It will likely be early June before Skate Creek Road opens. And it is equally like other mountain roads in the Mount Rainier area will open much later than normal.
Record low elevation snowfall over the past several months and several large slides have covered the road, also known as Forest Road 52, between Ashford and Packwood.
This road, which provides visitors with an access route across the Gifford Pinchot National Forest from Packwood to the west entrance of Mount Rainier National Park normally reopens in mid-May for summer and fall travel.
This year¹s unseasonably deep snow has slowed and halted at times the plowing effot. In addition a large slide/avalanche on the road near Packwood, will have to melt further before it can be removed and repairs can be made to the road.
Based on available information and snow conditions, Forest Service officials estimate that Forest Road 52 will not be opened to public traffic for the Memorial Day holiday, but should be open in early June.
With snow continuing to fall in the area, it is expected that efforts to clear other mountain roadways, including Highways 123 and 410 inside Mount Rainier will be slow, forcing later than normal openings.
For additional information about the status of this route and other Forest roads, visit http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/recreation/current-conditions/roads.shtml
Elsewhere in the region, crews are working to clear mountain passes near Mount Rainier. Here is a look at their status:
Cayuse Pass: The pass is closed for the season within Mount Rainier National Park from the Highway 410 Junction to Stevens Canyon Road, five miles north of the junction of U.S. 12 and Highway 123. There is no projected opening date.
Chinook Pass: The pass remains closed from milepost 57, near Crystal Mountain Boulevard, to milepost 74.5, near Morse Creek. On April 7, WSDOT crews started plowing the pass. Weather and work progress permitting, the target date to have the road open is Memorial Day weekend.