White Pass (Washington)

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White Pass (Washington) is a mountain pass in the Cascade Range of Washington state. It sits at an elevation of about 4,500 feet (1,372 meters) and lies in Lewis and Yakima counties, southeast of Mount Rainier and north of Goat Rocks. U.S. Highway 12 crosses the pass, linking Yakima County on the east with Lewis County to the west.

The pass was named after Charles A. White, a surveying engineer who led the party that discovered it for the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1878.

History and roads: A shortcut route between Packwood and Naches was established as State Road 5 in 1931. It was completed along the current route by August 1951 and later designated U.S. Route 12.

White Pass Ski Area: The ski area at the summit opened on January 11, 1953. The Mahre brothers, Phil and Steve, grew up nearby, and their father Dave Mahre was the ski area manager. Professional snowboarder Marc Frank Montoya also calls White Pass home.

Location details: The pass is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of Mount Rainier and about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Mount Adams.

Notable incident: On October 7, 2007, a single-engine Cessna Caravan crashed near White Pass, killing all ten people aboard—who were skydivers.

Climate: White Pass lies at high elevation, so winters are cold and snowy, with milder summers. The area experiences significant precipitation and heavy snowfall typical of the region’s mountain passes.