Driving the Washington County plains means watching weather and gravel

Driving in Washington County is a different pleasure from the mountains. Most of the year the open plains give you easy, unhurried miles, wide skies, and long sightlines in every direction. There are no passes to white-knuckle here; the thing to read instead is the weather, and a good share of the network is gravel rather than pavement.

The plains get strong wind much of the year. In the warm months, thunderstorms can build fast and bring hail and heavy rain, so it is worth a glance at the sky. In winter, the same open country that feels easy in summer can turn into a ground blizzard, where wind picks snow off bare fields and drops visibility to almost nothing in minutes. A clear highway and a whiteout can be only a few miles apart, which is good to know before you set out.

Gravel and dirt county roads add their own character. They can wash, rut, or turn slick and greasy after rain, and snow drifts across them between fields. Outside the towns, plowing and grading are a county road-and-bridge job, so timing after a storm is not the same as on a state highway.

Two habits make these drives smooth. Check conditions before a longer plains trip, and plan around a closure when the state posts one — locals respect closures on routes like Interstate 76 during a blizzard because they are about safety, and they clear once the weather passes.

For current highway conditions and closures, use the state transportation department’s road site, and check the National Weather Service before you go.