Racing the Blossoms: Snoqualmie Pass Clearing Efforts
State crews work to clear the Sunset Highway in time for the annual Wenatchee Blossom Festival.
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Unless the work meets with unforeseen delay, Snoqualmie Pass will be cleared of snow and the Sunset Highway opened for travel through the Cascades by May 1. This is the information received from the State Highway Department by Wenatchee citizens, who are urging the completion of the work before the town's annual Blossom Festival opens on May 8-9. Word from Wenatchee is that the festival management expects several thousand citizens to arrive by automobile this year—if the pass is open in time. Left to nature, the pass would not be free from snow until June or even July, but the state has made significant progress in clearing efforts, setting a record last year by opening the route on April 19.
“Left to nature, the pass would not be free from snow in ordinary years before the middle of June.”
The struggle to conquer the Cascade snowpack for trans-mountain transit remains a recurring theme in Washington life. While modern engineering has largely rendered year-round travel possible, the anxiety over pass closures during spring storms continues to dictate the rhythm of travel between Western and Eastern Washington.
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