Crossing Snoqualmie Pass in Winter: A Historical Account
By Curt Cunningham
October 12, 2025

In 1915, the Yellowstone Trail was established as a transcontinental highway, but it was only passable for about five months each year. Back then, motoring was a summer activity, and freight was primarily transported by rail, so the seasonal nature of the road wasn't a major issue.

The Cascade Mountains were the main obstacle, as they were nearly impassable for seven months of the year. Snoqualmie Pass, though only 3,000 feet in elevation, was buried under deep snow and blocked by numerous fallen trees. Each winter, heavy snow would topple trees on the western slopes, requiring substantial physical effort to clear the road by summer. Before 1867, this difficulty led to the pass being referred to as the "Foot Trail."

In a July 9, 1916, article in the El Paso Herald, C.H. Lester described the challenging conditions when Snoqualmie Pass finally opened on June 25: "When we got well into the Cascades, the snowline got lower, or we rose up to meet it, for the mountains were covered from base to summit. The ground beneath the trees was buried under a deep white mantle. As we neared the summit, we passed through a narrow cut in the snow, just wide enough for the car to squeeze through, with walls almost higher than the top of the car. The road was in good condition, and we reached the Summit Inn at an elevation of 3,018 feet by 11:30 a.m."

Lester described the intense snowfall from the previous winter, measuring over 600 inches (50 feet) by U.S. Forestry estimates. On the east slope of the pass, the road remained uncleared for four miles, with snow ranging from two to five feet deep, further softened by constant rain. Lester and his companions struggled to navigate these treacherous conditions, encountering fir trees crushed by the snow that had fallen across the road.

"We worked hard on that Dodge, and by nightfall, we had made it less than half a mile through the snow. We returned to the inn for warmth, dry clothes, and much-needed rest." The following day, after hiring a team of horses for $10 per car, they resumed their battle against the snow, finally reaching their destination by 2 p.m.

Early Snow-Clearing Efforts

Each year, efforts were made to open Snoqualmie Pass as early as possible. Men would shovel snow up to 20 feet deep, laboring to keep the path clear. However, these methods were backbreaking and inefficient, leading to the search for better solutions. In 1915, Popular Mechanics ran an article detailing the first use of a steam shovel to clear the pass:

"Every spring, King Frost’s control of Snoqualmie Pass must be broken to allow motor traffic. In previous years, horse teams were used to begin clearing the snow in April, and the pass typically opened by May. This year, a steam shovel was used for the first time, removing more than 140,000 cubic yards of snow from a roadway 12 feet wide."

This innovation greatly reduced the physical effort required, cutting the workload by 50%. The shovel used melted snow as water for its boiler and scooped up snow more efficiently than traditional methods.
Rail Transport During Winter

Before the pass could be kept open year-round, motorists still had an alternative—shipping their cars by rail. The Northern Pacific and Milwaukee Road offered rail terminals on both sides of the pass. This service was likely common, but not widely discussed, as advocates for better roads may have been reluctant to promote the use of rail.

The Push for a Year-Round Highway

At a meeting in Walla Walla on December 15, 1916, delegates from Washington, Montana, and Idaho gathered to discuss the formation of an Interstate Highway Association. Their goal was to create a year-round highway network connecting Washington, Idaho, and Montana. A key proposal was to establish the "Evergreen Highway," which would run year-round from Lewiston, Idaho, to Seaside, Oregon.

The Evergreen Highway was promoted as a more practical option than the southern Lincoln Highway, which passed through sparsely populated areas and harsh desert landscapes. The Yellowstone Trail, with its better access to services and infrastructure, was also supported as the ideal route for travelers coming from the East.

National Roads and the Columbia River Highway

By 1919, calls for national road systems in the West intensified, as many states struggled to maintain their roads or connect with neighboring states. In 1921, the Columbia River Highway opened, becoming the first scenic highway and the first year-round route across the Cascade Mountains.

This road was built to high standards, resembling railroad construction in its design and durability. Motorists traveling westbound on the Yellowstone Trail could now connect to the Columbia River Highway at Walla Walla, Washington, driving through Pendleton, Oregon, and along the scenic Columbia Gorge to Portland. The route was shortened with the construction of the Umatilla Cutoff, which bypassed Pendleton and saved travelers 88 miles.

The Changing Routes of the Yellowstone Trail

At the 1921 Yellowstone Trail Convention in Spokane, Portland representatives petitioned to become the western terminus of the trail, but their proposal was rejected. Seattle remained the official terminus, as the committee was wary of making radical changes to the route. However, by 1924, the trail shifted to follow the northern Sunset Highway, diverting traffic away from Oregon.

In 1923, another year-round route across the Cascades, the North Bank Highway, opened. This allowed motorists to bypass Snoqualmie Pass by traveling from Pasco, Washington, to Vancouver, Washington, and then north to Seattle.

Winter Motoring Becomes Possible

By 1931, Snoqualmie Pass was finally kept open year-round, making the Yellowstone Trail a truly transcontinental highway in all seasons. This marked a significant achievement in the development of the region’s infrastructure, allowing motorists to travel through the Cascades even in winter.

In a 1923 Sunday Star article, Paul B. Lum, president of the Washington Automotive Trade Association, praised the growing accessibility of winter motoring: "The automobile has transformed winter from a trying ordeal into a season of pleasure. Without millions of motorists demanding year-round travel, we might still be content to hibernate for the winter in the old-fashioned, yet impractical, way."

By the early 1930s, the development of roads, snow removal technology, and public demand had made winter motoring not just possible, but enjoyable.