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Cayuse, Chinook passes near Mt. Rainier reopen Thursday

PHOTO CREDIT: Wikimedia Commons

Passes leading to Mount Rainier will reopen in time for Memorial Day weekend.

The Washington State Department of Transportation will reopen the Cayuse and Chinook passes by 8 a.m. Thursday.

The passes are closed during the winter because of high avalanche danger and poor road conditions.

When the gates open, park visitors can travel Chinook Pass between Crystal Mountain Boulevard, about 12 miles northwest of the summit, and Morse Creek, five miles east of the summit, WSDOT said.

Cayuse Pass will also open within the park boundaries between Stevens Canyon Road and the Chinook Pass junction.

Crews at Mount Rainier National Park have been working to get roads and services ready for visitors.

The park’s Carbon River, Longmire and Paradise areas are all open, as is the road from Packwood to the Grove of the Patriarchs trailhead. The road to the White River Campground will reopen Thursday morning.