Introduction to the Byway

David OlsonThe White Pass Scenic Byway is a recreational paradise in the shadow of Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Adams. Whether you enjoy wilderness camping, hiking, fishing, snowmobiling, or even hang gliding, there are more outdoor recreational opportunities along the byway than anywhere else in the south Cascades region.

In the summertime, campgrounds are buzzing with activity as visitors enjoy the rivers, lakes, forests, and trails from their basecamps. Early in the summer, when the high country trails are still covered in snow, forests and grasslands along the byway are coming to life with wildflowers and wildlife. Early fall can be the best season for hiking, as trails are snow-free, sub-alpine vegetation is beginning to change color, and mosquitoes have called it quits for the year. Later in the fall hunters come to the forest for some of the state’s best deer and elk range. Of course, fish follow their own seasons, and there’s almost always something to be caught. Winter time brings visitors to the byway to enjoy the White Pass Ski Resort, snowmobiling, backcountry skiing, and snowshoeing.

Whatever your outdoor activity, whatever the season, there’s something to do along the White Pass Scenic Byway.

Washington’s Wildlife Trail

Rocky Mountain Elk, Bald eagles, Mountain Goats, Bighorn Sheep, Marmots, Spawning Salmon, Black Bear, and so many more…

The White Pass Scenic Byway is Washington State’s best roadway for wildlife watching opportunities. From low elevation lakes to sub-alpine ridges, wet west-side forests to the open steppes of eastern Washington, From Mount St. Helens’ blast zone to Mount Rainier’s lush meadows, US 12 and its adjacent public lands provide a range of wild habitats you won’t find anywhere else in the state.

In addition to high quality and diverse habitats, the corridor also provides many accessible locations for wildlife watching, making it relatively easy for visitors to see the sometimes elusive wild residents.

Highlights for wildlife watching in the US 12 include: the Cowlitz Wildlife Area’s Swofford Pond and Kosmos units, Woods Creek Watchable Wildlife Area and Oak Creek Feeding Station.

Highlights of the Byway

Randy JuetteThe White Pass Scenic Byway is 124 miles long, beginning at Mary’s Corner (3 miles east of I-5 at Exit 68) and the intersection of US 12 and SR 410 at Naches. It is located in south central Washington State, about half way between Puget Sound and the Columbia River. The west portal to the byway is near the communities of Centralia and Chehalis, and the east portal near Yakima, the largest city in central Washington.

The White Pass Scenic Byway passes through small communities, resource lands, river valleys, foothills, and alpine county. The region surrounding the byway includes privately-owned residential, agricultural, commercial and forestland properties, as well as state parks, wildlife areas, power projects with associated recreation lands, the Gifford Pinchot and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forests and Mount Rainier National Park, Mt. St. Helens National Monument and Mt. Adams Wilderness Area.