Roadtrippers tend to be adventurers--folks who want to get out and explore, see new things and have adventures that they will cherish for a lifetime. In order to make that happen though, particularly when you're planning to cover some serious ground, you will need to do some planning in order to have the best chance of a memorable trip -- with all GOOD memories!
How Will You Be Accessing The Cascade Loop?
Air Travel
For folks flying in from out-of-state or out-of-country, you'll need to start by making arrangements to fly in to either Sea-Tac International Airport, just a hop, skip and a jump from the Cascade Loop, or fly into a regional airport such as Pangborn Memorial Airport (Alaska Airlines only) near Wenatchee, or Paine Field Passenger Terminal in Everett, serving communities located along the byway corridor north of Seattle. Bellingham International Airport is about 100 miles north, not far from the border with Canada.
Whether you're driving your own car or renting one for the trip, there are a few things you'll want to note to truly have a worry and hassle-free experience.
Request our printed Travel Guide and pull out map full of resources, plus see a grid of Driving Distances from the larger communities along the Loop to help you plan your itinerary.
The Cascade Loop is proud to have many EV Charge options, making your trip via electric car seamless. In fact, the Stevens Pass Greenway was the first fully electrified Scenic Byway in the state (Highway 2 from Sultan to Cashmere.
RVing can be a great way to experience the Cascade Loop. Fresh air and views are abundant in the many campgrounds along your journey. How much you ‘rough it’ is directly dependent upon how much planning and prepping you do, so take control early on.
Every Winter the northernmost mountain pass across the Cascades will close, turning our Loop into a Crescent. The closure dates are based on the snow and roadway conditions, and typically closes in November or December, and reopens in April or May.
Why the highway is closed in winter:
[WSDOT says] "We close the North Cascades Highway when weather, snow conditions and avalanche danger threaten the safety of drivers and our maintenance crews. Avalanches typically close the highway between late November and mid-December. Unlike US 2 Stevens Pass and I-90 Snoqualmie Pass, the North Cascades does not have facilities to perform avalanche control work to alleviate the condition. For the safety of the traveling public and winter maintenance crews, the pass must be closed."
Historically, SR 20 opens for the season in April or May, and closes in November or December - but it's really up to Mother Nature, so be prepared!
Summer season often brings news of wildland and forest fires in or near communities and mountains of the Cascade Loop. Very rarely travel is impacted by these fires, but occasionally a highway closure or flagger controlled traffic revision is put in place to assure safe travel.
If fires near the roadway threaten travel, we will post alerts on social media and on this page (find it easily as a 'Travel Alert' bar at the top of every page)
The Cascade Loop is a 440-mile National Scenic Byway and the communities along the route welcome travelers and can provide amazing information and insight about the best places to eat and things to do when visiting their neighborhoods!
You can pick up a copy of the Cascade Loop Printed Travel Guide and collect your Souvenir Passport Stamps at these Visitor Center Locations
