Chinook and Cayuse passes will reopen for the season by May 22,聽just before Memorial Day weekend.
Both passes close each winter due to snow levels and avalanche danger and reopen in the spring after snow is cleared.
State crews have to clear a winter's worth of snow and repair roadways before State Routes 410 and 123 can be reopened to traffic. This year, both passes should be open by 8 a.m. May 22.
Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance crews have finished clearing both highways, and the National Park Service is in the final phases of clearing Stevens Canyon Road and Sunrise Park Road, WSDOT announced in a .
When the gates open, park visitors can travel State Route 410-Chinook Pass between Crystal Mountain Boulevard, about 12 miles northwest of the summit, and Morse Creek, five miles east of the summit.
SR 123-Cayuse Pass will open within the park boundaries between the southern park entrance near Packwood and the SR 410 junction.
WSDOT officials noted that all commercial vehicles are prohibited from traveling through Mount Rainier National Park, which includes sections of SR 123 and SR 410.
Crews have had their work cut out getting ready for next week's reopening of Chinook and Cayuse passes.
The spring reopening of Chinook and Cayuse passes clears the way to Mount Rainier National Park.
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