Chinook Pass closed due to heavy snow, avalanche danger


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The state Department of Transportation closed Chinook Pass due to heavy snow and avalanche danger Saturday morning.

It could be a temporary closure.

"We've got crews up there now using snowplows and snowblowers to try and keep the road open," DOT spokeswoman Meagan McFadden said Saturday afternoon. "We made the commitment to try and keep Chinook Pass open as long as possible for the businesses and residents because of the landslide."

A massive landslide on Oct. 11 rerouted the Naches River, buried part of State Route 410 and forced some residents from their homes. Since then, a temporary detour route has been built, offering access to and from the Nile Valley. But traffic is down in the area, and businesses have suffered.

DOT officials will be assessing whether Chinook Pass can reopen. The 5,430-foot-elevation pass usually closes for the winter season "right around the 20th of November," according to McFadden. The pass typically reopens in time for Memorial Day.

DOT officials closed SR 410 five miles east of the summit near Morse Creek about 8:30 a.m. Saturday.

"We got about 25 inches of snow, and they're expecting another 10 to 17 in the next 12 hours," McFadden said. "We made the decision to close it based on the avalanche danger.

"Right now, it's just temporarily closed. We hope to get it back open, but we may end up closing it for the season."



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