 13 years
The official record
20 years of North Entrance Road and West Rim Drive
Each dot is a date from the park’s (or WSDOT’s) published table: gold opening, brick closing. Missing dots are years the table leaves blank.
2000s
Jun 11
average opening · 6 yrs
2010s
Jun 4
average opening · 10 yrs
2020s
Jun 13
average opening · 4 yrs
Show the full table ↓
| Year | Opened | Closed | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Jun 30 | — | — |
| 2022 | Jun 9 | — | — |
| 2021 | May 28 | Oct 22 | 147 |
| 2020 | Jun 9 | Nov 1 | 145 |
| 2019 | Jun 15 | Nov 1 | 139 |
| 2018 | May 25 | Oct 29 | 157 |
| 2017 | Jun 22 | Nov 1 | 132 |
| 2016 | May 27 | Oct 14 | 140 |
| 2015 | May 14 | Nov 1 | 171 |
| 2014 | May 23 | Oct 28 | 158 |
| 2013 | May 15 | Oct 28 | 166 |
| 2012 | Jun 11 | Oct 23 | 134 |
| 2011 | Jun 24 | Nov 1 | 130 |
| 2010 | Jun 7 | Oct 24 | 139 |
| 2009 | Jun 1 | Oct 27 | 148 |
| 2008 | Jun 20 | — | — |
| 2007 | May 24 | — | — |
| 2006 | Jun 14 | — | — |
| 2005 | Jun 10 | — | — |
| 2004 | Jun 17 | — | — |
Table source: www.nps.gov/crla/planyourvisit/hours.htm
In the park's words
What Crater Lake says about North Entrance Road and West Rim Drive
“North Entrance Road South from OR Hwy 138 and west of OR Hwy 230 Nine miles (14.5 km) to North Junction; in preparation for winter it closes on November 1, or earlier if snowfall is significant.” source
“West Rim Drive Between Rim Village and North Junction In preparation for winter it closes on November 1, or earlier.” source
“Typically, plowing begins on West Rim Drive in mid-April and all roads are ready to open by mid-July.” source
“The roads reopen in stages beginning in May (depending on snowfall) with West Rim Drive, then North Entrance Road, and finally East Rim Drive.” source
“These roads close for the season with the first big snowstorm, or on November 1, whichever comes first.” source
“**Rim Drive is OPEN!**” source
Worth knowing
- History: NPS 'Operating Hours & Seasons' page, last updated July 9, 2023 - closing dates 2009-2021 and opening dates 2004-2023 (two tables). Each table row is keyed by year: the closing in year Y is the fall-Y closing; the opening in year Y is the spring-Y opening. Years outside those ranges are not published in the capture.
- The 2023 opening row has an empty East Rim Drive cell, so 'June 30' belongs to the North Entrance & West Rim Drive column and East Rim Drive's 2023 opening is not published.
- 2026 status (conditions page updated Oct 3, 2026): 'Rim Drive is OPEN!'; the East Rim Drive rehabilitation project is mostly complete and 'it is expected that all of East Rim Drive will be open in 2027'; the page notes 'it is often mid-July before all of the road can open'. The 2026 opening dates are not stated on any captured page.
About this page
Dates are the park’s and WSDOT’s own, captured on 2026-10-05 and re-checked at every build. Medians and extremes are arithmetic on the published rows; we do not forecast. Weather closes passes without notice, so check live alerts for Crater Lake before you drive. Other seasonal roads in the park: East Rim Drive.
Sources · 3
- 1.Crater Lake National Park — North Entrance Road and West Rim Drive (official page) · National Park Service
- 2.North Entrance Road and West Rim Drive — historical opening dates table · National Park Service
- 3.Seasonal road pages and historical opening-date tables on nps.gov and wsdot.wa.gov, read and quoted · National Park Service; Washington State DOT
FAQ
North Entrance Road and West Rim Drive questions
- When does North Entrance Road and West Rim Drive open?
- Crater Lake says: No set dates; plowing typically begins on West Rim Drive in mid-April and all roads are ready to open by mid-July; reopens in stages beginning in May with West Rim Drive, then North Entrance Road, finally East Rim Drive. Across 20 recorded years the median opening is Jun 11, ranging from May 14 (2015) to Jun 30 (2023).
- When does North Entrance Road and West Rim Drive close for the season?
- Crater Lake says: With the first big snowstorm or on November 1, whichever comes first. In the official record the median closing is Oct 29 (13 years), earliest Oct 14 in 2016. For 2026: In preparation for winter it closes on November 1, or earlier if snowfall is significant (North Entrance Road); West Rim Drive: 'closes on November 1, or earlier'
- Is North Entrance Road and West Rim Drive open right now?
- Check the park's road-status page (linked under Sources) or its alerts: our “Is Crater Lake open?” page shows the live NPS alerts.
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