White River Rd to Campground

Isn't there a gate at the Mather Parking area adjacent to Dry Creek/WR road if they want to resrict traffic to that part of the park just before Big Bertha?

Joe - There is a gate there, and I have seen it closed in the winter when touring up toward the pass, but I think this is just to keep anyone other than NPS staff from getting up higher should they happen to get past the lower gate at the Blvd.

J.P.

I was curious about this too, because the standard opening is always the Friday of Memorial Day weekend (except last year, of course). I just now called Longmire and was told that 5/19 is definite for the opening of the road to the White River CG.

A good source shared this afternoon that WSDOT is working hard to get 410 open with a goal of the 25th of this month (next Thursday) if all goes well.  Crews working from both sides have met or almost met, and there is much clean-up work still to be done, especially with this warm weather bringing down alot of rocks.  (Charles - It still seems unlikely to me that WR will open on the 19th with Chinook closed.)

Sounds like MRNP does want to get WR open sooner rather than later, but nothing definite.  I get the sense that their interest is more political than anything as they expect to take some heat from the local community (economic impacts) for SR 123 remaining closed for a while.  Sounds like a real mess in a difficult spot there -- both lanes impacted in one slide and a major rock slide in another, both near the tunnel. 

The WR road has been cleared to the camground with equipment starting work up the hill toward Sunrise.

J.P.

A good source shared this afternoon that WSDOT is working hard to get 410 open with a goal of the 25th of this month (next Thursday) if all goes well.  Crews working from both sides have met or almost met, and there is much clean-up work still to be done, especially with this warm weather bringing down alot of rocks.  (Charles - It still seems unlikely to me that WR will open on the 19th with Chinook closed.)

Sounds like MRNP does want to get WR open sooner rather than later, but nothing definite.  I get the sense that their interest is more political than anything as they expect to take some heat from the local community (economic impacts) for SR 123 remaining closed for a while.  Sounds like a real mess in a difficult spot there -- both lanes impacted in one slide and a major rock slide in another, both near the tunnel. 

The WR road has been cleared to the camground with equipment starting work up the hill toward Sunrise.

J.P.

The ranger just stopped in and the WSDOT has decided not to open 410 beyond the Crystal Mountain Blvd. Charles you were correct! They may open it after the weekend but most likely will wait until the opening of Chinook Pass. They are still on schedule to open Chinnok Pass on Thursday the 25th, but it may not be Friday. Once again the users of the park get the short end of the deal! Wapiti Bob

Bummer,
I guess, I get to talk my friends into a 4 mile ski carry on some other weekend then.

Interestingly, they already updated their website.
Scheduled opening May 25.

I would have thought that would take a few days.
-Gus

I posted some details on the other thread also.

Per the DOT person I spoke to at the gate, DOT never opens the road to White River entrance before opening 410 over the pass. They fear, no doubt correctly, that this would be confusing to many drivers who are aiming for Yakima only to end up at a dead end in the park. If this is true, along with the above about the WR road being plowed earlier, it means that the DOT, not the NPS, determines the opening date.

Apparently Hwy 123 has a huge swath completely washed away, plus a rockfall that has essentially filled the tunnel to its brim.