Some Yes, some No. I ran this very pass in 94 in record snows. Got some great pictures. But many of the other mountain pass roads I tried to run prohibited winter travel. Chinook Pass, the one nearest me and In Mt. Rainier National Park is closed every year. They used to plow it in the winter but they had so many avalanche problems that they not only quit plowing it, they prohibited all travel on it. A snow cat was rolled off it and the driver killed. Several Dozer and Pass Plow avalanches have occurred since when they are trying to open it up in the spring. Just last year a Dozer operator was buried in his cat on Chinook Pass. He was trapped, but was not injured. McKenzie was nice. I do not remember seeing any avalanche spots. We came in from the East side as well. There is a little stone look-out tower at the top. You can pick out quite a few of the large peaks in the Cascades from it: St. Helens, Adams, Rainier, 3 fingered jack, Baker, Hood,....
There is also about a hundred mile cross ex trail that runs North to South around the 3 sisters, running by Mt. Bachelor that the Director of Gifford Pinchot National Forest said we could run. He liked Snow Cat's according to his secretary. But that was 23 years ago. I would be inquiring with his successor. They like to keep the Snow Cats off the groomed Cross Country trails. You are usually welcomed on the Snow Mobile trails.
Not too far from there is a nice system of trails, along with some cabins and a restaurant specifically for Snowmobilers at Paulina Lake. No fee's there either. The cabins at the top are usually booked several seasons in advance.
