Cabbage Hill Safety Guide: I-84 Most Dangerous Truck Descent in Oregon

What Is Cabbage Hill?

Cabbage Hill — also called Emigrant Hill or Deadman Pass — is a section of I-84 in northeastern Oregon between Pendleton and La Grande. It is one of the most dangerous truck descents in America. The name itself tells the story: Deadman Pass earned its name from the truckers who did not survive the descent.

The numbers are stark. 78% of commercial vehicle crashes on Cabbage Hill involve out-of-state carriers. 59% of crashes are caused by brake failure. These are drivers who did not know what they were facing, did not prepare, and did not survive the grade.

The Grade Profile

Mile-by-Mile Safety Guide

Milepost 270 (Approach)

Begin downshifting. You should be in a low gear BEFORE you see the grade. If you wait until you are on the grade, it is too late to downshift safely.

Milepost 227-229 (Brake Check / Weigh Station)

The Emigrant Hill weigh station and brake check area. This is NOT optional. Stop and physically check your brakes. Touch your drums or rotors. If they are hot, you do not have enough braking capacity for the descent. Wait.

Milepost 221 (First Escape Ramp)

Runaway truck ramp on the right. If your brakes are fading, use it. There is no shame in using an escape ramp. There is shame in being a statistic.

Milepost 220 (Second Escape Ramp)

Second runaway truck ramp. Last chance before the double hairpin turn.

Double Hairpin (Bottom)

Two sharp turns at the bottom of the grade. If you are going too fast, you will not make these turns. Speed advisory signs recommend as slow as 18 mph for trucks.

Crash Statistics

The 78% out-of-state figure is the most important number on this page. If you are reading this guide before your first Cabbage Hill descent, you are already ahead of most drivers who crash here. They did not read anything. They did not prepare. They did not make it.

Weather Factors

Cabbage Hill is dangerous year-round, but weather multiplies the risk from October through April:

• Fog: Dense fog reduces visibility on the grade, making it impossible to see escape ramps or advisory signs
• Snow and Ice: The grade becomes a sheet of ice. Oregon chain law activates for this area.
• Black Ice: Common on the shaded sections of the hairpin turns
• Wind: Blue Mountain summit is exposed to crosswinds

Check TripCheck.com for real-time Cabbage Hill conditions before beginning the descent.

Connecting to Idaho

Cabbage Hill sits on I-84 between Pendleton (Oregon) and the Idaho border. Drivers heading east will descend Cabbage Hill and then cross into Idaho. The I-84 corridor in Idaho follows the Snake River valley with no comparable mountain grades.

Drivers heading west from Idaho should be aware that I-84 does not have chain requirements in Idaho, but Oregon chain law can activate on the Cabbage Hill approach.

Insurance Implications

Cabbage Hill accidents generate high-severity claims. A runaway truck on a 6% grade at the wrong speed creates catastrophic damage — to the truck, to other vehicles, to infrastructure, and to people. Oregon requires $750,000 CSL minimum for intrastate carriers, which tells you something about how seriously the state takes commercial vehicle liability.

We recommend $1M CSL minimum for any carrier operating on Cabbage Hill. Call RMS at (208) 800-0640.