US-2: Everett → Newport
Three hundred twenty-six miles from Everett to Newport over Stevens Pass. The northern alternative to I-90 — more scenic, sparser, and a real planning exercise east of Leavenworth.
By the numbers.
This corridor needs a plan in winter.
Stevens Pass closes more readily than Snoqualmie does, and the gap between Leavenworth and the next reliable fast charger heading east is long enough that a cold-soaked battery matters. Top off fully in Monroe or Sultan before the climb, and again in Leavenworth before continuing east. WSDOT's pass cameras and chain-up requirements should be your last check before committing to the crossing in winter. If conditions look marginal, I-90 to the south is the more reliable cold-weather route.
Every stop, start to finish.
Plotted west to east. Scroll the route — each station lights up as you reach it.
The drive, in detail.
US-2 is the road you take across Washington when I-90 feels too efficient. It’s 326 miles from Everett to Newport over Stevens Pass, and it’s the corridor’s quieter, more scenic alternative — fewer trucks, smaller towns, and a charging map that asks for real planning rather than casual confidence.
The first half works fine. Everett has density, Monroe and Sultan are adequate staging points, and Leavenworth on the far side of Stevens Pass is a legitimately good place to recover from a winter crossing. The trouble starts east of Leavenworth. Wenatchee is the last city with real charging depth, and from there to Newport is a long stretch through the Columbia Plateau with one genuine no-charging gap of more than a hundred miles near Grand Coulee.
This isn’t a corridor to drive on optimism. If you’re choosing between US-2 and I-90 for a cross-state trip, take I-90 unless you specifically want the scenery or you’re headed somewhere US-2 serves better — Stevens Pass skiing, the Methow Valley, or the Grand Coulee Dam detour. If you do take US-2, charge fully in Leavenworth and again before committing to the eastern stretch.