Mount Baker Scenic Byway
Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington. Scenic byway.
Details
- Where
- Bellingham, Whatcom County, WA. No street address stated. Directions
- Season
- Year-round for most of the highway; Artist Point segment closes mid-October to mid-to-late June.
- Getting there
- SR 542 begins at the Interstate 5 interchange in Bellingham, Washington, then heads east along the North Fork Nooksack River. The highway climbs to 5,140 feet and ends at Artist Point, renowned for its sweeping views of Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuksan.
- Fees
- A valid recreation pass is required at some trailheads.
- Access
- Most of State Route 542 is open year-round, but the road to Artist Point (the final 2.7 miles of the highway) typically closes east of Glacier for the winter around mid-October or early November. The section reopens around mid to late June. Winter recreation is still possible from Heather Meadows and the Mt. Baker Ski Area.
- Phone
- (360) 599-2714
- Managed by
- Washington Department of Transportation.
- Established
- 1988.
Winding along the banks of the Nooksack River, through small logging communities, past waterfalls and alongside old-growth forest groves, this 58-mile trek ends at the base of the 10,781-foot volcano Mount Baker.
Notable Events
- 1873County Commissioners were petitioned to build a road from the town of Whatcom to a Cascade Crossing. Funds were raised to complete the project. wcog.org
- 1886In 1886, surveyor Banning Austin led a delegation up the North Fork of the Nooksack River to map out a northerly route for a proposed road to Mount Baker. archiveswest.orbiscascade.org
- 1893The county wagon road was extended to the town of Maple Falls by 1893 and in the same year Whatcom County politicians lobbied the Washington State Legislature to construct a state road across the Cascades, north of Mount Baker. archiveswest.orbiscascade.org
- 1893A second survey was proposed in 1893 and Austin was again hired as surveyor. The pass (formerly Wild Goose Pass) was called Austin Pass in his honor. archiveswest.orbiscascade.org
- 1893The Cascade State Road Commission was created to develop a road paralleling the Nooksack River, crossing a pass at Mount Baker, and reaching the Columbia River on the east side of the Cascade Mountains. wcog.org
- 1894Engineer Bert Huntoon and draftsman H.M. Wellman were appointed by the commission to find a more feasible course in July of 1894. archiveswest.orbiscascade.org
- 1912Roads between Maple Falls and Glacier were improved, later becoming part of the Mt. Baker Highway from Bellingham to Deming. wcog.org
- 1921Charles Finley Easton proposed an extension of the existing road from Excelsior to Mt. Baker. The extension would take the road to Austin Pass. wcog.org
- 1925On October 14, 1925, Huntoon's automobile was the first through to the end of the highway. The road to Heather Meadows was completed by autumn of the same year. archiveswest.orbiscascade.org
- 1926In 1926, Huntoon and local legislators successfully lobbied for the Mount Baker Highway to be part of the Pacific Highway which was being built along the west coast. archiveswest.orbiscascade.org
- 1927Mt. Baker lodge was built at Heather Meadows, along with nine more miles of road. wcog.org
- 1929By 1929, the highway department extended the road three miles beyond Heather Meadows to Artist Point and the 58-mile Mount Baker Highway was finally completed. archiveswest.orbiscascade.org
- 1967Mt. Baker Highway from Deming east to Artist Point was designated a Washington State Scenic and Recreation Highway. wcog.org
- 1989The last 24 miles of the Mt. Baker Highway was designated as a National Forest Scenic Byway. wcog.org
- 1993The Mt. Baker Highway, from Deming to Interstate 5 in Bellingham, was designated as a Washington State Scenic and Recreation Highway. wcog.org
People
- Banning Austin, Surveyor; Austin Pass was named in his honor (1886).
- Bert W. Huntoon, Engineer who oversaw the building of the Mount Baker Highway and the construction of the Mount Baker Lodge (1869-1947).
- H.M. Wellman, Draftsman appointed with Huntoon to find a more feasible course (1894).
- Charles Finley Easton, Proposed extending the road from Excelsior to Austin Pass (1921).