North Cascades Highway opens ahead of schedule after major repairs

Summer has officially come to the North Cascades.

The Washington Department of Transportation on Sunday announced repairs to Highway 20 were completed earlier than expected and that the route is fully open to traffic.

An earlier projection suggested the seasonal highway, which winds through scenic North Cascades National Park, wouldn't be opened until June 19.

A section of Highway 20 between the Ross Dam trailhead (milepost 134) and Porcupine Creek (milepost 156) had been closed since North Cascades Highway partially reopened from the east side April 30. The closed section of highway was severely damaged in several areas by washouts in December 2025, making it unsafe to fully reopen the seasonal highway until repairs were finished. That happened Sunday.

Crews began repaving damaged sections of Highway 20 on June 5 and finished early thanks to cooperative weather.

WSDOT reminds visitors to watch out for wildlife not used to traffic in the area.

Last week the road to Artist Point opened at the end of Highway 542 near Mount Baker, another popular North Cascades road with knockout views and access to iconic hikes.

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