Winter Driving Conditions for Flatlanders headed to Washington State

[Mark]

The most direct route, I-90 thru Montana and Idaho has two passes of concern. First is Lookout Pass crossing the Divide at the MT/ID border just under 5000', second is Snoqualmie Pass thru the Cascades here in WA at around 3500'. I haven't traveled Lookout Pass, but Snoqualmie is usually OK, but will get snow frequently that time of year, and will occasionally require chains. Going all the way to CA on I-40, and up I-5 would be pretty good - he would still have the Siskiyou Pass at the CA/OR border, which can also be tough. For sure the safest is heading NW thru Nevada as you say, leaving I-40 in AZ. On this route, he would want to stay east of the Cascades in Oregon until getting to The Dalles on the Columbia River, then cutting west on I-84 thru the Columbia Gorge to get thru the Cascades to Portland, and up I-5 from there. Both of those southern routes do add a full day of driving as pointed out by Bea. I would check the weather forecast the day before leaving, and see what it was for the two passes of concern on the I-90 route, and decide then. They seem to be doing a pretty good job with forecasts two or three days out these days. It is definitely an unforgettable rite of passage that he will enjoy.

[Mark]

By the way, the passes are only tough during actual storms. If someone is caught by a storm, they can also hunker down east of the pass for a day or two. Once the storm passes, they clear it pretty quickly, so that it's no big deal. If someone is traveling west on I-90 and finds out that there is a storm up in the Cascades, they can still head two hours south to pick up I-84 through the Columbia Gorge, which is the route through the Cascades that is almost always below the snow level.

Snoqualmie Pass on I-90 in Washington begins to see snow soon after Halloween, and usually sees very little snow after February.