Stampede Pass
| Stampede Pass | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 3,672 ft (1,119 m) |
| Traversed by | Forest Service Road 54 and BNSF Railway |
| Location | King / Kittitas counties, Washington, United States |
| Range | Cascade Range |
| Coordinates | 47°17′00″N 121°21′04″W / 47.2834°N 121.3512°WCoordinates: 47°17′00″N 121°21′04″W / 47.2834°N 121.3512°W |
Stampede Pass (elevation 3,672 feet (1,119 m)) is a mountain pass in the northwest United States, through the Cascade Range in the state of Washington. East of Seattle, its importance to transportation lies almost entirely with railroading, as no paved roads cross it. It is approximately twelve miles (20 km) south-southeast of Snoqualmie Pass, the gap for Interstate 90.
The pass, and the tunnel to the south which takes advantage of it, the 1.86-mile (3.0 km) Stampede Tunnel (47°16′44″N 121°19′23″W / 47.279°N 121.323°W), just below 3,000 feet (910 m), played a significant role in the history of the Northern Pacific Railway. After a period of dormancy in the late 20th century, the Stampede Pass Line and Tunnel were revived 20 years ago in 1997 by BNSF Railway, which utilizes the route as one of two direct Northern Transcon main lines through the Cascades, between Spokane and the Seattle metropolitan area.
The pass was discovered by Virgil Bogue, a civil engineer for the Northern Pacific. (Bogue went on to become chief engineer of the Union Pacific Railroad and later the Western Pacific Railroad.)
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