Drivers headed over the Cascade passes could have serious delays this Thanksgiving if they don’t plan ahead and drive off-peak times. The Department of Transportation has released the expected schedule of historically-heavy times for driving both ways over the mountains.
The worst traffic is on I-90 between North Bend and Cle Elum over Snoqualmie Pass. If you’re headed toward Seattle for the holiday and then back east afterward, you’ll see much less traffic than all the west-siders escaping for the holiday, but you could still get stuck in stop-and-go traffic.
The worst times to travel west over Snoqualmie before Thanksgiving is next Wednesday from noon – 3pm. The worst time to try to come back east is Sunday between 10am and 3pm. The best option is to get up Wednesday and leave Lewiston at 4am to be there before congestion sets in. Coming back, you’ll need to leave Seattle by 6am to get over the pass before the masses. There’s a chance of snow on the passes all weekend.
West-siders coming east can expect the worst traffic next Wednesday between 11am and 4pm. A return trip toward Seattle will be worst Sunday at the same hours, 11-4.
We’ve set up a link to a look at the historic traffic times at KOZE.com so you can plan accordingly.
If you’d like to check other times, you can head to the DOT website here: https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/holiday-weekend-travel/thanksgiving-weekend-travel-times/i-90-travel-charts
