Snoqualmie Pass

Snoqualmie Pass
The Interstate 90 through the Snoqualmie Pass
Pass height	919  m
	Washington	King County / Kittitas County
expansion	Interstate-90
Mountains	Cascade chain
Map (Washington)
Coordinates	47 ° 25 ′ 19 ″  N , 121 ° 24 ′ 40 ″  W Coordinates: 47 ° 25 ′ 19 ″  N , 121 ° 24 ′ 40 ″  W

The Snoqualmie Pass (919 m high ) is a mountain pass and leads Interstate 90 (I-90) over the cascade range in the US state of Washington . At the top of the pass is the border between the counties of Kittitas and King .

Snoqualmie Pass is the lowest pass elevation of the east-west routes through Washington State that are kept open year round; the others are Stevens Pass ( US Highway 2 ) to the north and White Pass ( US Highway 12 ) to the south. I-90 is the main thoroughfare between Seattle and the cities to the east and is used by an average of 29,000 vehicles every day. I-90 is the only multi-lane highway through the state in an east-west direction.

The pass gives its name to a census-designated place (CDP), which is located at the top of the pass (see: Snoqualmie Pass (Washington) ). Both the CDP and the pass are named after the Snoqualmie people from the Snoqualmie Valley to the west .

climate

The region in which the Snoqualmie Pass runs through the Cascade Range has a microclimate that is characterized by considerable rainfall and sometimes dangerous conditions for travelers. The average annual rainfall is more than 2,500 mm; an average of more than ten meters of snow falls annually. The number of days with measurable precipitation is more than 170.

Snoqualmie Pass
Climate diagram
J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D.     399   13 -27     302   16 -26     271   19th -18     152   27 -14     98   29 -6     95   34 -3     35   38 -1     57   38 -3     115   38 -6     237   31 -12     345   18th -18     436   12 -28 Temperature in ° C ,  precipitation in mm Source: Western Regional Climate Center

Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Snoqualmie Pass Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 13.33 16.11 19.44 27.22 28.89 34.44 38.33 38.33 38.33 31.11 18.33 11.67 O 26.3 Min. Temperature (° C) -27.22 -26.11 -17.78 -13.89 -6.11 -2.78 -0.56 -2.78 -5.56 -11.67 -17.78 -28.33 O −13.3 Temperature (° C) -2.97 -1.00 1.14 4.14 7.36 10.81 14.42 14.17 11.39 6.89 1.14 -1.89 O 5.5 Precipitation ( mm ) 398.53 302.01 270.51 152.15 98.30 95.00 35.05 56.64 114.55 236.73 345.19 436.12 Σ 2,540.78 Rainy days ( d ) 18th 14th 16 14th 12 9 5 4th 7th 13 18th 17th Σ 147 Source: Western Regional Climate Center

The rapidly changing conditions require special precautionary measures, which are communicated to the users of the I-90 via traffic signals . Depending on the road conditions, they can request the installation of snow chains , which is usually done for the large trucks but also for smaller vehicles. Areas for installing the chains are available along the road. The pass will be closed in extreme weather conditions.

A snow protection roof, which was built in 1950 when the road was known as US-10, then covered the western lanes. However, it has been replaced by "avalanche bridges" that were built away from the roadsides and allowed the landslides to pass under the road as in April 2014. The use of canopies (very rare on the interstates) is a measure to protect the snow and avalanches can not withstand.

The Washington State Department of Transportation operates cameras at selected points along the pass that record weather conditions. Some of these cameras can be accessed over the Internet.

tourism

Ben Evans, director of Playfields in the Seattle Parks Department , skis Snoqualmie Pass (1935). For five years in the 1930s, the department operated a ski park about 87 km from town.

The area around Snoqualmie Pass consists of mountain huts that are seasonally inhabited mainly by residents of the Seattle metropolitan area ; around 150 people are present all year round. Winter sports are the main activity, but outdoor recreation is possible all year round.

The Pacific Crest Trail crosses Snoqualmie Pass and a number of other trails are also suitable for hiking and climbing in summer, while cross-country skiers and snowshoeers get their money's worth in winter .

The Snoqualmie Pass is also the location of the Summit at Snoqualmie , a group of alpine skiing areas managed by Boyne USA Resorts . The Summit consists of four ski areas: Alpental , Summit West (formerly: Snoqualmie Summit ), Summit Central (formerly: Ski Acres ) and Summit East (formerly: Hyak ). The Summit at Snoqualmie is the closest ski area to Seattle.

Snowmobiling east of the pass is also very popular in winter. In summer and autumn, paragliders and hang-gliders can also be seen flying over the valley along the mountains and landing at Keechelus Lake .

history

The Snoqualmie Pass was well known to the Indians of the region. The trappers and traders of the Hudson's Bay Company were very active in the Snoqualmie Valley and Yakima Valley in the early 19th century. They probably knew the Snoqualmie Pass, but information about whether and how they used it is very vague. One possible early use of the pass was that of AC Anderson, who in 1841 drove cattle across the Cascade Range over a pass he called "Sinahomish Pass".

