Skip to content
Park'd
Get the app
North Cascades National Park · seasonal road

North Cascades Highway: when it opens, year by year

Last verified Official record 1972–2026
SR 20/North Cascades Highway through North Cascades National Park Service Complex (2026 repairs concerned milepost 130 near Diablo Lake to milepost 156.8 at Porcupine Creek)
2026 opening
Jun 14
opened
Median opening
Apr 24
53 years
Earliest opening
Mar 10
2005
Latest opening
Sep 2
1972
Median closing
Nov 24
53 years

The official record

55 years of North Cascades 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.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec197519801985199019952000200520102015202020251972: opened Sep 41972: closed Nov 281973: opened Apr 281973: closed Nov 221974: opened Jun 151974: closed Nov 221975: opened May 171975: closed Nov 251976: opened May 231977: closed Nov 241978: opened Apr 221978: closed Dec 121979: opened Apr 111979: closed Dec 161980: opened Apr 201980: closed Nov 291981: opened Apr 251981: closed Dec 11982: opened May 71982: closed Dec 31983: opened Apr 211983: closed Nov 251984: opened Apr 61984: closed Nov 41985: opened Apr 131985: closed Nov 161986: opened Apr 121986: closed Nov 271987: opened Apr 161987: closed Dec 21988: opened Apr 221988: closed Nov 211989: opened Apr 221989: closed Jan 41990: opened Apr 191990: closed Nov 131991: opened May 31991: closed Nov 181992: opened Apr 111992: closed Dec 101993: opened Mar 251993: closed Dec 91994: opened Apr 81994: closed Nov 11995: opened Apr 291995: closed Nov 61996: opened Apr 261996: closed Nov 211997: opened May 81997: closed Dec 171998: opened Apr 31998: closed Nov 211999: opened May 61999: closed Dec 72000: opened Apr 12000: closed Nov 302001: opened Mar 232001: closed Nov 202002: opened May 82002: closed Dec 182003: opened Apr 152003: closed Oct 182004: opened Apr 102004: closed Dec 152005: opened Mar 112005: closed Nov 42006: opened May 22006: closed Nov 142007: opened Apr 272007: closed Dec 52008: opened May 32008: closed Dec 172009: opened Apr 252009: closed Nov 182010: opened Apr 172010: closed Dec 22011: opened May 262011: closed Nov 222012: opened May 122012: closed Nov 222013: opened Apr 172013: closed Dec 42014: opened May 92014: closed Nov 252015: opened Apr 42015: closed Nov 132016: opened Apr 242016: closed Nov 202017: opened May 172017: closed Nov 112018: opened May 122018: closed Nov 292019: opened Apr 192019: closed Dec 122020: opened May 142020: closed Nov 182021: opened May 62021: closed Nov 162022: opened May 112022: closed Nov 42023: opened May 122023: closed Dec 12024: opened Apr 212024: closed Nov 202025: opened Apr 232025: closed Dec 5

