OPEN
NO RESTRICTIONS
Last updated at: NOV 5, 2026, 8:55 AM PST · WSDOT · Pass report Thu, Nov 5, 7:29 AM
Stevens Pass is open, no restrictions in either direction, 36 degrees at the summit, road surface bare and wet with ice in places, updated Thu, Nov 5, 7:29 AM.
Eastbound over Stevens Pass
Summit 4,061 ft · 36°F at the summit · Bare and wet with ice in places.
Westbound over Stevens Pass
Summit 4,061 ft · 36°F at the summit · Bare and wet with ice in places.
Stevens Pass is unusual among Washington ski areas: the base lodges stand at the crest of the highway itself, at 4,061 feet, with lifts rising on both sides of US 2 and night skiing under lights on the front side. The terrain is famous for its trees and its back side bowls, and the snowfall is the real Cascade article, heavy, deep, and frequent. That geography cuts both ways. There is no approach road to hide on when the pass is restricted: if you can legally drive US 2, you are at the lifts, and if you cannot, you are not getting closer than Skykomish or Coles Corner. Lift tickets, lessons, and the resort's own snow report live on the official Stevens Pass site.
Parking is the second mountain. The summit lots fill on weekend and powder mornings, and cars spill onto the highway shoulders, which is both a hazard and a signal: a full lot by nine means the canyon behind you is full too. The summit cameras above show the lodge area and the road at the crest; they are the fastest honest read on how the morning is going.
For the drive itself, ski days reward the same habits as every pass day, sharpened: the traction posting is law at the lots as much as on the grade, avalanche control can delay the opening of the road even when the lifts are ready, and the westbound descent at four in the afternoon, in the dark, in the weather that made the skiing good, is the most demanding driving of the day. The storm archive and the storm playbook on the Stevens Pass page are written for exactly that drive home.
Is the Stevens Pass ski area open today?
The ski area sets its own operating schedule; check the resort's official site for lift status. What this page tells you is whether the drive is open, and under what traction posting, which is the half of the question that strands people.
Do I need chains to go skiing at Stevens Pass?
You need whatever the live posting at the top of this page requires, and on a storm day that is often chains or traction tires. The parking lots sit at 4,061 feet in the middle of the pass; there is no low elevation way in.
When should I leave Seattle for a Stevens Pass powder day?
Earlier than feels reasonable. The Skykomish canyon platoons form by seven on storm mornings, summit parking fills on weekends, and a restriction posted mid morning can catch the late wave at Skykomish. Check the status before you leave, not from the lot.
