Hiker Headlines: Highway 20 is open; Heather Lake, High Rock closures; Chuckanut Drive rockslide

It’s April 24. Highway 20 — the North Cascades Highway — has reopened for the 2025 season! Heather Lake, Lake 22 and High Rock trails have upcoming closures and Chuckanut Drive is closed due to a rockslide. Here’s some news you may have missed while out on trail this week.

Crews have cleared the North Cascades Highway (Highway 20), and it's now open! Photo of the highway on April 11 in the last stages of clearing, courtesy of the Washington State Department of Transportation.

North Cascades Highway reopens: Highway 20, the North Cascades Highway, has reopened for the 2025 season! Remember to check road conditions when heading out this spring, as there may still be snow along the highway and in parking lots, and there may still be winter debris and blowdowns on trails along the highway. When you get home from your North Cascades hike, don’t forget to write a trip report so folks know what to expect on their next hike! 

Trail closures: Be aware of some upcoming trail closures as you’re planning your spring and summer hiking:

• The Heather Lake trail and trailhead will be closed for maintenance work between May 1 and July 18. Visitors should be prepared to encounter larger construction vehicles along Forest Road 42 (Mount Pilchuck Road). Update 5/1/2025: The trail closure has been moved out to late May. 
• The Lake 22 trail and trailhead will be closed for maintenance work every Monday through Friday between July 15 and Oct. 31. 
• The High Rock trail will be closed between July 7 and Sept. 15 for lookout restoration. 

More closures: These other closures might impact your hiking plans.

• Part of North Shore Road, along Lake Quinault, will be closed between July 7 and Sept. 3, restricting access to the Graves Creek trailhead unless South Shore Road has been repaired. Backcountry camping permits for the area will not be available online during this closure period. 
• Several parts of the Clear Lake Recreation Area will be closed through April 2027 for the Clear Creek Dam Fish Passage Project. The closures include the north and south campgrounds, the Indian Creek dispersed campground, Cold Creek Sno-Park and several roads. The day-use area and boat launch remain open. 

Rockslide: Earlier this week, a rockslide on Chuckanut Drive in Bellingham blocked all lanes. The road is closed just north of the junction with Blanchard Road (near the Oyster Dome trailhead along Chuckanut Drive) until further notice. Please respect all closure signs — whether on foot, bike or car — for safety as crews work to clear the slide. 

Access to Mount Rainier: The Washington State Department of Transportation has permanently closed the Fairfax Bridge, 3 miles south of Carbonado. They originally closed the bridge last week until further notice due to safety reasons from deterioration. The closure renders both Mowich Lake Road and Carbon River Road at Mount Rainier inaccessible. 

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