1970s

May 26

average opening · 7 yrs

1980s

Apr 19

average opening · 10 yrs

1990s

Apr 20

average opening · 10 yrs

2000s

Apr 15

average opening · 10 yrs

2010s

May 1

average opening · 10 yrs

2020s

May 5

average opening · 6 yrs

Show the full table ↓
YearOpenedClosedSeason (days)
2026———
2025Apr 22Dec 4226
2024Apr 19Nov 18213
2023May 11Nov 30203
2022May 10Nov 3177
2021May 5Nov 15194
2020May 12Nov 16188
2019Apr 18Dec 11237
2018May 11Nov 28201
2017May 16Nov 10178
2016Apr 22Nov 18210
2015Apr 3Nov 12223
2014May 8Nov 24200
2013Apr 16Dec 3231
2012May 10Nov 20194
2011May 25Nov 21180
2010Apr 16Dec 1229
2009Apr 24Nov 17207
2008May 1Dec 15228
2007Apr 26Dec 4222
2006May 1Nov 13196
2005Mar 10Nov 3238
2004Apr 8Dec 13249
2003Apr 14Oct 17186
2002May 7Dec 17224
2001Mar 22Nov 19242
2000Mar 30Nov 28243
1999May 5Dec 6215
1998Apr 2Nov 20232
1997May 7Dec 16223
1996Apr 24Nov 19209
1995Apr 28Nov 5191
1994Apr 7Oct 31207
1993Mar 24Dec 8259
1992Apr 9Dec 8243
1991May 2Nov 17199
1990Apr 18Nov 12208
1989Apr 21Jan 3257
1988Apr 20Nov 19213
1987Apr 15Dec 1230
1986Apr 11Nov 26229
1985Apr 12Nov 15217
1984Apr 4Nov 2212
1983Apr 20Nov 24218
1982May 6Dec 2210
1981Apr 24Nov 30220
1980Apr 18Nov 27223
1979Apr 10Dec 15249
1978Apr 21Dec 11234
1977—Nov 23—
1976May 21——
1975May 16Nov 24192
1974Jun 14Nov 21160
1973Apr 27Nov 21208
1972Sep 2Nov 2685

Table source: wsdot.wa.gov/travel/roads-bridges/mountain-pass-closure-and-opening-da

In the park's words

What North Cascades says about North Cascades Highway

“State Route 20/North Cascades Highway will partially reopen from the east side beginning at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 30. Travelers will be able to access a portion of the highway from the east to milepost 156.8 at Porcupine Creek.” source
“The road will remain closed in both directions to vehicles and recreation between Porcupine Creek and milepost 130 near Diablo Lake on the west side.” source
“The Washington State Department of Transportation fully reopened State Route 20/North Cascades Highway in both directions Sunday, June 14, after two emergency repair projects completed work.” source
“The June 14 opening matches 1974 for the latest opening of the scenic seasonal highway since records began being kept in 1972.” source
“2026 Partial reopening - April 30” source
“This section of highway was severely damaged in several areas by washouts in December 2025.” source

Worth knowing

  • History table: WSDOT 'Mountain pass closure and opening dates' (Historic opening and closing dates for Chinook, Cayuse and North Cascades passes), SR 20 1972-2026. The page carries no 'last updated' date in the capture. Footnotes on the page: * Due to Construction; ** SR 410 North of Chinook Pass Closed 11/1/93 Due to Construction; *** Temporary Closure Date; # Due to Winter Storm Damage; ## For Repair of Winter Storm Damage.
  • The table's 2026 row is stale relative to the news: it reads 'Partial reopening - April 30' with no full-reopening or closing entry, while WSDOT's June 14, 2026 advisory fully reopened the highway ('matches 1974 for the latest opening ... since records began being kept in 1972'; the 1974 row in the table shows Jun. 14). So the 2026 full opening ties 1974 as the latest in the record; the advisory attributes the delay to December 2025 washouts, and the April 30 release also cites a spring rockslide near Diablo Lake.
  • 1976 has no closing ('None') and 1977 has no opening ('N/A') in the table; a closing in the following calendar year appears only where the table writes the year (1989: 'Jan. 3, 1990').
  • NPS (North Cascades) road-status page could not be captured (404 at the guessed URL); the state highway is WSDOT-managed.

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 North Cascades before you drive.

Sources · 2

  1. 1.North Cascades National Park — North Cascades 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

North Cascades Highway questions

When does North Cascades Highway open?
Across 53 recorded years the median opening is Apr 24, ranging from Mar 10 (2005) to Sep 2 (1972). In 2026 it opened June 14, 2026.
When does North Cascades Highway close for the season?
The park does not state a typical closing. In the official record the median closing is Nov 24 (53 years), earliest Jan 3 in 1989. Closing dates depend on the first lasting snow and are rarely announced ahead.
Is North Cascades Highway opening later than it used to?
The 1970s averaged an opening around May 26; the 2020s average is May 5 — about 21 days earlier. That is the arithmetic of the official table, not a forecast; snowpack, staffing and construction all move the date.
Is North Cascades Highway open right now?
Check the park's road-status page (linked under Sources) or its alerts: our “Is North Cascades open?” page shows the live NPS alerts.

Park'd · free on iPhone & Android

Pass open? Go.

Park'd keeps the trip — dates, photos, the view from the top — with the park checked off.

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play