[lookout bob]

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/14-mile-scenic-stretch-of-mountain-loop-highway-opens-early/

[philfort]

[Foist]

Scenic? I guess the forest and Sauk River are nice. But there are basically no views to speak of.

[Exmoor]

I saw some chatter and photos on Facebook saying that the road is only open to the gate at Barlow Pass/Monte Cristo road and is blocked by snow and trees past that. Seems like there were some wires that got crossed with notifying the media. I'd really love to get up there, but this definitely does not seem like the year for early openings given that I've seen fresh snow at ~3500ft in the last week just looking out my window.

[Foist]

There was one time like 20 years ago when the road was "open" in May, and I drove there to hike Goat Lake, but on the downhill on the north side of Barlow Pass I hit some snow and briefly got my car stuck in it, then turned around. I don't know if they still "open" the road with snow on it.

[Kim Brown]

Yes, from what I understand, it did get confused and isn't open all the way. And yeah, they don't plow the gravel portion, so when it's open, you could still get stuck in snow and ice.

[Foist]

So what determines when they open the gate, if not melt-out?

[Kim Brown]

I don't know; I always just assumed it was when locals start getting through and busting up the snow so that others might get through. I also always assumed that if it seems too early for me, there would be too much snow for me to even try, so I don't until it's obvious I can get through.

[Randito]

For forest service gravel/dirt roads I recall there us typically a period of time for the road to "dry out" between the time it is snow free and when any gates are unlocked. "Jeepers" are their own subculture with significant competition between "jeepers" over who can get their rig to drive through some challenge. If there wasn't a sturdy gate, "jeepers" would try to drive the road throughout the winter. I was skiing down a groomed snowmobile route in late January this year when the snow pack was still a bit thin and the plow crews hadn't build up a very high berm at the end of the Gold Creek sno-park and encountered two jeeps high centered and stuck 1 mile and 100 yards from the sno-park. The groomer gave them both a lecture and then proceeded to build up the berm to try to prevent any additional "jeepers" from trying to drive the snowmobile route / coming to tow them. I'm confident that the gates on the Mountain Loop are a result of "jeepers" trying to drive the road during the winter and getting stuck and also tearing up the roadbed trying to get unstuck. The "jeepers" I observed had certainly tried the "give it more gas to power out" approach -- which is why they were in up to the axles.

[Kim Brown]

I don't think that's the case for the mtn loop. It frequently opens when there's still snow and ice on it.

[Foist]

[Schroder]

The MBSNF website shows the Mt Loop is closed from Barlow to Bedal Creek & "limited" from Bedal to Darrington, whatever that means. It looks like all they did the other day was open the Deer Creek gate. Still 3 ft of snow at Barlow Pass.

[Kim Brown]

Thanks Randy. So it's open, you just can't get there from here.

[Schroder]

Yes, it's closed but it's open

[Kim Brown]

Ah. Yes. It's like when the Hood Canal Bridge is open, it's closed.