Lake Fire, Aug. 29, 2023
The Washington State DOT this morning reopened State Route 20/North Cascades Highway on from milepost 120 in Newhalem to milepost 171 at the Silver Star campground, approximately 22 miles west of Winthrop.
A pilot car will escort travelers along a 4-mile stretch of highway from Rainy Pass (milepost 158) to the Blue Lake trailhead parking lot (milepost 162) until further notice as crews continue working in the vicinity of the Blue Lake fire. Pilot car operations may be suspended at times; however, the road will remain open to through traffic.
This remains an active fire area and the road is subject to closing again with little notice based on fire behavior, fire mitigation strategies or weather. Travelers along SR 20 are advised they may encounter firefighting personnel and apparatus along the highway and are discouraged from stopping along this stretch of highway. Traffic control is in place for the safety of the traveling public and should be observed.
Road closure information is posted in the WSDOT real-time travel center and @wsdot_north and @wsdot_east on X/Twitter and updates will be provided as available. Details about recreation in this area including trail, area and camp closures are available on theNorth Cascades National Park Service complex website and the U.S. Forest Service alerts website.
The Sourdough Fire started with a lightning strike on July 29 near Diablo in the steep and rugged terrain of Ross Lake National Recreation Area. The Blue Lake Fire began on Aug. 15, approximately 20 miles west of Winthrop on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. A cause has not determined at this time. SR 20 had closed again on Saturday, Aug. 26, when the Blue Lake fire crossed SR 20 in Okanogan County.