Blewett Pass (), at an elevation of , is a

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

in the

Wenatchee Mountains The Wenatchee Mountains are a range of mountains in central Washington State, United States of America. A major subrange of the Cascade Range, extending east from the Cascade crest, the Wenatchee Mountains separate the drainage basins of the Y ...

(an eastward extension of the Cascades) of

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

state that is crossed by U.S. Route 97 (US 97). Named for

Edward Blewett Edward Blewett (July 23, 1848 – July 18, 1929) was a capitalist, who notably owned several mines in the Western U.S. and Canada. He was born in Cornwall, in 1848, to William Blewett and Elizabeth Williams and came to the U.S. as an infant. Durin ...

, a Seattle mining promoter of the 1880s, it lies on the route of the historical

Yellowstone Trail The Yellowstone Trail was the first transcontinental automobile highway through the upper tier of states in the United States, established on May 23, 1912. It was an Auto trail, Auto Trail that ran from the Atlantic Ocean in Plymouth, Massachus ...

. Unlike the many well known passes that lie on the spine of the Cascades, Blewett Pass lies on the divide between the

Wenatchee River The Wenatchee River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington, originating at Lake Wenatchee and flowing southeast for , emptying into the Columbia River immediately north of Wenatchee, Washington. On its way it passes the towns of Plain, Le ...

to the north and the

Yakima River The Yakima River is a tributary of the Columbia River in south central and eastern Washington state, named for the indigenous Yakama people. Lewis and Clark mention in their journals that the Chin-nâm pam (or the Lower Snake River Chamnapam N ...

to the south. The highway over the pass connects

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mou ...

(I-90) between

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

and

Ellensburg, Washington Ellensburg is a city in and the county seat of Kittitas County, Washington, United States. It is located just east of the Cascade Range near the junction of Interstate 90 in Washington, Interstate 90 and Interstate 82. The population was 18,666 ...

with US 2 between

Monroe Monroe or Monroes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Monroe (surname) * Monroe (given name) * James Monroe, 5th President of the United States * Marilyn Monroe, actress and model Places United States * Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorp ...

and

Wenatchee Wenatchee ( ) is the county seat and most populous city of Chelan County, Washington, United States. The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925, and has increased to 35,508 as of 2020. Located in the north-central part of the stat ...

. The route from Seattle to Wenatchee over

Snoqualmie Pass Snoqualmie Pass is a mountain pass that carries Interstate 90 (I-90) through the Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Washington. The pass summit is at an elevation of , on the county line between Kittitas County and King County. Snoqualmie Pas ...

and Blewett Pass is a reasonable alternative to the more northerly route over

Stevens Pass Stevens Pass (elevation ) is a mountain pass through the Cascade Mountains located at the border of King County and Chelan County in Washington, United States. U.S. Route 2 travels over the pass, reaching a maximum elevation of . The Pacific ...

. What is now called Blewett Pass was formerly known as Swauk Pass. It should not be confused with Old Blewett Pass, which is about west of the current summit at the slightly lower elevation of . Swauk was renamed to Blewett Pass in the 1960s after the completion of a new highway alignment for US 97, with locals preferring to keep the old name. The old pass road is Forest Road 9715 and Forest Road 7320. The road closes for the winter so that seasonal recreation may take place. One should inquire about conditions with a Wenatchee National Forest office before driving the road upon re-opening in the warmer months.

References

External links

Blewett Pass road conditions
* ttp://www.motorsportreg.com/index.cfm/event/event.advert/uidEvent/B7B4D11A-EE69-3D9D-9C852F3D13D9FFCD#.UONHDXewSF8 Toure de Old Blewett Road*{{GNIS, 1526843, Blewett Pass Mountain passes of Chelan County, Washington Landforms of Kittitas County, Washington Mountain passes of Washington (state) Mountain passes of the Cascades Transportation in Chelan County, Washington Transportation in Kittitas County, Washington U.S. Route 97