George B. McClellan and his Lieutenant Abiel W. Tinkham explored the Snoqualmie Pass region in 1853 and 1854. Their goal was to find a more suitable pass for the railroad than the Naches Pass , where the Naches Trail crosses the Cascade Range. They came from the east side of the mountains and reached the area around Yakima Pass . Tinkham continued his search down the west side across the Cedar River . McClellan decided not to investigate the Snoqualmie Pass himself because of the unfavorable reports from the Indians.

Major JHH Van Bokkelen, at that time in the militia of Washington Territory Volunteers , crossed 1856 Snoqualmie Pass on a reconnaissance mission. Several large pack animal treks were formed in 1858 to explore the mines east of the Cascades and crossed the pass. A number of Seattle residents , including Arthur A. Denny , explored the Cedar River , Snoqualmie Pass, and Naches Pass in 1865 . They reported that the route over the Snoqualmie Pass was a better choice for a road than the old Indian trail over the Yakima Pass . By 1867 a toll road was built over the Snoqualmie Pass. Although considered suitable for wagons, the road was only usable for pack animals and cattle for years.

The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (the "Milwaukee Road") completed a line over the Snoqualmie Pass in 1909, which was part of their expansion towards the Pacific. This route was soon replaced, in 1914, by the 3.6 km long Snoqualmie Tunnel , from Hyak due west to Rockdale at an estimated elevation of 790 meters, more than 120 meters below the pass. The railway line was closed in 1980 and the tunnel is currently part of a multifunctional trail for cyclists and hikers; it is part of the Iron Horse State Park . A better wagon road was built over the pass during the tunnel construction. The Sunset Highway was opened over the pass near the original railway line in 1915 .

The road over the pass was designated US Highway 10 in 1927 ; the road was started to be kept open in the winter of 1931. The first ski slope on the Snoqualmie Pass had been prepared by 1933. The highway was paved in 1934.

Construction of the replacement for US 10, Interstate 90 , began in 1969.

Since 1991, the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust has been protecting the scenic valley that I-90 crosses over Snoqualmie Pass.

See also

• Iron Horse State Park
• White Pass
• Stevens Pass

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Google Maps. Accessed August 31, 2015
2. ↑ ^{a b} Snoqualmie Pass ( English ) In: Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . Retrieved August 31, 2015.
3. ↑ WSDOT - Annual Traffic Report Accessed 2015-08-31
4. ↑ SNOQUALMIE PASS. WASHINGTON (457781) . Western Regional Climate Center. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
5. ↑ Smarter Highways 102: Variable Speed ​​Limits
6. ↑ Snoqualmie Pass reopens after hours of closure - KOMO-TV
7. ↑ Phase 1
8. ↑ WSDOT - Snoqualmie Pass Road and Weather Conditions
9. ^ Snoqualmie Pass North
10. ^ Summit at Snoqualmie
11. ↑ ^{a b c} Fred Beckey: Cascade Alpine Guide: Climbing and High Routes: Columbia River to Stevens Pass , 3rd edition, The Mountaineers , 2000, ISBN 978-0-89886-577-6 , p. 149.
12. ^ Lynda V. Mapes: Snoqualmie Tunnel gives cyclists, riders cool new link . In: Seattle Times , July 6, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2018. 
13. ^ Washington State Legislature (1913). “An act relating to public highways, classifying the same and naming and fixing the routes of certain state roads”. Session Laws of the State of Washington. Olympia, WA: State of Washington. 1913 chapter 65, p. 221: “A highway starting from the Pacific Highway at Renton, Washington; thence over the most feasible route by the way of Snoqualmie Pass into the Yakima River Valley; then by way of Wenatchee, over the most feasible route, through Waterville and Spokane, to the state boundary, which shall be known as the Sunset Highway. "
14. ^ Washington state department of transportation . (n. d.). Retrieved from http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I90/SnoqualmiePassEast/History.htm
15. ↑ US Geological Survey (November 11, 1926). United States System of Highways Adopted for Uniform Marking by the American Association of State Highway Officials [map], 1: 7,000,000. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
16. ^ Department of Highways (Washington), Highway Map: State of Washington , Revised to April 1, 1933
17. ^ Department of Highways (Washington), Highways of the State of Washington (Rand McNally), 1939
18. ↑ About Us - Mountains to Sound Greenway. Retrieved August 31, 2015

Web links

Commons : Snoqualmie Pass  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Road conditions at Snoqualmie Pass (English)
• History of Hyak at HistoryLink (English)
• Snowfall statistics (English)
• Snoqualmie Pass , by John and Chery Kinnick, Arcadia Publishing, 2007 (English)