Chinook Pass

WSDOT crews reach the Mount Rainier National Park Arch on Chinook Pass after plowing through several feet of snow.


WSDOT crews use explosives on Chinook Pass to trigger an avalanche.


More explosives are used on Chinook Pass to trigger an avalanche to help with the clearing process.


WSDOT crews stumble across the tops of some bathrooms while clearing Chinook Pass.



WSDOT crews use snow blowers to clear Chinook Pass in time for Memorial Day weekend.



WSDOT crews use snow blowers to remove avalanche debris from Chinook Pass.


WSDOT crews make headway on the clearing efforts on Chinook Pass.


This is just one of many tools WSDOT crews use to help clear Chinook Pass.


WSDOT crews take a well deserved break during the clearing process on Chinook Pass.


These two dogs are trained in locating buried avalanche victims and belong to avalanche personnel.


WSDOT crews have to plow through several feet of snow before they actually make it to the roadway.


This is what WSDOT crews call a tipout. The problem results when the large snow banks begin to melt at the base due to heat from the road surface. This causes them to become top-heavy, which results in a large chunk of snow falling onto the roadway.


WSDOT crews are close to achieving their goal to have Chinook Pass open for Memorial Day weekend.


This is how Chinook Pass looks once the snow is cleared.


Another example of beautiful scenery on Chinook Pass.