Washington Pass

{{For|the pass in New Mexico formerly known as Washington Pass|Narbona Pass}}

{{Infobox mountain pass

| name = Washington Pass

| photo = Washington Pass and Liberty Bell Mountain.JPG

| photo_caption = State Route 20 and Liberty Bell Mountain at the pass, as seen from Washington Pass Overlook Trail

| elevation_ft = 5477

| elevation_ref =

| location= Chelan / Okanogan counties, Washington, United States

| range = Cascades

| coordinates = {{coord|48|31.4|N|120|39.3|W|type:pass_region:US-WA}}

| topo =

| traversed = State Route 20

}}

{{Infobox mountain pass

| name = Rainy Pass

| photo = Rainypass.jpg

| photo_caption = Rainy Pass in spring

| elevation_ft = 4875

| elevation_ref =

| location= Chelan / Skagit counties, Washington, United States

| range = Cascades

| coordinates = {{coord|48|31.1|N|120|44.1|W|type:pass}}

| topo =

| traversed = State Route 20

}}

File:Washington Pass, North Cascades.jpg

Washington Pass (el. 5477 ft./1669 m.) and Rainy Pass (el. 4875 ft./1486 m.) are two mountain passes on State Route 20 (North Cascades Highway) in the North Cascades mountains of Washington state. Rainy Pass is about 4 miles to the west of Washington Pass. The passes are typically closed between November and April due to heavy snowfall.

The north–south Pacific Crest Trail crosses east-west Highway 20 at Rainy Pass. The Washington Pass Overlook Trail, designated a National Recreation Trail in 1978, runs a short {{convert|0.2|mi|km}} from the pass to an overlook with views of Liberty Bell Mountain and the highway {{convert|700|feet|m}} below.{{cite web |url=http://www.americantrails.org/NRTDatabase/trailDetail.php?recordID=2300 |title=Washington Pass Overlook Trail|date=2013-04-24 |accessdate=2014-08-14 |publisher=American Trails}}

Climate

Washington and Rainy Passes are located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America.{{cite book |last=Beckey |first=Fred W. |authorlink= Fred Beckey |title=Cascade Alpine Guide: climbing and high routes, Vol. 3, Rainy Pass to Fraser River |edition=3rd |year=2009 |publisher=Mountaineers Books |isbn=978-1-59485-136-0 |page=302}} Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel northeast toward the Cascade Mountains. As fronts approach the North Cascades, they are forced upward by the peaks of the Cascade Range (Orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the Cascades. As a result, the west side of the North Cascades experiences high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall. During winter months, weather is usually cloudy, but, due to high pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean that intensify during summer months, there is often little or no cloud cover during the summer.Beckey, p. 16 Because of maritime influence, snow tends to be wet and heavy, resulting in high avalanche danger. The North Cascades Highway east of Washington Pass has the distinction of being among the top areas in the United States for most avalanche paths per mile of highway.[http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/maintenance/avalanche Avalanche Control].wsdot.wa.gov

{{Weather box

|location = Rainy Pass, Washington, 1991–2020 normals: 4890ft (1490m)

|single line = Yes

|Jan high F = 27.7

|Feb high F = 30.3

|Mar high F = 35.8

|Apr high F = 43.4

|May high F = 52.3

|Jun high F = 57.6

|Jul high F = 68.0

|Aug high F = 67.2

|Sep high F = 56.9

|Oct high F = 42.9

|Nov high F = 31.8

|Dec high F = 26.1

|year high F =

|Jan mean F = 23.5

|Feb mean F = 25.0

|Mar mean F = 29.3

|Apr mean F = 35.5

|May mean F = 42.9

|Jun mean F = 47.9

|Jul mean F = 56.5

|Aug mean F = 56.5

|Sep mean F = 48.8

|Oct mean F = 37.7

|Nov mean F = 28.0

|Dec mean F = 22.3

|year mean F =

|Jan low F = 19.3

|Feb low F = 19.6

|Mar low F = 22.7

|Apr low F = 27.6

|May low F = 33.4

|Jun low F = 38.2

|Jul low F = 45.0

|Aug low F = 45.7

|Sep low F = 40.6

|Oct low F = 32.4

|Nov low F = 24.2

|Dec low F = 18.5

|year low F =

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 8.80

|Feb precipitation inch = 6.18

|Mar precipitation inch = 6.33

|Apr precipitation inch = 3.73

|May precipitation inch = 2.55

|Jun precipitation inch = 1.95

|Jul precipitation inch = 1.04

|Aug precipitation inch = 1.25

|Sep precipitation inch = 2.31

|Oct precipitation inch = 5.83

|Nov precipitation inch = 9.27

|Dec precipitation inch = 8.21

|year precipitation inch =

|source 1 = XMACIS2

{{cite web

|url = https://xmacis.rcc-acis.org/

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|title = xmACIS2

|access-date = September 24, 2023

}}

|source 2 = NOAA (Precipitation)

{{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=USS0020A09S&format=pdf

|title= Rainy Pass, Washington 1991-2020 Monthly Normals

|access-date = September 26, 2023

}}

References

External links

{{Gnis|1527830|Washington Pass}}—Washington Pass
{{Gnis|1524844|Rainy Pass}}—Rainy Pass
[http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes/passinformation.aspx#northcascade Pass road conditions from WSDOT]

{{Geographic Location 2

| Center = Washington Pass

| North = Hinkhouse Peak

| Northeast = Silver Star Mountain

| ENE = Snagtooth Ridge

| East = Big Kangaroo

| ESE = Wallaby Peak

| Southeast = Copper Benchmark

| South = Liberty Bell Mountain

| Southwest = Rainy Peak

| WSW = Whistler Mountain

| West = Cutthroat Peak