OPEN
NO RESTRICTIONS
Last updated at: NOV 5, 2026, 8:55 AM PST · WSDOT · Pass report Thu, Nov 5, 7:29 AM
Stevens Pass is open, no restrictions in either direction, 36 degrees at the summit, road surface bare and wet with ice in places, updated Thu, Nov 5, 7:29 AM.
The posting at the top of this page is the law in force on US 2 right now. Here is what every rung of the Washington ladder requires.
Eastbound over Stevens Pass
Summit 4,061 ft · 36°F at the summit · Bare and wet with ice in places.
Westbound over Stevens Pass
Summit 4,061 ft · 36°F at the summit · Bare and wet with ice in places.
1No Restrictions
The road is running free. Washington law still requires legal tread and a vehicle in safe condition, and winter on Stevens Pass still argues for carrying chains from November through March, restriction or not.
2Traction Tires Advised
A heads up, not yet a mandate. WSDOT is telling you conditions are building toward a requirement. If your tires are marginal, this is the posting where turning around or chaining early costs you nothing.
3Traction Tires Required
Now it is law. Every vehicle must run on traction tires: tires meeting the Washington standard in WAC 204-24, marked with the mountain and snowflake symbol, or approved alternatives with the required tread depth. Vehicles over 10,000 pounds must carry chains, and every driver is smart to carry them, because the next rung can land while you are on the mountain.
4Chains Required
Chains on every vehicle except all wheel drive, which may run on traction tires alone. Two wheel drive vehicles must install chains on the drive wheels. Cable chains that meet the WAC 204-24 standard count as chains. If you reach this posting without chains, you do not legally proceed, and the turnaround areas exist for exactly that moment.
5Chains Required on All Vehicles Except AWD
WSDOT posts this wording when conditions demand chains broadly while still recognizing all wheel drive on traction tires. Read the reader boards and this page's live posting literally: the words in force at the summit are the requirement, and when a posting says all vehicles, it means all vehicles, all wheel drive included.
Washington's chain law rests on two authorities. RCW 46.37.530 requires tires and chains that meet state standards and makes it unlawful to drive a posted mountain pass in violation of the traction requirements in force. WAC 204-24, written by the Washington State Patrol, sets the physical standards: what a traction tire is, what chains and cable devices must do, and how they must be carried and installed. WSDOT posts the requirements pass by pass and direction by direction as conditions change, which is why the live posting on this site always shows eastbound and westbound separately.
Two details catch drivers out every winter. First, studded tires are legal in Washington only from November 1 to March 31, and studs alone do not satisfy a chains required posting. Second, the all wheel drive exception is narrower than its reputation: it applies at the Chains Required rung, on traction tires, and it disappears at the strictest postings. When in doubt, read the posting literally and chain up. It is ten minutes in a chain up area against a citation, a tow, or worse on the grade.
Official sources: RCW 46.37.530, WAC 204-24, and WSDOT pass reports. This page explains the law for drivers; it is not legal advice.
West side drivers chain up in Skykomish, the last town before the grade, or in the signed chain up areas on the climb. East side drivers use Coles Corner and the summit area pullouts. Never stop in a travel lane to install chains, never chain up on a blind curve, and if you missed the last good area, the correct move is to continue carefully to the next wide spot rather than stopping where the next truck cannot see you. Practice the fit at home: chains that have never left the bag have a way of being the wrong size at 4,000 feet.
See the law in action on the Stevens Pass conditions page, and check how long today's posting has been in force in the public status history.
Are chains required on Stevens Pass right now?
Check the live posting at the top of this page, with its WSDOT timestamp. If it reads Chains Required in your direction, Washington law requires chains on your vehicle unless it is all wheel drive on traction tires, and the strictest posting requires them on all wheel drive too.
What counts as a traction tire in Washington?
Under WAC 204-24, a traction tire carries the mountain and snowflake symbol molded on the sidewall, or is an approved traction device rated tire, with tread depth of at least 6/32 of an inch for passenger vehicles. A plain M+S marking alone does not meet the Washington traction tire definition for pass postings.
Do cable chains count as chains on Stevens Pass?
Yes, if they meet the WAC 204-24 standard for traction devices and are installed correctly on the drive wheels. They must be sized for your tires, and the time to learn the fit is a dry driveway, not the summit chain up area in a storm.
What happens if I drive past a chains required posting without chains?
RCW 46.37.530 makes it a traffic infraction to violate a posted traction requirement, the State Patrol enforces the postings at Stevens Pass, and troopers can require you to install chains, turn around, or wait. The fine is the small part of the cost; a slide off on the grade is the large part.
When should I carry chains on US 2 even with no restriction posted?
Washington's chain season on the passes runs through the snow months, and postings can change while you are between Skykomish and the summit. Carry chains that fit, gloves, and a light from the first fall storm to the last spring one, whenever your trip crosses Stevens Pass.
