Stevens Pass will open soon, but there is a long detour

With the major precipitation we've had over the weekend, we have lots of snow in the passes. Just this morning I checked the website for Mission Ridge; they are open today. Crystal opened a week ago, but what is going on with Stevens Pass? 

Currently, for all intents and purposes, Stevens Pass is cut off from the public. If you look at the Washington state DOT website, you'll see that US 2 is closed on both sides of Stevens Pass. 

Time for a road trip. 

So last weekend I was wondering if there was some way I could get up there and at least take a look at Stevens Pass and see how it was coming along. I thought it might be possible to take a detour around Tumwater Canyon which is closed due to road washouts by going up to Plane and Lake Wenatchee and then joining US 2 near where the 59'r Diner is. But then I looked at the DOT map on their website, and it pretty much showed that US 2 was cut off from everybody. 

I went online and looked at the Stevens Pass website and they showed that they were closed at least for the near future. Then I noticed an article in the Seattle Times with quotes from folks at Stevens Pass saying that they were planning on being open.

According to seattletimes.com,
‘Stevens Pass eventual opening will likely require lengthy detour. The most likely first route for Seattle-area skiers and snowboarders to reach Stevens Pass when it opens for the season will be a lengthy 184-mile trip due to the extended closure of the west side of Highway 2, adding over 100 miles each way to the typical route.’ 

The new suggested detour asks for Stevens Pass skiers to go over Snoqualmie pass, then over Blewett pass, up to Leavenworth and then take the Chumstick Hwy up through Plane and across to Rejoin US 2 above the damage in Tumwater Canyon. Then drive up to Stevens Pass. This was the route I was planning on taking over the weekend and decided not to just in case I encountered a closed gate once I got back to US 2. 

What does Stevens Pass say? 

Stevens Pass General Manager Ellen Galbraith told The Seattle Times. “One thing we can say for sure is that while we do not yet have the snow we need to get open for the season, we are working hard to be ready to open as soon as conditions permit.” 

So now I find myself in Leavenworth on a Saturday morning and for a town that gets so much business from the west side of the mountains over US 2 I assumed that they would not be particularly busy, but the place was jumping. I did not find any easy parking places, but what I did find is my favorite bakery near the turnoff to Lake Wenatchee. 

If you know me at all, you know I can't resist a good bakery, and this is a great one. Any time I'm traveling over Stevens Pass, I always like to make a stop there to get something to snack on, on the way over and this Saturday was no exception.  

My typical go to when I go to the Bavarian Bakery is the vanilla custard or the Raspberry custard. (Very tasty) 

But I was Introduced to something new, which apparently is seasonal. It's a sweet bread called Stollen. Think of it as a German variation on the concept of a fruitcake, only this time in bread form. It’s made with raisins, nuts, rum, candied orange and lemon zest, almond paste and more. I'm told It has a shelf life of between four to six months which is pretty amazing. 

I'm honestly thinking of making an additional road trip up to Leavenworth this afternoon to pick up three or four more Stollen loaves to send off to relatives. 

Back to skiing and snowboarding. 

So, the good news is that Stevens Pass will be open as soon as they have enough snow, which they should have relatively soon. The bad news is, you've got a long detour ahead of you. But the good news is you can stop at the Bavarian Bakery on the way and pick up something tasty.