A section of the North Cascades Highway (Hwy 20) has been closed after heavy rains washed out the road.
The road is a popular bike route and a part of the budding National Bike Route plan (NBR 10 to be precise).
Biking Bis reports that bike tourists have stopped arriving at Barn Bicycle Camping due to the closure, and the state is not sure when the route will be open again:
Heavy rain and hailstorms that blasted Rainy Pass (elevation 4,875 feet) over the weekend unleashed mud and rock slides across the scenic highway, forcing its closure by the Washington State Department of Transportation.
The scenic highway, which carries Adventure Cycling Association’s Northern Tier Bicycle Route over the Cascades, will be closed indefinitely between mileposts 147 and 153 west of Rainy Pass, according to WSDOT.
Highway maintenance crews will have to clear at least eight landslides that swept across the highway. These are the same folks who work all spring to open a 40-mile stretch of the highway closed over the winter because of deep snow accumulation. The road typically closes in November or December and reopens in April.
Comments
2 responses to “Biking Bis: Landslide closes North Cascades Highway, a national bike route”
I did a 4 day trip self-supported trip from the Eastside to Winthrop a couple of years ago–what a climb it is to Rainy Pass from the West. I hope WSDOT can open the road again before the winter closure.
The Iron Horse Trail is now open so cross Cascade riders have that option still available.
According to the WSDOT twitter, it’s now open to bikes but not cars!