Stevens Pass
{{Short description|Mountain pass through the Cascade Mountains, Washington, United States}}
{{Infobox mountain pass
| name = Stevens Pass
| photo = Stevens Pass Signs 2700px.jpg
| photo_caption =
| elevation_ft = 4061
| elevation_ref = {{cite map
| publisher = United States Geological Survey
| title = Snoqualmie Pass Quadrangle, Washington
| year = 1987
| edition = 1965 Photorevised 1987
| scale = 1 : 24,000
| series = 7,5 Minute Series (Topographic)
| isbn = 0-607-57715-0
}}
| traversed = U.S. Route 2
| location = Chelan / King counties, Washington, United States
| range = Cascades
| coordinates = {{coord|47|44.7|N|121|5.6|W|type:pass}}
| topo =
}}
Stevens Pass (elevation {{Convert|4061|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}) is a mountain pass through the Cascade Mountains located at the border of King County and Chelan County in Washington, United States. U.S. Route 2 travels over the pass, reaching a maximum elevation of {{Convert|4061|ft|m|0}}. The Pacific Crest Trail crosses the highway at Stevens Pass. The BNSF Railway's Cascade Tunnel lies {{Convert|1180|ft|m|-2}} below the pass summit.
The pass is near Stevens Pass Ski Area, which is on Cowboy Mountain and Big Chief Mountain.
History
Stevens Pass is named after John Frank Stevens, the first non-indigenous person to discover it.{{cite web
| url= https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/streamliners/peopleevents/p_stevens.html
| title= People & Events: John Stevens, 1853–1943
| accessdate= 2007-05-18
| year= 1999–2000
| work= American Experience | Streamliners | People & Events
| publisher= Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
| archive-date= 2009-12-27
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091227161303/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/streamliners/peopleevents/p_stevens.html
| url-status= dead
}} Native Americans familiar with the area knew of the pass, although very little is known about Native American routes through the mountains. Hubert C. Ward, exploring the area for the Northern Pacific Railway in 1872, heard from some Native Americans that there was a low pass at the head of Nason Creek, a tributary of the Wenatchee River, which led to one of the sources of the Skykomish River. Albert Bowman Rogers of the Great Northern Railway, learned from Native Americans in 1887 that the Skykomish River and Nason Creek had sources close to one another but that neither natives nor whites visited the Nason Creek area. Neither Ward nor Rogers had time to fully explore the area.
In 1890, Stevens conducted a thorough survey for the Great Northern, located the pass, and determined it to be the best suited for a railway crossing of the North Cascades. He wrote that there was no indication that the pass was used — there was no sign of any trails, blazes, campsites, or old campfires, for at least {{convert|10|mi|spell=in}} in either direction and that the area was thickly forested and covered with almost impenetrable brush. Stevens wrote, "the region promised nothing to the prospector, while Indians and Whites crossing the mountains used either Snoqualmie on the south or the Indian Pass on the north."{{cite book|last=Beckey|first=Fred W.|authorlink=Fred Beckey|title=Range of glaciers: the exploration and survey of the Northern Cascade range|year=2003|publisher=Oregon Historical Society Press|isbn=978-0-87595-243-7|pages=5, 21–23, 64, 231, 263–264, 267}}
Stevens had also charted Marias Pass in northwestern Montana, on the Continental Divide near Glacier National Park.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3vknAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2eEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6723%2C4502249 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |title=G.N. to erect Stevens statue |date=June 30, 1925 |page=5}}
Notable avalanches
{{See also|Wellington, Washington avalanche|2012 Tunnel Creek avalanche}}
On February 23, 1910, the two Great Northern Railway trains, the "Seattle Express" local passenger train No. 25 and Fast Mail train No. 27, were stalled on the tracks at the Cascade Tunnel Station on Stevens Pass because of a heavy snow storm and avalanches. Then on March 1, six days later, another avalanche pushed both trains {{convert|150|ft}} down into the Tye River Valley, thus burying the train cars in snow and debris. The Wellington Disaster killed ninety-six people – thirty-five passengers and sixty-one railroad employees – which made the Wellington avalanche one of the worst train disasters in United States history.[http://nwda-db.wsulibs.wsu.edu/findaid/ark:/80444/xv09594 NWDA Washington State University: Wellington Disaster]
Over a century later, an avalanche occurred on February 19, 2012 near Tunnel Creek Canyon Road, killing three of four experienced backcountry skiers, including the Stevens Pass Ski Area's marketing director. Professional skier Elyse Saugstad, who was wearing an avalanche airbag backpack, survived after tumbling down for more than 2,000 feet (600 m).{{cite web| title=Four dead in avalanches at Stevens and Snoqualmie passes | url= http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/text/2017551390.html| date= February 20, 2012 | publisher= Seattle Times | accessdate=2012-02-20}}
Climate
Stevens Pass experiences a maritime-influenced alpine subarctic climate (Köppen Dsc), with short, mild, dry summers and extremely heavy winter snowfall.
