At 1,656 metres, Chinook Pass is a gate into Mount Rainier country, and the mountain makes itself known well before you arrive. State Route 410 climbs from the Enumclaw plateau through dark Douglas fir and hemlock, past the little settlements of Greenwater and the access road to Crystal Mountain, and then breaks out into subalpine meadows where the great white cone appears over the shoulder of the road. Rainier stands 14,410 feet, and on a clear morning it looks close enough to touch.
The pass was a trade and travel route long before cars, used by Native peoples crossing the Cascades between the coast and the interior, and the modern road was carved out in the 1930s. At the summit the Pacific Crest Trail crosses over the highway on a planted land bridge, so you may see backpackers in the middle of their months-long walk from Mexico to Canada, blinking at the traffic. Tipsoo Lake, just beside the road, is a small, still tarn framed by firs and flowers, and has the best easy photograph of the whole crossing.
The riding is lovely, with long, easy bends rather than hairpins, wide enough for a relaxed rhythm and with a smooth surface. Weather swings fast. A sunny afternoon in Enumclaw can turn to cold drizzle at the pass, and in spring and autumn snow comes down onto the tarmac. The road is shut in winter once snow builds up, usually from late autumn until late spring, so check the state transport page before planning. Late July to September is the safe window, and early autumn adds red huckleberry and mountain ash on the slopes.
Fuel is the thing to plan for. Nothing on the pass sells it, and the last dependable stations are in Enumclaw to the west or in Naches and Yakima to the east. Bring water, expect cool air, and treat the summit as the place to pull over and listen. You will hear marmots whistle among the rocks, and ravens, and perhaps nothing at all.