The portion of North Cascades Highway, state route 20, that was closed last week due to a wildfire, has been reopened.
Highway 20 had been closed between milepost 120 in Newhalem and milepost 156 juset west of Rainy Pass, about 45 miles west of Winthrop. It was reopened at 9am Thursday.
An infrared flight over the area has provided new mapping data. An estimated 1,711 acres has burned on the Sourdough Fire.
Travelers along SR 20 should expect to encounter firefighting personnel and apparatus working along the highway. Traffic control is in place for the safety of the traveling public and should be observed. Stopping along this stretch of highway is not permitted. This remains an active fire area and the road is subject to close again with little notice based on fire behavior or firefighting mitigation strategies. People are encouraged to plan ahead for unexpected closures and travel delays.
The North Cascades Visitor Center in Newhalem is open daily. The National Park Service has closed camping, trailheads, overlooks, pullouts and other recreation east of Newhalem, due to the Sourdough Fire. Additional details about trail, area and camp closures are available on the North Cascades National Park Service Complex website.
SR 20 closed at 10 p.m. on Friday, August 4 to support firefighting efforts along the highway.
WSDOT crews will continue to partner with the Sourdough Fire Incident Management Team. Road closure information is posted in the WSDOT real-time travel center and @wsdot_north on X/Twitter and updates will be provided as available.