The following chart includes climate data for the Stevens Pass (SNOTEL) weather station from January 1, 1991, to December 31, 2020.{{cite web|url = https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/datasets/GSOM/stations/GHCND:USS0021B01S/detail |publisher = NOAA |title = Station Details - STEVENS PASS, WA US|access-date =April 10, 2024}}
{{Weather box
|single line = yes
|location = Stevens Pass, Washington, 1991–2020 normals, 1939–1994 extremes: 3950ft (1204m)
|Jan record high F = 53
|Feb record high F = 53
|Mar record high F = 70
|Apr record high F = 71
|May record high F = 83
|Jun record high F = 91
|Jul record high F = 95
|Aug record high F = 91
|Sep record high F = 85
|Oct record high F = 72
|Nov record high F = 56
|Dec record high F = 50
|year record high F=
|Jan high F = 32.5
|Feb high F = 35.9
|Mar high F = 41.3
|Apr high F = 47.1
|May high F = 54.5
|Jun high F = 58.8
|Jul high F = 68.8
|Aug high F = 68.9
|Sep high F = 62.1
|Oct high F = 48.9
|Nov high F = 36.8
|Dec high F = 30.7
|year high F =
|Jan mean F = 28.0
|Feb mean F = 30.0
|Mar mean F = 33.9
|Apr mean F = 38.7
|May mean F = 45.1
|Jun mean F = 49.7
|Jul mean F = 57.6
|Aug mean F = 58.0
|Sep mean F = 52.4
|Oct mean F = 42.1
|Nov mean F = 32.4
|Dec mean F = 26.6
|year mean F =
|Jan low F = 23.5
|Feb low F = 24.2
|Mar low F = 26.5
|Apr low F = 30.2
|May low F = 35.8
|Jun low F = 40.7
|Jul low F = 46.6
|Aug low F = 47.1
|Sep low F = 42.6
|Oct low F = 35.2
|Nov low F = 27.9
|Dec low F = 22.6
|year low F =
|Jan record low F = -22
|Feb record low F = -12
|Mar record low F = -3
|Apr record low F = 11
|May record low F = 17
|Jun record low F = 25
|Jul record low F = 32
|Aug record low F = 30
|Sep record low F = 28
|Oct record low F = 10
|Nov record low F = -2
|Dec record low F = -25
|year record low F=
|precipitation colour= green
|Jan precipitation inch = 14.14
|Feb precipitation inch = 9.33
|Mar precipitation inch = 10.04
|Apr precipitation inch = 5.76
|May precipitation inch = 3.66
|Jun precipitation inch = 2.84
|Jul precipitation inch = 1.12
|Aug precipitation inch = 1.43
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.90
|Oct precipitation inch = 10.25
|Nov precipitation inch = 14.89
|Dec precipitation inch = 13.22
|year precipitation inch =
|Jan snow inch = 104.7
|Feb snow inch = 77.6
|Mar snow inch = 70.6
|Apr snow inch = 32.6
|May snow inch = 9.2
|Jun snow inch = 0.7
|Jul snow inch = 0.1
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.5
|Oct snow inch = 16.1
|Nov snow inch = 66.4
|Dec snow inch = 93.3
|year snow inch= 471.8
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 20.3
|Feb precipitation days = 17.1
|Mar precipitation days = 19.9
|Apr precipitation days = 16.5
|May precipitation days = 12.7
|Jun precipitation days = 10.4
|Jul precipitation days = 4.5
|Aug precipitation days = 4.8
|Sep precipitation days = 8.4
|Oct precipitation days = 16.3
|Nov precipitation days = 20.9
|Dec precipitation days = 20.7
|year precipitation days =
|source 1 = XMACIS2 (temp normals)
{{cite web
|url = https://xmacis.rcc-acis.org/
|title = xmACIS2
|access-date = April 10, 2024
}}
{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USS0021B01S&format=pdf
|title = Stevens Pass, Washington 1991-2020 Monthly Normals
|access-date = April 10, 2024
}}
|source 2 = WRCC (records & snowfall){{cite web
|url= https://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?wa8089
|title= STEVENS PASS, WASHINGTON (458089)
|accessdate=April 10, 2024
|publisher=Western Regional Climate Center }}
}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- [http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes/stevens/default.aspx Stevens Pass road conditions] from Washington State Department of Transportation
- [http://www.stevenspass.com/ Stevens Pass ski area] official site
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|47|44.7|N|121|5.6|W|type:pass|display=title}}
Category:Mountain passes of Chelan County, Washington
Category:Transportation in King County, Washington
Category:Landforms of King County, Washington
Category:Mountain passes of Washington (state)
Category:Rail mountain passes of the United States