One of the two pass reports is unavailable right now. Check both pass pages before you choose.
US 26 · Government Camp
US 20 · Santiam Pass
CARRY CHAINS OR TRACTION TIRES
Report unavailable
Eastbound: Carry Chains or Traction Tires
Report unavailable
Westbound: Carry Chains or Traction Tires
Report unavailable
Bare Pavement
Not reported
44°F at the pass
Not reported
Government Camp 3,900 ft · Blue Box 4,022 ft
Santiam Pass 4,817 ft
About 175 miles via US 97
About 190 miles via I-5 and Sisters
54 corridor cameras
7 corridor cameras
NOV 4, 2026, 8:45 PM PST
Not reported
Portland reaches Bend two ways, and in winter the right answer changes by the hour. The direct line runs US 26 through Government Camp and down US 97 from Madras. The alternative swings south on I-5 to Albany and crosses Santiam Pass on US 20 through Sisters. This page exists because the choice is a comparison, not a guess: the two passes sit in different weather, are posted independently, and either one can be the bad one on a given morning.
Government Camp's weakness is volume: Mt Hood ski traffic stacks onto the same two lanes, and a single spinout between Rhododendron and the village closes the route for everyone. Santiam's weakness is elevation and canyon: 4,817 feet at the crest, a river canyon on the west side that can close for slides, and a summit that holds snow after the valley has forgotten the storm.
See the full pages for the drive itself: Portland to Bend road conditions, Government Camp conditions, and Santiam Pass conditions. Coming from the capital instead? Salem to Bend crosses the same Santiam summit from OR 22.
Questions drivers ask
Which route to Bend is better right now?
The one with the lower live posting. The verdict at the top of this page compares the current ODOT restrictions on both passes: a closed pass loses automatically, then the higher chain level loses, then the colder, icier report breaks the tie.
How much longer is the Santiam Pass route?
About 15 miles and usually 15 to 30 minutes in clear weather: roughly 190 miles by I-5 and US 20 against 175 by US 26 and US 97. In a storm the comparison flips easily, because one chained pass costs more time than the whole detour.
What if both passes are posted at the top level?
Then the honest answer is to wait. Both routes cross the same storm, and there is no low elevation back road over this part of the Cascades. Watch the status history page; postings usually step down within hours of a storm ending.
