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Lassen Volcanic National Park · seasonal road

Lassen Volcanic Park Highway: when it opens, year by year

Last verified Official record 1980–2026NPS page updated May 24, 2026
Highway 89 through Lassen Volcanic National Park, the official park highway: a 30-mile stretch (clearing sections run from Loomis Plaza in the north to the Southwest Entrance in the south) Typically opens: No established date. Snow clearing usually begins as early as mid-March and continues for about two months; opening dates vary with snowpack and may occur as late as early July. Closes: Closes due to snow in the fall (no typical date stated); the table's closing date is the date the highway officially closed for the year.
2026 opening
May 22
opened
Median opening
Jun 3
47 years
Earliest opening
Apr 28
1990
Latest opening
Jul 26
2017
Median closing
Nov 12
46 years

The official record

47 years of Lassen Volcanic Park Highway

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.
MayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec19801985199019952000200520102015202020251980: opened May 311980: closed Nov 231981: opened May 221981: closed Nov 41982: opened Jun 191982: closed Oct 261983: opened Jul 31983: closed Nov 111984: opened Jun 61984: closed Oct 301985: opened May 191985: closed Oct 221986: opened Jun 81986: closed Nov 251987: opened May 161987: closed Nov 141988: opened May 221988: closed Nov 91989: opened Jun 71989: closed Oct 241990: opened Apr 291990: closed Nov 151991: opened May 251991: closed Oct 231992: opened May 161992: closed Oct 311993: opened Jun 291993: closed Nov 111994: opened May 211994: closed Nov 81995: opened Jul 221995: closed Nov 221996: opened Jun 141996: closed Oct 201997: opened Jun 61997: closed Nov 151998: opened Jul 131998: closed Nov 111999: opened Jun 121999: closed Nov 202000: opened Jun 42000: closed Nov 192001: opened May 112001: closed Nov 162002: opened May 232002: closed Nov 142003: opened May 242003: closed Nov 82004: opened May 292004: closed Oct 302005: opened Jun 32005: closed Nov 92006: opened Jul 72006: closed Nov 122007: opened May 192007: closed Dec 72008: opened May 202008: closed Dec 142009: opened Jun 52009: closed Nov 192010: opened Jul 92010: closed Oct 242011: opened Jul 172011: closed Nov 232012: opened Jun 32012: closed Nov 212013: opened May 252013: closed Dec 192014: opened May 202014: closed Dec 22015: opened May 42015: closed Nov 92016: opened Jun 142016: closed Nov 12017: opened Jul 272017: closed Nov 112018: opened May 282018: closed Nov 212019: opened Jun 232019: closed Nov 302020: opened May 312020: closed Nov 152021: opened May 182021: closed Oct 222022: opened Jun 42022: closed Nov 72023: opened Jul 22023: closed Dec 62024: opened Jun 222024: closed Dec 82025: opened Jun 282025: closed Oct 252026: opened May 23

1980s

Jun 3

average opening · 10 yrs

1990s

Jun 9

average opening · 10 yrs

2000s

May 30

average opening · 10 yrs

2010s

Jun 14

average opening · 10 yrs

2020s

Jun 9

average opening · 7 yrs

Show the full table ↓
YearOpenedClosedSeason (days)
2026May 22——
2025Jun 27Oct 24119
2024Jun 20Dec 6169
2023Jul 1Dec 5157
2022Jun 3Nov 6156
2021May 17Oct 21157
2020May 29Nov 13168
2019Jun 22Nov 29160
2018May 27Nov 20177
2017Jul 26Nov 10107
2016Jun 12Oct 30140
2015May 3Nov 8189
2014May 19Dec 1196
2013May 24Dec 18208
2012Jun 1Nov 19171
2011Jul 16Nov 22129
2010Jul 8Oct 23107
2009Jun 4Nov 18167
2008May 18Dec 12208
2007May 18Dec 6202
2006Jul 6Nov 11128
2005Jun 2Nov 8159
2004May 27Oct 28154
2003May 23Nov 7168
2002May 22Nov 13175
2001May 10Nov 15189
2000Jun 2Nov 17168
1999Jun 11Nov 19161
1998Jul 12Nov 10121
1997Jun 5Nov 14162
1996Jun 12Oct 18128
1995Jul 21Nov 21123
1994May 20Nov 7171
1993Jun 28Nov 10135
1992May 14Oct 29168
1991May 24Oct 22151
1990Apr 28Nov 14200
1989Jun 6Oct 23139
1988May 20Nov 7171
1987May 15Nov 13182
1986Jun 7Nov 24170
1985May 18Oct 21156
1984Jun 4Oct 28146
1983Jul 2Nov 10131
1982Jun 18Oct 25129
1981May 21Nov 3166
1980May 29Nov 21176

Table source: www.nps.gov/lavo/planyourvisit/winter-road-closures-and-spring-clearin

In the park's words

What Lassen Volcanic says about Lassen Volcanic Park Highway

“Highway 89 through Lassen Volcanic National Park is known as the official park highway. This 30-mile stretch” source
“Snow clearing operations usually begin as early as mid-March and continues for about two months before the highway is entirely cleared.” source
“The park does not have an established date for the full opening of the park road.” source
“opening dates vary based on winter snowpack conditions and may occur as late as early July.” source
“The road closes due to snow in the fall.” source
“Closing date refers to date the park highway officially closed for the year. The road may temporarily close earlier for lighter snowfalls.” source

Worth knowing

  • History table 'Road Opening and Closing Dates, 1980 to Present': plowing start (from the southwest), road opened, April 1 snow depth at Lake Helen (8,200 ft), road closed. The page footnote: closing date refers to the date the park highway officially closed for the year; the road may temporarily close earlier for lighter snowfalls.
  • The 2026 row has no closing date yet (season in progress at the page update of May 24, 2026).
  • The 'Hike and Bike the Highway' page (updated May 27, 2026) shows all four clearing sections 'Cleared and Open to Vehicles' with vehicle traffic.

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 Lassen Volcanic before you drive.

Sources · 2

  1. 1.Lassen Volcanic National Park — Lassen Volcanic Park Highway (official page) · National Park Service
  2. 2.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

Lassen Volcanic Park Highway questions

When does Lassen Volcanic Park Highway open?
Lassen Volcanic says: No established date. Snow clearing usually begins as early as mid-March and continues for about two months; opening dates vary with snowpack and may occur as late as early July. Across 47 recorded years the median opening is Jun 3, ranging from Apr 28 (1990) to Jul 26 (2017). In 2026 it opened May 22, 2026.
When does Lassen Volcanic Park Highway close for the season?
Lassen Volcanic says: Closes due to snow in the fall (no typical date stated); the table's closing date is the date the highway officially closed for the year. In the official record the median closing is Nov 12 (46 years), earliest Oct 18 in 1996. Closing dates depend on the first lasting snow and are rarely announced ahead.
Is Lassen Volcanic Park Highway opening later than it used to?
The 1980s averaged an opening around Jun 3; the 2020s average is Jun 9 — about 6 days later. That is the arithmetic of the official table, not a forecast; snowpack, staffing and construction all move the date.
Is Lassen Volcanic Park Highway open right now?
Check the park's road-status page (linked under Sources) or its alerts: our “Is Lassen Volcanic open?” page shows the live NPS alerts.

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